Chicago Sky criticized for skipping national anthem

The Chicago Sky have been one of the most highly discussed teams in the WNBA this season, largely due to Angel Reese’s impact on the game. But over Memorial Day Weekend, the Sky made headlines for another reason in regards to their decision as a team not to come out on the court for the national anthem in their matchup on Saturday against the Los Angeles Sparks.

We have seen numerous players across various different sports either opt not to come out of the locker room for the national anthem or opt to take a knee in a statement against police brutality.

The Sky have firmly made their stance very clear on the matter this season, choosing to spend the time designated for the national anthem in the locker room.

While this is nothing new for the Sky, the gesture wasn’t overly well received in Saturday’s game, considering the importance around Memorial Day Weekend and the sacrifice made by the troops sacrificing their lives in battle. Many fans took to social media to publicly criticize the Sky for skipping out on the national anthem.

Took my daughter to an LA Sparks game yesterday. Memorial Day weekend and not one mention of it. Chicago Sky disappeared for the National Anthem like it was a fire drill.

But hey, we did get a firm reminder that hate speech won’t be tolerated. Phew. Would’ve hated to…

— Jason Riley 🇺🇸 (@iamjasonriley) May 26, 2025

So sad. Yet no longer surprising.

— Sage Steele (@sagesteele) May 26, 2025

I can’t say I’d expect anything different from them. Sadly.

— ForeverJoeHess (@ForeverJoeHess) May 26, 2025

Awful, so close to the big time but can’t get out of their own way

— Bart Stanfield (@Bartfalcon) May 27, 2025

Ultimately, while some may not see this as a big deal, others obviously view this act from the Sky as disrespectful for one reason or another.

But for those singling out the Sky in particular, they should know that the Sky are far from the only team that has opted not to hang around for the national anthem this season.