The Chicago Sky are set to make history Saturday when they face the Indiana Fever at the United Center — the first professional women’s basketball game played in the 31-year-old arena.
But one of the marquee matchups of this WNBA season took a hit when the Fever announced May 26 that Caitlin Clark would be out at least two weeks because of a lingering left quadriceps strain.
The injury will keep the Indiana superstar sidelined for Saturday’s game — and the momentum behind ticket sales shifted accordingly.
Initial ticket sales aren’t a concern. Fewer than 500 original tickets at the 20,923-capacity United Center remained available via Ticketmaster as of Wednesday. The majority were in the 100 level, where prices began at $393.
But Clark’s injury sent the resale market plummeting, with prices dropping by an average of 70% in the first 48 hours after her injury was announced, according to TickPick. Upper-level tickets originally priced at $125 are now available for less than $20 on SeatGeek.
It’s a hard-learned truth for resellers: Trying to turn a profit on a sporting event is a major gamble. A similar problem arose in both 2023 and 2024 when soccer star Lionel Messi didn’t even make the trip with his Inter Miami teammates to play the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field.
Clark has continued to travel with the Fever for road games during her injury absence. She took pictures with fans and signed jerseys before and after a May 28 game against the Washington Mystics in Baltimore. But coach Stephanie White has been adamant the Fever won’t rush Clark back, even as they struggle with injuries throughout their backcourt.
Clark has been a major driver of attendance since she joined the WNBA last season. The Fever set a league record in 2024 for total home and away attendance, drawing 643,343 fans to 40 games — an average of more than 16,000. Four teams moved games against the Fever last year to larger arenas to accommodate bigger crowds.
The Sky played both of last season’s home games versus the Fever at 10,387-capacity Wintrust Arena, and the average resale ticket price for the Aug. 30 series finale between the teams spiked to $386, according to Logitix.
The Sky announced in February they would play both of their 2025 home games against the Fever at the United Center. The second meeting is July 27.
While the Fever produced the most eye-popping numbers last year, it was part of a leaguewide trend sparked by the popularity of the 2024 draft class — including Sky star Angel Reese — as overall attendance shot up 48% from 2023. The Mystics moved one matchup last season against the Sky and Baltimore native Reese from 4,200-capacity CareFirst Arena to Capital One Arena and sold out all 10,000 available tickets.
While resellers will shoulder the burden of plummeting prices for Saturday’s game, the Sky face another major question: Can they still set a WNBA single-game attendance record?
The Mystics set the record in September with 20,711 attending a game against the Fever at Capital One Arena. The United Center’s larger capacity provides a chance for the Sky to break that record without a full sellout.
Saturday’s game is on track to break the franchise attendance record of 16,444 — set in 2016 at Allstate Arena — but Clark’s absence could dilute attendance just enough to miss the league record.
There’s an optimistic outlook, however, that it’s a question of when, not if.
Early ticket sales for the Fever’s return to the United Center in July reflect pre-injury projections for Saturday’s game, with the majority of all three levels already sold out. If Clark returns on her current timeline, she would be available to help boost the final attendance for the rematch.
In the meantime, the Sky will make history of their own Saturday — and look to surpass the Fever in the standings after back-to-back wins over the Dallas Wings last week.