Placing Caitlin Clark’s inaugural appearance above Angel Reese’s

Caitlin Clark makes WNBA debut with Fever at exhibition game against Wings

The commencement of Caitlin Clark’s career marks one of the WNBA’s most eagerly awaited events this season. However, alongside Clark, another newcomer, Angel Reese, is poised for her preseason debut tonight. Regrettably, the matchup between the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx won’t be televised.

Both Clark and Reese will don their team jerseys and exhibit their skills during the preseason. Yet, many have criticized the league for seemingly favoring the top draft pick’s debut. Meanwhile, the Indiana Fever will clash with the Dallas Wings tonight, a game accessible to fans through TV and the WNBA League Pass.

In light of this, fans have expressed discontent with the league’s decision. However, the league addressed concerns via social media earlier, explaining that Bally Sports of Minnesota has slated an MLB game during Reese’s debut time slot.

The league clarified that they lack control over the absence of Reese’s game on TV. Concluding their statement, they assured fans that all games would be accessible via the league pass.

Given Clark and Reese’s recent collegiate prowess, it comes as no surprise that both have attracted significant attention. With high expectations, both rookies embark on their professional journeys.

WNBA rookie adjusting to commercial flights

Fans caught sight of Clark at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport with her teammates on Thursday. This was in preparation for the team’s preseason game against the Wings. The viewers immediately pointed out how the WNBA wasn’t flying the team on a charter flight.

The issue of the league not having charter flights for teams resurfaced after this. During her media availability, Clark commented on it and mentioned that it’ll take time for her to adjust to flying commercial.

“It’ll definitely be an adjustment, but it is what it is,” Clark said.

“It’s not like we’re the odd man out here. Everybody has to navigate it and I think it’s going to cause some problems, maybe, because the popularity of our league is continuing to grow and having to navigate travel with that.”

The issue of the teams in the league not having a charter flight has been around for some time. Fans have pointed out that there could be safety issues that the players could face. For the Fever, general manager Lin Dunn assured fans that the team has security measures in place.

According to Fox News, the league spent $4 million on charter flights during the playoffs last year. This also included back-to-back games that happened during the regular season. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert shared before the 2024 draft that the league would do the same this season.