CHICAGO — Women's National Basketball Association ( WNBA ) tipped off WNBA Pride presented by COVERGIRL, a new national platform celebrating inclusion and equality, while combating anti-LGBT ( lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ) bias. The Chicago Sky will become the first to celebrate LGBT Pride on national television when they host the Tulsa Shock on Sunday, June 22 at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
"We're excited about this season's league-wide Pride initiatives," said Sky President and CEO Adam Fox. "The LGBT community has been an important part of our organization for years. The opportunity to host the first nationally televised Pride game as a platform for encouraging diversity, inclusion and acceptance is a privilege for our team."
The Chicago Sky will participate in events throughout the month of June as part of their annual celebration of Pride. Sky players and staff will walk in the Chicago PRIDE Parade and take part in post-game meet-n-greets with fans at Hamburger Mary's in Andersonville and Mini Bar in Lakeview. Following the game on June 22, the Sky will host a post-game networking event and panel discussion featuring AthleteAlly founder and CEO, Hudson Taylor and Stanford guard Toni Kokenis ( Oakbook,IL native ).
Tickets for the Sky PRIDE game start as low as $17. A portion of all PRIDE ticket packages will be donated to Equality Illinois. The Sky has also partnered with Nike to promote their #BeTrue campaign and surprise fans with giveaways at this historic game. For more information on ticket packages and Sky PRIDE events call 866.SKY.WNBA or visit CHICAGOSKY.NET.
The WNBA will be the first professional sports league to establish an integrated marketing, media, grassroots and social responsibility program for the LGBT community. The programming includes a new special site,WNBA.com/pride where league and team Pride content, events and schedules will be posted throughout the season. Information will also be shared on the league's social media channels where the content will be aggregated with the hashtag #wnbapride.
About the Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky ( 3-0 ) is off to an undefeated start in the 2014 season. Now in their ninth season, the Sky is coming off a 2013 season where the team finished atop the Eastern Conference with a 24-10 record and earned the first WNBA Playoff berth in franchise history. For information on 2014 ticket packages to see the Sky play at Allstate Arena, call 866.SKY.WNBA or visit www.chicagosky.net .
