| T |
he New York Liberty, who play their home games at Barclays Center, have many anticipated theme nights for the 2024 season just as woman’s basketball has become a nationwise phenomenon due in part to the tremendous interest in Caitlin Clark and Rickea Jackson two college stars who are beginning their WNBA careers this year.
The Liberty, an WNBA finalist last season, is committed to creating a fan-focused, exciting and innovative experience on game day. They have a wide range of theme nights to appeal to as wide of a range of the Brooklyn community as possible.
Caitlin comes to Brooklyn
The first theme night is their home opener on May 18 at 1:00 p.m. against the Indiana Fever and No. 1 draft pick Caitlin Clark.
The Liberty will hold their third annual Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) night on May 23.
June will feature the team’s 10th annual PRIDE game on June 22 against the Sparks, and then the team will finish the month with their third annual sneaker head game presented by Nike on June 30.
Following a break for the All-Star and the Olympics, the team will host two theme nights in August: their fourth annual Women’s Empowerment game on August 20 and their eighth annual UNITY game on August 24, which will be against the Sun.
Noche Latina
In the season’s final month, the Liberty will hold their second annual West Indian Night on September 5, their second annual Noche Latina on September 15 and Fan Appreciation on September 19 against the Atlanta Dream.
“Several of our theme nights are inspired by the team and causes that matter to us,” Chief Brand Officer Shana Stephenson told us. “Celebrating the Pride community is a major priority and celebrating women’s empowerment is of course a major priority for us as an organization.”
The Liberty were one of the first sports teams overall to host a Pride Night.
“The LGBTQ+ community has been such a loyal and devoted fan base for us and we recognized that early and we felt that it was really important to create an environment that they felt seen, felt appreciated and felt represented,” Stephenson said. “We take real pride, no pun intended, in being one of the first to recognize them and create a game day experience where they felt safe in being at.“
Many of the theme nights are inspired by the diversity of the fan base that the Liberty have in Brooklyn and New York City overall.
“We have one of the most diverse fan bases in sports,” Stephenson said.
They try to be reflective of the diversity in the city with their theme nights and who they represent.
The West Indian theme night was inspired by Jonquel Jones, who is a former league MVP and 4-time All-Star who was acquired via trade before last season. She grew up in Bahamas and moved to Maryland when she was 14.
“I’m very excited about the Liberty shining a light on the amazing West Indian community in New York, especially in Brooklyn,” Jones said last year.
Before the season begins, the Liberty has a content capture day with their players where they will be filmed and photographed.
“We program our theme nights not just as a way for our players to be involved but it is a way for us to meet our fans where they are as well,” Stephenson said. “There is a huge community element in this as well and us giving back to the community.”
They also give back to the community at the sneaker head night.
For the Soles4Souls sneaker drive at the sneaker head night, all the donations go towards their 4Opportunity program, which supports people in developing countries escape poverty through entrepreneurship.
Liberty players Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, who is a 2-time MVP, both have signature sneakers. The only other active WNBA players with signature sneakers are rookie Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson, who has a signature shoe with Nike called the A’One.
Appropriate music and mascot
The Liberty tries to make sure the games are extremely electric, which means making sure the vibe is right and that the DJ has a music selection that represents the audience.
The team’s mascot, Ellie, and their entertainment crew, are both huge parts of how the Liberty try to create a fun and highly energetic environment for fans.
The Liberty will do outreach in advance of the theme nights.
For AAPI Night the Liberty has worked with Apex for Youth, for Pride Night the Liberty has worked with Callen-Lorde and Ali Forney Center, for Unity Night the Liberty has worked with Vera Institute and Black Girls Code and for Women’s Empowerment Night the Liberty has worked with Girls Inc., Peace Players, Power Play and League of Women Voters.
Raising social consciousness
The UNITY theme night began back in 2016 and was inspired by social justice and raising awareness around police brutality. Every year UNITY night has had a different theme.
Last season UNITY celebrated 50 years of women in hip hop.
This season the UNITY theme game in August will be inspired by the 70th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education. They also wanted to raise awareness around the debate about critical race theory.
“We felt it was important to raise awareness for literacy and storytelling as there have been several books that centered Black characters and Black authors that are being banned,” Stephenson said.
