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The New York Liberty has scored their first-ever WNBA championship title, however all eyes weren’t on the likes of energy ahead Breanna Stewart or Sabrina Ionescu. Instead, packed-out crowds on the Barclays Center in Brooklyn have been captivated all season by a five-foot-10 anthropomorphic elephant in the stands.
Meet Ellie the Elephant, the New York Liberty’s official mascot. She’s usually seen strutting the sector, swinging her one single braid, and asking a safety guard to carry her Telfar purse. She then demise drops onto the court docket and proceeds to do the worm, earlier than deciding to twerk on whichever fortunate spectator is sitting courtside. If a referee ought to dare to present her crew a penalty, Ellie will take off her giant gold hoop earrings and swing her fists – typically going after the ref herself.
On Sunday night time, the New York Liberty have been victorious in the 2024 WNBA finals, beating the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in recreation 5. Prior to this 12 months, the Liberty had made the WNBA finals a whopping 5 occasions, however the crew by no means scored a championship title.
In reality, this second marked a fever pitch for each the Liberty and the WNBA as a complete. This season was essentially the most considered WNBA season ever, with a 170 p.c enhance in viewership in comparison with the 2023 season. Players resembling Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have dramatically elevated the game’s reputation.
The championship match-up between the Liberty and the Lynx averaged 1.24 million viewers over the primary two video games, which is an 82 p.c enhance in the variety of viewers who watched the Liberty play the Aces final 12 months.
Ellie was a essential a part of the crew’s re-brand when Joe and Clara Wu Tsai, co-owners of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, acquired the Liberty in 2019. The authentic Liberty mascot was a golden retriever named Maddie, after Madison Square Garden, earlier than the crew was moved to the Barclays Center.
According to Liberty’s chief model officer, Shana Stephenson, once they have been first brainstorming concepts for a new crew mascot, the crew’s CEO instructed staffers a story about PT Barnum. The founding father of the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus had 21 elephants march throughout the Brooklyn Bridge to show the construction was steady. Thus, the mascot was born and given the title Ellie, as a nod to the enduring Ellis Island in New York Harbor.
When it got here time to think about Ellie’s game-day persona, the purpose was to step away from stereotypical mascots, who carry out slam dunks or experience on some kind of motorbike. Instead, Ellie was meant to replicate the femininity of the feminine athletes she was cheering for.
On Ellie’s TikTok and Instagram accounts, the place she wracks up greater than 300,000 followers throughout each platforms, followers may even hear a modulated model of Ellie’s voice. The mascot – or somewhat, the voice behind the elephant – consistently channels Black queer slang resembling “sis” and “slay” into her pure vernacular.
As for her vogue, Ellie is not like different mascots. Although she does sport her black and seafoam inexperienced jersey, her basketball shorts, and a Statue of Liberty crown, she’ll usually strut via the tunnel sporting couture. At one level throughout the WNBA finals, Ellie even wore a custom-made Joseph McRae puffer jacket and skirt, and was dressed by celeb stylist Harrison Thomas Crite.
“Game 1 of the finals, you know the fashion had to Ellie-vate,” the mascot stated in a TikTok video.
Her vogue recreation has gone to date that followers at the moment are rooting for the mascot to get invited to the 2025 Met Gala. It wouldn’t be too out of flip for Ellie to attend one the most important vogue occasions of the 12 months, as she was already invited to stroll the pink carpet at Glamour’s Women of the Year awards earlier this month.
According to members of Ellie’s crew, who name themselves her “aunties,” the mascot particularly collaborates with Black, Brooklyn-based designers, which they consider is key to her giant fan base. Alongside the “auntie” nickname, which is rooted in Black tradition, the mascot is most recognized for her reputation inside each the Black and queer communities – indicative of the 60 p.c of WNBA gamers which are Black and the 25 p.c which are overtly queer.
Not simply a fairly face, the mascot additionally has show-stopping choreography, together with her signature “Ellie Stomp” and “Ellie Wave.” Both dances invite the group to take part throughout the fourth quarter, as Ellie walks round along with her Stompahz – a group of dancers. The sound of thunder booms all through the Barclays Center every time Ellie dramatically stomps her foot on the bottom, because the Stompahz fall round her dramatically.
Aside from her fourth-quarter dances, the elephant has paid tribute to iconic singers, resembling Beyoncé and Missy Elliot. “The tail swing!!!!!!,” one fan commented on a video of her dancing to “Water” by Tyla, whereas one other stated: “That right leg was putting in all the work!”
“OMG Ellie can DANCE,” wrote another person.
The elephant’s show-stopping strikes are nothing however high-energy, that includes splits and headstands, hip-shakes and different hip-hop strikes that symbolize the style New York City is greatest recognized for.
And with the Liberty lastly WNBA champions, Ellie’s infectious power is positive to maintain followers rooting for New York all 12 months lengthy till the subsequent (hopefully victorious) ladies’s basketball season.
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