Thanks for being here: Support Women’s Sports Chicago is a passion project of a newly full-time freelance writer. Each time you read, share, and become a supporting member of this newsletter, you allow me to spend more time focused on women’s sports.

And it is another day when procrastination is my friend. I am really glad I didn’t send this out in the morning. So let’s get into how our teams did on the field, UCLA’s big win, and of course, the Chicago Sky trading Angel Reese.

— Veronica Arreola

It wasn’t a great weekend for our teams.

Red Stars fall in Utah: The Stars drop their third match in a row and fall to 1-4 in the first month of the NWSL season. The team announced today that they are loaning defender Sam Angel to Boston Legacy FC. So Chicago lost two Angels today?

The Wind got blown out: The Mississippi Panthers shut us out 24-0. After two games we are 1-1. Hopefully some R&R during the bye week will help get us back in the win column.

I scooted over to Whiskey Girl Tavern to watch the UCLA-South Carolina game on Sunday.

Chicago loves Dawn: I can’t say if Chicago was rooting for South Carolina or for Dawn Staley, but the cheers at the start of the game were clear that the room had Dawn’s back. Each time Geno was mentioned boos roared. And when UCLA started to run away with the game, the room grew quieter. You could hear a lot of exasperated sighs and OMGs.

UCLA makes history: It is still amazing to me that this is the first time that UCLA has won the women’s tournament. Of course they did win a championship in 1978 but that wasn’t in the NCAA and that was when the NCAA didn’t like women playing sports. A story for another day.

The Bruins played AMAZING. I could not believe what I was watching. They made Carolina look like a JV team. I always want a closer game, but it was still a good game to watch.

What’s next: The WNBA draft is April 13th and the first game tips off Friday, May 8th. A short rest for the seniors.

Sky fans have been here before. Kah. Candace. Elena. Swin. Sylvia.

Miserable: Rebecca Allen had the word of the day and she didn’t even know about the Angel trade yet.

Memorial Tee: Sarah Spain has mocked up a memorial tee. Most teams have a Mount Rushmore of GOATS who are lauded. We have one of GOATS who have been traded or allowed to sign elsewhere. By the way, has anyone crafted a new way to talk about an array of GOATS without using Mount Rushmore which is a memorial to colonialism?

Pledged: The Chicago Sky fan base should be so used to being shocked by a trade that it is expected, not shocking. As I said in my IG reel, I’ve been a Sky fan since day one. Heck, before day one.

In 2001, 2002, bringing a WNBA team to Chicago was my goal as a leader in the Chicago chapter of the National Organization for Women. I met with a representative from the Chicago Bulls, because back then that was the best way to get a team, it still kinda is. He told me he didn’t believe Chicago would support a team. I could prove him wrong by getting pledges from fans to buy season tickets.

I couldn’t pledge that cause I didn’t have that kind of money, but I did try my best to talk to everyone I knew about it. I even tabled at a few sapphic dance parties. Obviously I didn’t get enough pledges and the Bulls were not interested, cause why would they leave this kind of decision to a 20-something with a clipboard anyway?

The Sky (and most teams) like to make a big deal of season ticket holders. When I finally became one in 2020 it was huge for me. But I was also that fan who brought Girl Scout troops and advocated for adding a Chicago Sky game to a girls leadership summit I helped lead. Those fans aren’t publicly lauded at 20th anniversary celebrations.

Luvvie went off on her IG about how the Sky doesn’t even truly value their courtside season ticket holders.

I let my season tickets go after the 2025 season due to ticket prices doubling after 2024. I stuck with the 2025 season, but the team ended in last place, Kah was allowed/pushed to leave, and I lost faith in the management of the team. Why would I spend so much money on a team that didn’t even look like it was trying?

Thanks, Angel: As I stated in my IG reel, this trade happened because Angel clearly has high standards on her workplace and her life. By asking or forcing this trade, she is sending a signal not just to the league that this raggedy (thanks, Luvvie) front office will not be tolerated by someone of her caliber. I suspect Angel would say no player should.

Chitown Barbie’s final lesson for her fans, especially the young women, is to model Angel’s high standard. Do not accept less. At work. In life. In love.

While this newsletter and the larger project of supporting women’s sports is my passion project, I still need to buy groceries, put gas in my vehicles (I have a purple sparkly moped scooter and a car), and buy nachos at games.

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