Commentary: All New York politicians love the Liberty

As I climbed the stairs to the nosebleed seats at the New York Liberty’s home opener last month, I ran into congressional candidate and former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander descending with his kids. “You know the mayor’s here?” he said, high fiving me as a fellow fan. 

Turns out I’d caught Lander leaving the game at halftime, which he sent several texts justifying: They had an important birthday party to attend, and the Liberty were way up by the end of the first half anyway. He appended a selfie with New York City Council Member Tiffany Cabán. Lander had launched a competitive primary challenge against Rep. Dan Goldman, who that night was hosting a Knicks watch party. (“I am a Liberty season ticket holder. I went to Game 4 in Minnesota two years ago,” Goldman later told me.)

Back at Barclays in the upper deck, my husband and I got out our binoculars (which we bring on many excursions) and I quickly set about scanning the crowd for the mayor as soon as we found our seats. The brilliant fan next to me suggested I look for members of the mayor’s detail rather than the mayor himself because big guys milling around in suits with earpieces might be easier to spot. Sure enough, there were the security guards. And sitting not far from them, about five rows back, but not courtside, was the mayor (wearing a Liberty T-shirt over his shirt and tie) and his wife Rama Duwaji. I spent the rest of the game watching fan after fan approach the mayor and ask for a photo, often taken by a member of his communications staff who trekked back and forth from her seat a section away. Was this creepy of me? I suppose. But don’t the jumbotron camera people do the exact same thing? No.

The New York Liberty – and its fanbase – is a politically potent entity for a politician like Mamdani or Lander. They’re feminist, woke – but in a genuine way – pretty gay, full of joy and very Brooklyn. They’re losing more this year, but in 2024 they were dominant – ultimately defeating the Minnesota Lynx to take home the championship. Soon after, the New York City mayoral candidates on the Working Families Party slate seemed to be competing to show that they were the most authentic fan.

When they won the title, then-Mayor Eric Adams threw them a ticker tape parade and an awards ceremony at City Hall where he joined Gov. Kathy Hochul, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and state Attorney General Letitia James – one of just a few moments of harmony in the second half of Adams’ mayoralty.

Some of the players are explicit about their politics. Former Liberty player Natasha Cloud spoke at a rally for Mamdani and later appeared in an Instagram video with him. Breanna Stewart held up a sign that said “Abolish ICE” at a media event to protest deadly enforcement in Minneapolis in January. The team lends its political fans a varnish of progressive wholesomeness, hipster hometown pride and a sense of being part of an in-group. For Democratic candidates, particularly progressive ones, there’s no downside to associating as much as possible with the Liberty.