Brooklyn, NY!!! Woohoo! NY Liberty vs. LA Sparks game! This was a long time coming. The last Liberty game I attended was 30 seasons ago — their home opener of the inaugural WNBA season against the Phoenix Mercury at Madison Square Garden. That game was packed, the arena was buzzing, and it was historic. I still have my paper ticket stub, although the text on it is pretty faded, much like many of the details from the game, other than the energy at tipoff during such a moment in franchise history. Finding that small ticket stub in my files now feels like holding onto a small piece of the league’s beginning. The Liberty did win the game, but full disclosure, I had to look that up because I was not sure J.

This time around might not have had as much historical context, but it meant a lot to me personally because my husband and son were with me, along with 25 other friends from different circles in my life. And that is why this had to be part of the Pick and Roll Tour. Women’s sports are about community and inclusivity, and the Pick and Roll Tour seeks to live into those values by creating opportunities for groups of people to attend games together!

Back to this Liberty game! I knew the atmosphere would be electric, and it did not disappoint! When you go to a game in New York, it’s like showing up where all the cool people are J — even though my 14-year-old son would probably not include me or his Dad, but I at least tried to include us in that category. It’s hard to compare the coolness of NY to other places; it’s just a different vibe. At least for now, I cannot compare; future Tour stops are needed to declare it “officially” the coolest. Or feel free to message me and let me know what WNBA or other women’s basketball location tops New York’s coolness-meter rating.

Barclays is loud, and it offers high-level entertainment beyond just the basketball: the music, the timeout and halftime performers, and, of course, Ellie the Elephant, the team mascot! Ellie is rapidly becoming a cultural icon in NY and across the league – her halftime performances always go viral (check them out on the official NY Liberty YouTube Channel) and her fashion has its own Instagram hashtag @bigellieliberty. Ellie has set a new standard for what a mascot is and does!

Even from our 200-level seating section, we felt like part of the action. We would not have believed it until we experienced it, but yes, the t-shirt cannon was able to sling a free t-shirt our way. Our entire section seemed to frantically wave our hands and lean in as it came flying toward us, and one of our group members snatched it and handed it to the youngest girl in our group as a memory from what ended up being a tremendous game. The

Sparks were down by as many as 28 points going into the 4^th quarter and mounted a 21-0 run (meaning they scored 21 straight points while holding the Liberty scoreless) to pull within 3 points with under a minute to play. Their game-tying 3-point shot with under 22 seconds remaining was off the mark, and from there the Liberty hit free throws to secure the win.

Liberty basketball is a huge part of the NYC vibe, but of course the city offers even more. For me — and I’m embarrassed to say this even though I grew up 90 minutes from the city, worked there on two different occasions, and lived just across the Hudson River in Hoboken, NJ, for a year — I had never made it to one of the most significant landmarks in NY, the Statue of Liberty. So, on this trip, I made it a family goal to visit Liberty and Ellis Islands.

Standing in front of the Statue of Liberty was a moving experience, a feeling of awe and appreciation. I was surprised by how quiet I felt standing there, looking up. She is as majestic and powerful as her history and symbolism, welcoming millions of immigrants who passed by her on the way to nearby Ellis Island in hopes of a better life for themselves and their families.

One of the most compelling facts I learned from our tour was about the pedestal. When the statue arrived from France, the U.S. had not yet raised enough money to build it, so the statue remained in storage. The funds did not come from the wealthy of NY; the elite declined to contribute. Instead, newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer launched a campaign that inspired approximately 120,000 people to donate. In a fitting twist, many of the people who gave were the very people the Statue of Liberty welcomed — “your tired, your poor,” in the words of Emma Lazarus’s poem “The New Colossus.” How prophetic and fitting… That detail will remain etched in my memory for quite some time.

The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom and the pursuit of the American Dream. And although times throughout history and our present moment make that pursuit challenging, I think that symbolism is quite fitting for a team that has been part of the WNBA from the beginning. After this journey to Brooklyn, I have a greater appreciation for and connection to NYC and the team that represents it.

So, Brooklyn set the bar pretty high. A Liberty win, Ellie, a t-shirt cannon, family and friends, and finally a visit to the Statue of Liberty — that is one heck of a Tour stop!