Music blasted through outdoor speakers as crowd of students clustered around Greene Street for WNBA on Campus, which ran from 11 a.m.-5 p.m Tuesday afternoon.
USC's WNBA on Campus is part of WNBA’s nationwide tour, visiting 15 colleges across the nation to bring light to the WNBA, WNBA Brand Ambassador Krishia Patterson said.
“Last year was kind of like our record-breaking year for the WNBA,” Patterson said. “So of course, we want more people to watch the games, go to the games, more engagement and everything.”
The event featured player appearances from Washington Mystics center-forward Shakira Austin, Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray, Los Angeles Sparks forward Rickea Jackson and two-time WNBA champion Taj McWilliams-Franklin, according to WACH Fox 57.
Shakira Austin said speaking with students at college events allows her the opportunity to hopefully inspire people and show them that basketball stars are humans too.
“(My role is) just to share light on my experiences being in college and just giving advice on what I would do different, what I would tell myself years ago or even what my younger self would tell me now,” Austin said. “So I think just sharing that to people who are going through it now.”
The tour is a partnership between the WNBA and Opill. Opill is an over-the-counter birth control pill.
Opill has been a partner of the WNBA for about a year, said Leila Bahbah,US women's health brand leader at Perrigo Company plc, a pharmaceutical company.
Bahbah said she wanted to make the Opill stand a colorful and inviting space at WNBA on Campus.
“This is something that was really important for us to get on campus and to interact with students and basketball fans to help educate them on reproductive health,” she said.
Third-year biology student Nikki Gomez-Peele, who tabled at the event for Healthy Carolina Initiatives, said Healthy Carolina Initiatives also partnered with Opill for the event.
There were plenty of other organizations represented at the event, including Starry soda and Mielle hair products. The event had several stations such as "get a glow up," and "grab a treat." The event’s free food, drinks, games and Glossier products make it engaging, Bahbah said.