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Liberty's fan base started as a niche – but after the championship win, the Big Apple belongs to them: “It's not just basketball”

Liberty's fan base started as a niche – but after the championship win, the Big Apple belongs to them: “It's not just basketball”

It's not just a team, it's a lifestyle.

The New York Liberty's rabid fan base was once considered niche – but with growing interest in the league and the Liberty's first title, there's a feeling among fans that they're finally getting what's coming to them.

“It's not just about basketball,” said Veronica Garza, 40, a Park Slope comedian and longtime supporter of the WNBA charter team, now celebrating its first-ever championship.

The New York Liberty will celebrate their 2024 WNBA Championship at a ceremony at City Hall on October 24, 2024. Paul Martinka
The Liberty Championship Parade passes through Manhattan's Canyon of Heroes. Paul Martinka

“It's just fun, it's just inviting, it's welcoming… You won't find anyone who has gone to a Liberty game in the last three or four years – I know a lot of people who went once with a friend and are now going her again. They just become fans just because of the atmosphere.”

The atmosphere of Liberty games is incomparable to that of other teams in the league, said Garza, who has traveled across the country to watch both WBNA and NBA games and even regularly during the Liberty's two-year run in Westchester County traveled to White Plains Center.

Even NBA games are boring in comparison, she said — and that goes for supporters of the Brooklyn Nets, who share the Barclays Center with the Libs.

“I remember going to a Nets game earlier this year and it seemed like no one wanted to be there. There was an attempt to overcome the weakest wave ever. It just wasn't the mood. I asked, 'Do people know they're paying for these seats?'”

Liberty fans celebrate in the crowd at Barclays Center after winning the championship on October 20, 2024. NBAE via Getty Images
Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu stretches her arms to fans after winning Game 2 of the WNBA Finals. Michelle Farsi/New York Post
Longtime Liberty fan Veronica Garza said people are drawn to the team because of the “vibe” at home games. Veronica Garza

Although there was always a core group of Liberty supporters, Garza noticed a significant increase in the team's popularity when it moved to Barclays Center in 2020 – after two long and disappointing seasons in Westchester and a third that took place in a COVID-19 bubble Florida was played.

Liberty did not make the playoffs in either of those seasons and had weak fan support on its own turf at the County Center, an old and small arena owned by the county government. The team drew an average of just 2,822 fans per game in its first season from the Big Apple, a staggering 71% drop in attendance compared to the previous year.

The team bottomed out in the 2020 season with a league-worst finish, losing all but two games during the year.

Liberty owner Joseph Tsai at the championship parade. Paul Martinka
Jonquel Jones celebrates in the WNBA Finals MVP competition. Paul Martinka

However, everything changed in the following seasons when Liberty was brought to Brooklyn by its new owners, the Tsai family, and with it came a new sense of optimism and marketing strategy.

“They understood that there was a lot of work to be done to regain that trust, and that also helped them gain new fans,” said Myles Ehrlich, 35, a senior writer who writes for Winsidr about New York Liberty reported.

“When they took over the team in 2020 there was a whole new brand strategy and to get to this point, it's not just the investment on the pitch but everything that really goes into it that has really brought them to this point .”

Liberty introduced Ellie the Elephant mascot in 2021. The Washington Post via Getty Images
Ellie celebrates winning the championship with the trophy. Michelle Farsi/New York Post

This year, the team brought in new superstars Michaela Onyenwere and DiDi Richards to start a new chapter that brought the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

The 2021 season also saw the first introduction of Ellie the Elephant to the Liberty family – the twerking mascot that has since taken the internet and late night shows by storm.

Soon the Liberty had become a team to be reckoned with and the Barclays a hub for a growing community of dedicated fans.

New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones reacts after winning WNBA Finals MVP. AP

The proof was clear — attendance also skyrocketed in recent years, with Liberty averaging 12,729 fans in the 2024 season, the highest attendance the team has seen since its time at MSG in 2003, records show.

The Barclays, of course, were filled to the brim and wreaked havoc on Sunday as Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx Sunday to secure their first title win in history.

“It's interesting because there are some fan bases that are just as passionate, but that often happens in cities that don't have any other major sports teams,” said Park Slope's Elrich.

Breanna Stewart lifts the championship trophy during the parade. Paul Martinka
Liberty fans watch the parade in Manhattan. Paul Martinka
A young Liberty fan cheers on the team during the parade. Paul Martinka
New York Governor Kathy Hochul waves as she rides in a parade float. Paul Martinka

The sportswriter began following Liberty during the worst of 2020, but was drawn to the atmosphere that the team and its fans cultivated even in the lowest moments.

“I was impressed when I went to a game how welcoming the atmosphere was for the fans,” Elrich explained.

“I agree with a lot of people who have said that it's different, that they've always felt somehow kept away from the sport because there can be a toxicity behind it all. Whether it's women going to these games or whether I have queer friends who have gone to these games and said, “Oh, now I see the appeal of sports in a way that I could never understand before.” .”

“And of course that's separate from the actual campaign, which is simply about creating more touchpoints for kids who want to watch it, for young girls who want to grow up and want to see women playing sports, and to bring friends and them to bring it into a community.” that they otherwise didn’t know it existed. So I think it’s just an access point that really hasn’t always existed.”

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