The price of being a Chicago Sky fan just went up. Where will the money go?

CHICAGO — The price of being a Chicago Sky fan just went up.

It was inevitable. Even a casual viewer this season could see it coming: the sold-out crowds, the back-ordered jerseys, the record-breaking viewership. The popularity of rookies Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso — and the league’s 2024 draft class at large — has been undeniable, commanding a wave of demand for tickets and merchandise that was certain to be met with a price surge.

But for many longtime season ticket holders, it still came as a shock this week when the Sky sent out emails detailing that next year’s invoices would be doubled — or more — from this year’s prices.

Courtside seats for the full 2025 home schedule will skyrocket from $4,500 to $11,000, a 144% increase. More affordable 18-game packages for 200-level seats are jumping from $270 to $985 — a 265% hike.

This sticker shock reflects the intricacies of the transitional period the Sky are wading through as they attempt to retain their longtime fan base while expanding to establish a larger footprint in Chicago. As the front office declines requests to speak about a months-old promise to announce plans for a new training facility, a natural question follows: Where exactly will all that money go?

In the early years of the WNBA, affordability was a driving force in attracting and maintaining fans. In 2021 the average Sky ticket price was $43. Even after that season ended with a championship, ticket prices increased more gradually in ensuing seasons to an average of $88 this year. This made the team notably accessible to fans in an expensive pro sports market.

But next year’s price increase seems to reflect that the Sky are adjusting to market norms in Chicago. For instance, it cost an average of $276 to attend a Bulls game last season as the team led the league in attendance despite mediocre results on the court.

It feels superfluous to ask what changed to garner this sudden spike. What changed? Everything. The WNBA is riding an unprecedented surge of attention and popularity. As a result, the league and its teams are recalibrating their worth — in ticket prices, media rights deals and even the valuation of the franchises — almost overnight.

At its core, this is a reflection of success. Women’s basketball never has been a hotter ticket. And players already are seeing the payoff as they earn major wins like charter flights that the players union had been fighting to achieve for years.

For the Sky, the issue is what comes next. Fans are clamoring for standard improvements to match those beefed-up ticket prices — including better food and drink options at Wintrust Arena, better perks for season ticket holders and improved in-game entertainment.

But for the Sky, investment and revenue is an issue that runs much deeper.

The Sky still are struggling to shake a long-held reputation of being a “cheap” franchise, which is centered around the team training in a public recreation center in Deerfield.

In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times earlier this year, Lincolnwood native Jewell Loyd said she cooled on the Sky in free agency because of a lack of investment, adding that players across the WNBA are “waiting for Chicago to step up” before the franchise can become a legitimate contender for top free agents.

With the promise created by Cardoso and Reese, along with additions such as coach Teresa Weatherspoon and crafty guard Chennedy Carter, the Sky never have been better positioned to redefine themselves. But they can’t take that step until they move their players into a more professional training facility — a process that increased revenue certainly could assist.

Sky operating chairman Nadia Rawlinson has declined to speak with the Tribune about these efforts and refused questions until the front office is prepared to make a public announcement about a facility. But that announcement should have been made in May, when Rawlinson promised the Sky would have a significant update before the season started.

Two months and 24 games later, the Sky have not provided a timeline or any further updates, other than the fact their current lease at Sachs Recreation Center runs out at the end of the year. This might seem like a worn-out issue but only because the franchise has been stuck in the same public position for more than a year, continually stalling with cheery promises that haven’t been fulfilled.

Inertness is a status quo the Sky no longer can afford. Sure, ticket sales are up this year, but that’s an inherited value. The Sky did not make Cardoso or Reese a star. And while drafting one of the most popular female athletes in the country has brought a boom of success, that’s not a sustainable business model to replicate in the future.

Rookie contracts are short. Whether they realize it or not, the Sky already are making their free-agency pitches — both to their rookies and to potential free agents who could join them to chase down another title. And despite an understanding throughout the franchise of its image around the league, the Sky have yet to “step up” to the challenge set by players like Loyd.

Rising ticket prices might be the cost of doing business as the WNBA rises in popularity. But Sky ownership will have to match it with an increase in investment — or the team risks being left behind once again.

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