Angel Reese-Chicago Sky Fiasco Exposes Reason Behind Indiana Fever’s Success With Caitlin Clark

It all started with a stare-down on the 2023 NCAA title game. Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark’s clash went viral. Their rivalry became inseparable from their names. When both entered the WNBA the next year, fans expected fireworks. And last season, they delivered. Both fought neck-and-neck for Rookie of the Year. But in their sophomore campaigns, the balance is gone.

Reese is now making headlines for the wrong reasons. She called out her Chicago Sky teammates, even hinting she could leave if things don’t improve. Clark’s Indiana Fever, meanwhile, looks set for a postseason run despite her missing much of the season with injury. So, what happened? Why do their trajectories look so different? Well, the scales have tipped in Clark’s favor, and the answer may lie in the conditions they play under.

Never one to hold back, Reese slammed her franchise for lacking proper facilities, even saying she had better ones in college. WNBA reporter Andrew Haubner underlined the seriousness of her words: “Angel Reese saying that, I could leave and walk is a huge deal because there are a lot of franchises that would want her first and foremost, but also, you are Chicago. You’re one of the five biggest media markets, one of the five biggest markets for a sport. You’re in a place that wants to support basketball, that has a history of high-end women’s basketball prospects, and you can’t seem to break into this environment. And that’s not acceptable when you have a star of Angel’s caliber, a star of Kamilla’s caliber. And you are fighting against the encroachment of the Indiana Fever.“

According to a Harris Poll of Cook County residents conducted in December 2023, while 80–90% of locals identify as fans of at least one major sports team, only 14% claimed the Sky as their favorite. That’s tiny compared to the Bears (57%), Bulls (53%), or Cubs (49%). Even with a city full of hoops fans, the Sky haven’t managed to turn general sports passion into dedicated support. Competing against eight major pro teams and entrenched sports traditions, Chicagoans still see the Sky as peripheral. The team’s cultural footprint is modest, too; just 33% of residents feel the Sky makes a positive impact on the city’s sports culture.

In short: Chicago loves sports, but the Sky? Not so much. Indiana, meanwhile, has capitalized. Clark’s arrival has boosted Fever attendance and made Gainbridge Fieldhouse a fortress. Even away teams have shifted games to larger arenas to accommodate Fever crowds. Haubner stressed the Clark part further: “And I don’t mean that as a Caitlin Clark thing. I mean it as a Big 10 fan base thing because two cities that Big 10 alums go to. If you want to go to a city, you can go to Chicago, or you can come here to Denver. And you are going to get naturally a lot of Big 10 people that are into supporting a Caitlin Clark or even a Kelsey Mitchell, because she went to Ohio State, who are living in Chicago and in Big 10 country.”

Aug 25, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) reacts as she walks on the court during the second half of a WNBA game against the Las Vegas Aces at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Infrastructure tells the story, too. Chicago’s $38 million practice facility has hit a snag multiple times. This is coming over the fact that the current facilities have been labeled the worst by many WNBA players. On the other hand, Indiana is building a $78 million training center, set to finish in 2027, that will be the largest in the league.

Haubner emphasized that building a true home-court advantage takes more than just star power. It requires a franchise that knows how to protect its marquee players. He noted that the Sky can’t afford to keep getting “run out of the building when the traveling road show is in town,” and pointed out that if even an outsider feels this strongly, Angel Reese, a fierce competitor, must feel it even more. “I think it’s all on the organization to step up at this point because if you don’t, you’re going to bleed two more superstars in an ever-lengthening death march of superstars that have spurned your organization already,” said Haubner, giving a warning call to Chicago. However, with so much chaos in the locker room, Angel Reese has supposedly backed down from her claims.

Angel Reese backs down from her earlier statements about the Chicago Sky

The Chi-town Barbie earlier caused an explosion when she publicly called out her teammates and franchise. The result? Sky head coach Tyler Marsh had to come forward to do some damage control. Reportedly, Reese also faced the brunt of her teammates when she walked into the locker room against Connecticut. Following the game, she issued a public apology for the same.

Claiming she already apologized to her team, Reese said, “I probably am frustrated with myself right now. I think the language was taken out of context, and I really didn’t intentionally mean to put down my teammates because they’ve been through this with me throughout the whole year.”

She further added the lesson she has learned: “So, I want to apologize to my teammates, which I already have about the article and how it was misconstrued about what was said. And I just have to be better with my language. Because I know it’s not the message, it’s the messenger. And understanding what I say can be taken any kind of way. So, I just have to really be better and grow from this.”

Do you think her comments could just be a PR cover-up?

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