Sky Made Waves on Draft Night Now They Must Ride It
The Chicago Sky made a big splash on draft night with the selections of Kamilla Cardoso (#3) and Angel Reese (#7). Now that the franchise has the city’s attention, it is important that they capture all of the momentum and good-will for the days and months ahead will come with a learning curve. There is no doubt the Sky did well in the draft, especially with #13 overall selection Brynna Maxwell, a much needed outside shooter. However, the WNBA has a history of not fully capitalizing on the moment, which gives many of us who have been covering the league for years pause. I am optimistic that this time could be different, but until it is proven, you can’t blame me for being a bit hesitant.
On the positive side, two days after the draft, the Sky have announced that Reese and Cardoso will wear the numbers 5 and 10 respectively. The jerseys are also now on sale. This is a step in the right direction. After the team won the championship, myself and thousands of other fans in Chicago searched aimlessly for championship gear and couldn’t find any. Poor marketing has been a criticism of the league since its inception. Getting fans products they can proudly wear to support their team and market the league is a no-brainer and it is good to see adjustments being made.
With anticipation and excitement also comes higher ticket prices. If you thought Sky tickets were a bargain, think again. Ticket prices have gone through the roof for the upcoming season. Credit that to this current draft class that is full of big names who have built huge followings in college. This is something that has been missing in the NBA recently with so many of their top draft picks coming from overseas or guys who only played one year in college. Nobody knows who they are unless you are a hardcore basketball fan.
But make no mistake about it, the WNBA has the best women’s basketball players in the world and this new draft class, no matter how high their potential, will struggle their first year in the league. Because they are talented, their struggles might be less than others, but trust me, they are in for some long nights on the hardwood. Fans will have to temper their expectations while not muffling their excitement for the future. Breanna Stewart, Jonquil Jones, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Dianna Taurasi, Jewell Lloyd are just a few of the veterans waiting to take their shot at this rookie class. Expect them to get treated like any other rookie seeking to take a veterans job. With only 12 teams with 12 players per team, you can expect some serious clashes when training camps open in a few days.
This is all perfect timing for the Sky. The Chicago White Sox are a disaster. The Bulls will probably be out of the playoffs by the time I’m done publishing this article. The Blackhawks are not in the playoffs this year. The Bears training camp doesn’t start until July and the Cubs will be average and it is early in the season. The Sky MUST use all of these circumstances to their advantage as their season begins in a month. They will pretty much have a two-month head start on the Bears for media coverage, expect the week of the NFL draft. They must push their product out as much as possible and promote their players to EVERY COMMUNITY in Chicago. My biggest beef with most pro sports franchises is that the public relaitons people often don’t think it is important for Black athletes to do things in the communities in which many of them come from. With Reese being from the tough streets of Baltimore, I think it is vital that she is marketed in communities on the South and West Sides of Chicago. The people who live their have a connection with her already and I’m sure it is vice versa. This could be an entirely new fanbase for the Sky that they have been missing out on for years.
Only time will tell.