Behind the Scenes: Y2K COURTSIDE
How our WNBA Finals & Halloween Y2K Night came to be
I have never been a big fan of Halloween, which is all the more reason not to host a Halloween event.
"But everyone loves a Halloween event, especially the wlw community!"
My friend Khizra goes on and on about lesbians and Halloween like it is some sort of religion. I bite my tongue while wondering who appointed them as the community spokesperson.
Chicago's summer slowly ticks away as the leaves in Washington Park burn orange. I barely have space to mourn the season's change as Khizra shoots another praise of Halloween in my direction.
"Think of the women, dressed in all sorts of costumes. Down for drinks, down to smoke, down for more."
"Khizra, please." I cut them off.
"Halloween's too much blood and gore for me. We'll do something around thanksgiving."
I tune them out and whip out my phone for the perfect distraction.
As if she hears my plea, my partner's Instagram Reels pop up. A highlight of Team Nigeria putting up a good fight against China at the FIBA World Cup.
Pallas goes up for a block against the seven-foot-tall Zhang Ziyu. Her arms are stretched to capacity above her head, muscles pulled tight, her leap caught in slow motion. A deep-set focus rests on her beautiful face, her pretty locs pulled back in her signature low ponytail.
I watch the video unfold in slow motion, holding my breath as Ziyu charges forward. Alas, Pallas is no match and China scores, but the scoreboard barely holds my attention. The player does. The one I'm rooting for. My player.
"Sure, most people choose blood and gore to party, but Halloween is a time you can be anyone. Anything. The bloody bits are just... traditional."
I pull my eyes back to the reel and watch it replay.
Anyone.
Anything.
The following reel is a video of Clarissa Flores walking through her new lesbian sports bar, Level Sporting Club.
Clarissa dons a contented smile while showing off the screens, the energy, and a room full of people who care about women's sports just as much as I do.
Khizra’s voice echoes in my head again.
Anyone.
Anything.
You don't have to dress up as a ghost to participate in the culture. You can dress up as a courtside legend. Baggy tracksuits, throwback jerseys, low-rise camo, and the pure swagger of early 2000s women's basketball.
Halloween didn't have to mean blood and gore. It could mean bringing every lesbian scattered across Chicago's straight sports bars into one room for the WNBA Finals.
That was when it hit me.
I didn't care about witches or ghosts, but I cared about courtside culture. I cared about the energy of All-Star Weekend, the streetwear, the oversized jerseys, and the undeniable swag of women's basketball.
If I had to host a Halloween event, it wasn't going to be a costume party. It was going to be a crossover.
Maybe I do appreciate halloween afterall.
And that is how Y2K COURTSIDE was born.
We are gathering every lesbian you’ve ever wished you approached and bringing them all into one room to celebrate the WNBA Finals—minus the blood and gore, plus all the early-2000s WNBA hoops nostalgia.
We haven't even announced this on Instagram yet.
Because you're reading this on our blog, you get exclusive pre-access to lock in your $10 early access tickets right now on our website before the general public finds out.
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