By mid-August it's typically pretty clear if a WNBA team has a shot at the playoffs this season, and due to a combination of factors that includes a first-year coach and a series of disappointing injuries (as well as the team's 8-24 record), it's safe to assume that 2025 just isn't the year for the Sky. But despite the tough season, the team's home attendance numbers have continued to trend upward, and there's no reason to believe that's slowing down anytime soon.
The last time the Sky enjoyed solid attendance numbers was during the 2019 season. It was, admittedly, a big one for the team. The season was the first time in three years the Sky made it back to the playoffs, and three players were named to the All-Star team: Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley, and Diamond DeShields.
The Sky averaged 6,748 fans per game in 2019, only to have that trend disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic the following year. And though the Sky, like every other team in the WNBA, attempted to pull fans back in 2021, things didn't pick back up in earnest until 2022. The Sky averaged 7,180 fans per game that season and 7,241 in 2023.
Of course, 2024 brought Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese to the team (the Sky also drafted Brynna Maxwell in the second round of the year's draft — she currently plays for Celta Balconesto Femenino in Spain), two athletes who spurred a dramatic increase in interest in the team. The duo also brought in more fans to Wintrust Arena, and the team averaged 8,757 fans per game that season.
Last year's WNBA season wasn't much better for the Sky than this year's. Chicago landed at 10th in the league (and at the bottom of the Eastern Conference) with a 13-27 record — but with more fans than ever in recent history showing up and supporting no matter what.
That's a feat the Sky has repeated this year, and it's a sure sign that support for the WNBA isn't based on wins and losses, nor is it based on a team's most popular player showing up each night and pulling off a mind-bending performance. In fact, Reese has missed several games this season due to injury — and there's a real chance she may not even return this year — and average nightly attendance at home games is up to 9,471.
Like the rest of the league, the Sky is getting to wrap up what's been simultaneously a thrilling and a difficult season. The team's front office will have a lot of decisions to make, but, based on how the season's been going, there's little reason to suspect any of those will impact fan support (at least not negatively).