Can someone find a solution to turn this bad form for the Chicago Sky? Well, the coach, Tyler Marsh, has tried different solutions, but it has only resulted in loss after loss as the streak is 0-8. In the meantime, there is another glaring question for the team: how to deal with Angel Reese? The double-double queen seems to be the ray of hope, as they occupy the second-worst spot in the league standings. When things don’t go your way, one should be extra careful, but it’s not the case with Sky.
Their star, Reese, initially missed back-to-back games on July 24 (vs. Seattle Storm) and July 27 (vs. Indiana Fever) due to these back problems. Though she returned to action in the July 29 matchup against the Washington Mystics, which proved to be an emphatic one as she scored 22 points and 13 rebounds. But the celebration was short-lived, as the team suffered a 103-86 loss and, more importantly, another injury for Bayou Barbie. She was again absent on August 1 when the Sky took on the Valkyries.
HC Marsh even said, “Kind of continued. You know her back tightened up after the Washington game. So again, more precautionary stuff there. So she’ll be out tonight.” This revelation was before the matchup against Valkyries. But the luck for Angel Reese and the Sky continued to haunt them as she missed another game, this time against the Phoenix Mercury. The status didn’t change, and the Chi-Town Barbie chose a black outfit, cheering her teammates. But her missing the game was not clear to the fans.
The comments on the post sum up the feeling: “Is she even playing?” Because the social media post before the game clearly had AR front and center. The team knew she wouldn’t suit up against the Mercury, but still, they proceeded with the post. Was this a mixup? Or an oversight?
let’s hoop
: 5 PM CT
: Phoenix Mercury
: The U pic.twitter.com/CL3z8i3yIz
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) August 3, 2025
If the latter, then the teams should take responsibility, as although small, many were misled into watching the game, assuming she was playing in it. Hours later, the team added another graphic and listed the three players who missed out. Ariel Atkins missed her seventh straight absence and the team. Courtney Vandersloot, of course, is done for the season with an ACL tear that happened back in June. The last player on the list was Reese, because of her persistent back issues.
Angel Reese shut down reports, adding more pressure on Sky’s ‘mistake’
The Chicago Sky are down 7-21 as the playoffs near, and 1.5 games behind the bottom team Connecticut Sun. So, the pressure is really on the face of the franchise, Reese, to pull them out. After the 6th straight loss, the Chi-Town Barbie assured, “I tried to push through as much as I could for my teammates because I know they need me out there.” That’s why the fans are agitated, since they know the forward is trying her best to be on the court. “Got my girl in the graphic and she not playing .”
Let’s not forget, the 23-year-old is having an excellent sophomore season. She has upped her playmaking, dishing out 3.7 assists per game, while shooting 44.4% from the field. While the rebounding excellence continued, she had 17 double-doubles. Another fan simply reminded, “She not playing .” As the team is 3-12 in the last 15 games. Angel Reese still leads the team with 14.2 points and 12.6 rebounds, despite her injury troubles.
A netizen questioned, “Angel is OUT today guys. What are we doing with her on the graphic?!” With the struggles on the court, and the team losing by blowouts in many losses, there was a serious statement. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it may be time for Chicago to shut down their star player for the rest of the season,” one of the fans suggested on ESPN’s newly introduced Dubmoix in the WNBA Hoops Streams podcast. It would seem like deja vu, as the team had to take this action last season.
At the time, it was the wrist injury, which ruled out Bayou Barbie and plummed their chance of playoffs. During the game against the Mercury, it was Michaela Onyenwere and rookie Maddy Westbeld who had a solid outing. Onyenwere scored 13 points and made three of her four three-pointers. Westbeld scored nine points on 3-for-6 shooting from the field. This justified a fan who wished to promote other players over injured Reese. “angels not even playing . show love to the folks who are playing.”
When the star player is out, it affects the marketing of the team. It was evident when in the high-profile match against Fever, both rivals Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese had to sit out. This led to a drop of more than 70% in ticket sales. Tickets just to get into the arena were sitting at $86 and have dipped to $25. And during the game against the Mercury, some seats were still unsold, as per a fan. “Promoting a player who’s out for the sole reason of trying to fill Wintrust Arena. $8.00 gets you in the door currently on StubHub.” Whether the team intentionally used AR’s image to promote, or it was an honest mistake. The franchise will have to take more responsibility, as fans are one of the important stakeholders. When the records don’t go your way, it truly is the fan support that uplifts the morale.
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