Caitlin Clark Sold Out the United Center in Minutes—But Sure, Let’s Pretend This Is About Angel Reese

When the Chicago Sky decided to move both of their home games against the Indiana Fever to the United Center—the largest arena in the NBA—fans knew something big was coming. With nearly 21,000 seats, it’s more than double the capacity of Wintrust Arena, the Sky’s usual home. But even that wasn’t enough to contain the phenomenon known as Caitlin Clark.

The tickets? Gone in under five minutes. Some feverishly claimed it happened in just one. Either way, it was faster than a fast break. A full-blown sellout in a stadium that once only packed crowds for Michael Jordan. And the cause? Let’s not kid ourselves. It wasn’t Angel Reese. It wasn’t some perfectly scripted WNBA rivalry. It was Clark, the golden-armed rookie from Iowa, doing what she’s done all year—moving the needle in women’s basketball like no one before her.

Let’s be clear: Angel Reese has star power. She has fans. She has charisma and cultural impact. But the notion that this ticket-selling explosion is somehow the result of her presence is laughable—yet many are making that case with a straight face.

You’d think Angel personally installed the seats in the United Center with how much credit her supporters are giving her. According to them, she might as well have drawn up the court lines, painted the logos, and constructed the scoreboard. The truth? The Sky didn’t move these games to a larger arena because of a feverish hometown crowd. They moved them to accommodate an Indiana Fever crowd.

Yes, this is a home game that Chicago fans will attend as scattered specks of navy blue and light yellow amidst a sea of Indiana Fever red. They’re about to learn what it feels like to be the visiting team in their own city. The scoreboard may say “Sky vs. Fever,” but the crowd will scream “Clark vs. Everybody.”

It’s not a diss to Angel Reese. She’s a captivating figure, with a loyal fan base and a compelling story. But we’re talking about raw economic impact. And there’s only one rookie in the WNBA today who can cause a 21,000-seat arena to sell out faster than a sneaker drop. One rookie who turns every road game into a headline. One rookie who’s already being used as the league’s walking, dribbling stimulus package.

Caitlin Clark is the moment.

Still, the WNBA continues to twist itself into knots trying to share—or dilute—that spotlight. Every Caitlin Clark game is suddenly “a battle” against someone else’s narrative. A redemption arc. A revenge game. A chance for someone else to make it about themselves. And yet, time after time, the numbers don’t lie.

The Chicago Sky should honestly rebrand themselves as the Caitlin Clark Stock Exchange—because every time she rolls into town, their market value doubles. Their attendance surges. Their social engagement skyrockets. Their relevance? Let’s just say the Sky have never gotten this much national attention since they won a championship no one outside Chicago remembers.

And don’t think it’s just Chicago. Even the Atlanta Dream—whose co-owner famously insulted Caitlin Clark’s fans as “not like us”—saw the light. Or maybe just saw the dollar signs. After initially contenting themselves with smaller venues and exclusivity, they too moved their games to a bigger arena the moment the Fever came knocking.

Funny how fast your moral high ground erodes when it starts raining revenue.

Yet some players and fans continue to resist the obvious. The Clark Deniers—a special subset of WNBA purists who act like she’s an overrated media creation rather than the living, breathing cash machine that she is—are working overtime. Their logic? If Angel Reese, or anyone else, gets coverage, it’s earned. If Caitlin Clark gets coverage, it’s manufactured.

Meanwhile, Clark isn’t asking for any of this. She’s not lobbying for attention. She’s too busy putting up double-doubles, selling out arenas, and raising the floor—and ceiling—of the entire league. The Indiana Fever went from a fringe team with a 10-win season to the hottest ticket in the country overnight. That doesn’t happen without her.

In her rookie year, the average attendance across the WNBA jumped from 6,000 to nearly 16,000. That’s a 157% increase. But hey, let’s pretend that’s just coincidence, right?

And yet, even as Clark draws the crowds, increases the jersey sales, and boosts the league’s media footprint, some players still insist on playing the victim card. They claim they are being overlooked. That they are disrespected. That they are undervalued. That this white girl from Iowa is somehow stealing the spotlight that rightfully belongs to them.

The irony? These same players are benefitting directly from her popularity. Their salaries? Their exposure? Their TV contracts? All boosted by the Caitlin Clark wave. It’s as if they’re angry at the sun for making their flowers bloom.

But the comedy reaches its peak when you hear fans—especially from Chicago—try to spin this into some hometown loyalty narrative. Look, if the Sky could pack Wintrust Arena for every game, they would. They don’t. That’s why they moved. That’s why the United Center was booked. That’s why the tickets disappeared faster than your average TikTok trend.

Caitlin Clark isn’t the future of the WNBA. She’s the present. Right now. Right here. Selling out your stadium. Boosting your revenue. Getting your team on ESPN. Whether the league chooses to celebrate her or pretend she’s just a flash in the pan, the truth is, she is the reason the Sky and every other team she faces are suddenly enjoying a taste of the big time.

So when June 2025 comes and the Sky take the court in front of 21,000 people cheering for the other team, just remember: this isn’t about Angel Reese. This isn’t about some spicy college rematch. This isn’t about headlines or drama.

It’s about Caitlin Clark.

The girl who tied her shoelace, checked her phone—and sold out your entire stadium.