How the Washington Mystics Made Brunch the Hottest Thing in Town

WASHINGTON — The Washington Mystics hosted their fourth and final Brunch & Basketball outside the Entertainment & Sports Arena ahead of Sunday’s home game against the Atlanta Dream. The event features a game ticket and a pregame meal, complete with unlimited mimosas.

Attendees casually feasted on chicken and waffles and sipped mimosas while a DJ spun the usual brunch hits. Somewhat Future. Somewhat Sexyy Red, in fact. One moment it was New Edition’s “Mr. Telephone Man,” the next it was Mark Morrison’s “Return of the Mack.” Fantasia’s “When I See U” had everyone testing their vocal chords.

But the setting seemed subdued. People remained seated, eating or chatting. Some were even glued to their cell phones. Besides the loud music, there was something off about this particular brunch.

And then “Wobble” got here along.

At this point, a few of the attendees stood up, some letting out an audible “ayyyyy” as they headed toward the center of the venue. As rapper VIC’s 2008 hit lyrics blared from the speakers, everyone line danced in unison to the line dancing, whether it was an older woman or just a little girl no older than 6.

The party got here alive, the atmosphere was buzzing. People looked like they were having a great time just being in this space designed for them. And in doing so, the WNBA team in the nation’s capital someway, someway, brought the city’s culture and love of brunch to basketball.

“We kind of invented the brunch scene,” Erin Blaine, Mystics fan experience manager, said of Washington.

Earlier this yr, the Mystics marketing team was special ticket promotions, which usually include a free item or food voucher, for the upcoming season. While they ultimately settled on promotions that included T-shirts, headbands, plush dolls and personalized T-shirts, the marketing team also decided that every gift may be an experience.

Dana Campbell, vice chairman of promoting for Mystics, asked employees what they do on the weekends for fun and entertainment.

Blaine, a Washington native who played college basketball at Saint Francis (2013-14), Howard (2015-17) and Morehead State (2017-18), said she typically went out for brunch on the weekends before ending the day with shopping or a sporting event. She also noted that previously there have been no fan events during Sunday afternoon games, which began around the time most brunches ended. This was a solution to give fans the brunch experience without having to sacrifice attending a Mystics game.

“You can go and enjoy the game,” Blaine said, as Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz’s “Who U Wit” played in the background. “And you’ll be home by 5 a.m..”

With that in mind, the team got here up with the idea of ​​why not mix two of Washingtonians’ favorite things: basketball and brunch.

Washington lives and breathes all types of basketball, with connections from former Washington Capitols coach Red Auerbach to Capitols forward Earl Lloyd (the first black man to play in the NBA), to legendary NBA forward and Washington native Elgin Baylor, to Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, also a Washington native. Youth basketball is essential here, and John Thompson’s legacy is perpetuated at Georgetown University.

And based solely on subjective opinion and self-promotion, Washington is generally known as the brunch capital of the country. A meal of shrimp, grits, eggs, and lamb chops mixed with the feeling of sitting in the middle of a nightclub—few cities offer a greater experience than Washington. Not to say that brunch is greater than food and booze. It’s a probability to let out with friends and have a great time. For just a few hours on the weekend, there aren’t any worries about work, bills, or anything that doesn’t bring you happiness.

“We hang out, drink mimosas, eat good food and have a great time,” said Blaine, wearing a black and red Howard shirt and red skirt.

“Brunch is very much a D.C. institution,” Campbell said. “So let’s take something that’s already happening in our community, combine it with basketball, another experience that’s very big and popular in D.C., combine the two and see what happens.”

While the primary goal of any promotion is to expand the brand, this season the focus has been on the WNBA.

Attendance and viewership records have been broken across the league. Marketing plans are attempting to capitalize on the league’s renewed interest this season, which is partly because of the 2024 draft class highlighted by No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and No. 7 pick Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky. For Brunch & Basketball, marketing is concentrated on three major things: bringing Washington’s brunch culture to the Mystics brand, attracting latest and younger fans, and appealing to black women, who’re a part of their core demographic. (Blacks make up 32% of the WNBA’s viewership on ESPN and 45% on ION, in keeping with a July report.)

Campbell said black women make up a “large portion” of the Mystics’ fan base. Attracting a broader audience is an obvious goal for the company, but the team is careful to not lose touch with its core audience.

“We try to stay true to our DNA,” Campbell said.

After the marketing team settled on the Brunch & Basketball concept, they set to work securing each a venue and a caterer. The Entertainment & Sports Arena, where the G League’s Mystics and Capital City Go-Go play their home games, is across the street from Sycamore & Oak, an all-wood, 23,000-square-foot multipurpose space that serves the predominantly black community of Ward 8. It’s home to black-owned streetwear shops and restaurants, including a vegan hot dog joint aptly named Glizzy’s Vegan Food Company (glizzy is locally used to confer with hot dogs and half-rods).

The Mystics saw Sycamore & Oak as a chance to extend foot traffic. They didn’t want the retail stores to shut for Brunch & Basketball. Attendees visited the stores during the three-hour event.

“Our goal is also to attract our fans to the Sycamore & Oak space and encourage them to visit the businesses there,” Campbell said.

The Mystics originally planned to rotate between five Sycamore & Oak restaurants for every event. The first Brunch & Basketball, held May 19 before the Seattle Storm game, was catered by Dionne’s Good Food, which specializes in chicken wings and crab fries, a Washington-area specialty. Brunches on June 22 (Dallas Wings), July 14 (Las Vegas Aces) and Sept. 15 (Atlanta Dream) were catered by Afro Caribbean restaurant Tricey’s D.C.

When the team announced the promotion in May, the news spread like wildfire. A Front Office Sports post on X garnered nearly 2 million views. ESPN wrote a chunk on Brunch & Basketball, highlighting the “bottomless mimosas” in its heading.

“We were a little surprised,” Campbell said. “We’ve always believed in the concept, but yes, we were a little surprised.”

As a part of the historically black colleges and universities theme for the Sept. 15 event, the Howard dance team danced to a routine backed by Ciara’s “1, 2 Step.” Participants wore costumes from every Divine Nine black fraternity and sorority organization with Greek letters, not to say HBCU Howard, Florida A&M, Morgan State and North Carolina A&T.

The crowd was made up of many alternative groups: Girls out. Boys hanging out. Mixed groups of friends. Couples with babies in strollers.

The event captured Washingtonian fashion. Braids, twists, low-cut hair. Graphic tees paired with baggy jeans, short shorts accentuated with fanny packs. Lots of Air Jordans, and even just a few from Salehe Bembury x Crocs (or as I call them: Fancy Crocs). You don’t show as much as brunch in a flared bodice.

“It’s kind of an agreement. If you know, you know,” Blaine said. “If I’m going out all day, I’m going to brunch, I’m dressed all day.”

While the DJ spun hit after hit after hit. SWV’s “Right Here” (Michael Jackson’s version, in fact). Beyoncé’s “Get Me Bodied,” GoldLink’s “Crew,” Boosie Badazz’s verse on “Independent.” Of course, there was an Afrobeats interlude and just a few seconds of Elvis Crespo’s “Suavemente.”

Overall, Brunch & Basketball was successful. The team sold out all 4 of its events this season, sometimes having to sell extra tickets to maintain up with demand. After hosting the inaugural Brunch & Basketball in the upper mezzanine at Sycamore & Oak (approximate capability: 200), the Mystics rented out the entire space for the last three events (capability: 300 to 400).

Next season, the Mystics marketing team hopes so as to add more programming to the brunch events and work with more community stakeholders to further emphasize the team’s concentrate on making this a Washington event. They also wish to add more…space.

“Our next good problem is figuring out how to fit more,” Blaine said.