Why should anyone watch the Sky right now?
To a die-hard fan, the question is blasphemy. Real fans are supposed to suffer with dignity — whether the Sky are 2-7 or 7-2.
“If you’re a true Chicago Sky fan, then you should support no matter what the highs and lows are during the season,” coach Tyler Marsh said before the team lost to the Dream.
In other words: if the team is driving off a cliff, die-hard fans should yell, “Wee!”
But what about more casual fans, or Chicagoans just looking to distract themselves on a Friday night?
Why tune in to a team whose floor general is out for the season and whose promise of a more grown-up roster has produced only two victories?
“We’re hungry,” Rachel Banham told the Sun-Times. “We want to win and get better and show people that we’re worth watching.”
That was definitely true Friday night against Atlanta. The Sky finally played competitively against a top-tier team, showcasing a balanced attack that led to a first-half lead.
Then Dream guard Rhyne Howard reminded everyone of the value of having a superstar. She made eight three-pointers in the second half, tying a league record.
“We’ve got a chip on our shoulder,” Angel Reese said.
Which makes sense. The Sky weren’t supposed to be this bad. Some preseason power rankings had them as high as sixth place. Right now, they’re stuck in 12th.
“It’s a long season,” Marsh said. “Some teams start off struggling and then are able to pick it up. Last year, it was Indiana. They had a rough start and then were the hottest team going into the playoffs.”
Sure, maybe the 2025 Sky are a post-All-Star-break kind of team. But wouldn’t it be nice if they got rolling earlier? Like, say, on Sunday morning against the Sun, the league’s other 2-7 team.
For the Sky, it’s a chance at a much-needed win. For fans, it’s a chance to reflect on where the team was a year ago: a slightly random and unpredictable collection of talents — Year 1 of a new cycle. That’s where Connecticut is now, playing without much pressure attached.
The Sky are expecting results in Year 2. But given the slow start, fans might be wondering whether this year’s roster is really a step forward from the one led by Chennedy Carter and Marina Mabrey.
“Tyler, call Chennedy!” a disgruntled fan shouted at the United Center last weekend as a short-handed Fever dismantled the Sky.
It’s not like the Sky front office made irrational moves this past offseason. Adding veterans and a playmaker to support the team’s young post players made sense on paper. But it hasn’t worked. And worse, it has been kind of dull.
Last year, Carter’s creativity and Mabrey’s constant debate between doing breath work or having an outburst was just more fun to watch.
Speaking of Mabrey, before the Sky play Connecticut, fans might recall the day the organization entered this frustrating limbo between rebuilding and competing: Feb. 11, 2023.
After the 2021 championship core split, then-coach and general manager James Wade sent two years’ worth of lottery picks out the door in exchange for a notoriously restless not-quite All-Star in Mabrey. She requested a midseason trade to Connecticut a year later, then asked out of Connecticut once its core split.
Maybe the most ironic part of the Mabrey saga is this: The 2025 Sky could really use her. She could fill in for the injured Courtney Vandersloot and help initiate the offense. But general manager Jeff Pagliocca isn’t looking to deal right now — and Connecticut seems determined to keep Mabrey around.
In the meantime, Sky fans can focus on other pressing questions. How will Hailey Van Lith handle a bigger role? Will new mascot Skye the Lioness ever live up to Ellie the Elephant? Can Saniya Rivers really teach Mabrey how to dance?
OK, that last one’s a Connecticut subplot. But at this point, getting to know the opposing teams is half the fun.
“Women’s basketball is the greatest thing on earth right now,” Sky assistant coach Tanisha Wright said.
Luckily for fans of women’s hoops, there are 12 other teams making that case.
