The What
Our why is aspirational and cannot be fulfilled without specific goals to support it. In other words, we cannot achieve our WHY without our WHAT.
Our goals are evergreen and successfully achieving them requires effective collaboration, cross-departmental synergy, and contributions from every member of our organization. Though we expect our goals to remain the same, our strategies, projects and tactics will change from year to year to ensure that we regularly reflect on what is working and where we can adjust or improve to best achieve our long-term plans. That is why our annual strategic planning, and budget processes exist.
- Audience Development
- Partner Development
- Existing Business Growth
- New Business Creation
- Team Performance
Putting the Goals into Action
Building life-long relationships with our customers is the cornerstone of a thriving sports, entertainment and hospitality business.
By the very creation of bold, authentic, and unforgettable experiences, we foster generational fandom for our teams and encourage repeat customers for our entertainment and hospitality businesses.
However, to truly build those bonds, they must be reinforced often and in many ways.
As our WHY suggests, everything stems from having a flawless core product. From there, we must deliver on the ancillary pieces that elevate a game or show to an experience. Finally, we must create a constant feedback loop of communication to reinforce customer relationships. At every stage, consistency is key. We must always operate at the highest level.
Let’s take the Brooklyn Nets as an example. When we moved to Brooklyn from New Jersey in 2012, we faced the challenge of establishing new bonds with fans in our new home. Studies reveal that people form deep, lifelong affiliations with teams around the ages of 8 and 9—critical years for fostering fandom. Our mission was, and is, clear - we need to win the hearts of Brooklyn’s children and their families and inspire a new generation of Nets fans.
For many years, the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty hosted a handful of community youth clinics per season to reach our kids and build fandom.
In 2022, we reflected on the program and decided to more formally invest in our youth through NYC’s vast network of schools. We created a brand—Brooklyn Basketball—that brought together both the Nets and Liberty under one umbrella, and we greatly expanded our reach through a program with the NYC Department of Education to teach clinics in more than 200 Brooklyn schools every day, reaching more than 30,000 children annually.
Three years later, we again pushed ourselves to consider how else we could both make an impact on a younger generation through sports and meet our goal of Audience Development, and we decided it was time to make an even bolder and bigger investment in our next generation of fans by building a physical location they can call home. In FY 25/26, we doubled down on our community program, reaching more than 250 schools and 40,000 youth and we opened the Brooklyn Basketball Training Center across the street from our arena, creating a bond with the youth of our community that extends beyond the court and makes the game more accessible than ever. In our first year, the Center was home to more than 13,000 local kids who participated in after-school programs, clinics, camps and private training enhanced by Shoot360 technology. This coming year, we will expand to three additional Training Center locations across Brooklyn, reaching youth and their families where they live and offering deeper connections to our teams than ever before. Through Brooklyn Basketball, we are building both the next generation of talent and fans in a way that is authentic to our brand.
In 2025, the Nets had the privilege of holding the retirement ceremony for former player Vince Carter as a moment to re-engage fans from New Jersey and to bridge the gap between the identities and fan bases of the New Jersey Nets and the Brooklyn Nets. It also gave us a reason to bring together Nets alumni and to cultivate relationships with former players as future ambassadors for the team. The multi-day celebration was special for Vince Carter and his family and for all Nets fans – old and new – to rally around an exceptional player who is an important part of Nets history.
For Liberty fans, our Brooklyn Dribble is our signature and largest annual event that brings Liberty Loyals of all ages to Brooklyn Bridge Park to participate in the dribble parade, culminating in a Liberty fan fest. The event reflects the Liberty’s year-round commitment to expanding access to basketball, strengthening its connection with communities across New York and building generational fandom. This year’s Dribble was particularly meaningful, as it served as a centerpiece of the Liberty’s 30th season celebration and annual Legends Weekend. Nearly 30 legends representing all three decades of the franchise joined fans throughout the day, connecting our past with our future.
Our reach also extends far beyond our tri-state region. We are building generational fandom in international markets around the world. In the fall of 2025, we built upon our success at the 2024 Global Games in Paris and headed to Macao. Our International Marketing and China Business teams created unparalleled experiences for fans, partners and more. From a one-of-a-kind immersive experience in the NBA House to the first ever broadcast dance competition, CheersNets, to incomparable hospitality and gifting, player appearances, Brooklyn Basketball clinics and community events, we delivered memorable experiences to our deep fan base in China. Our participation in the games solidified important partner relationships, facilitating new opportunities for the coming Nets season.
Our partners are embedded in everything we build, create, and run.
We forge partnerships with intention, selecting collaborators who align with our vision, help expand our audience, and contribute meaningfully to the community. Together, we foster authenticity and a shared commitment to leaving a lasting positive mark.
With our brand sponsors, our goal is not only to land lucrative deals, but to align ourselves with partners who share our values and think creatively about how to activate in ways that will appeal to our audience. We want to deliver value for our partners, but equally important is how they add value to our fan experience. For example, as part of its ongoing commitment to community impact, Pepsi Bottling Company of New York serves as the presenting partner of HBCU Night each season in collaboration with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. Together, our organizations have developed a series of programs designed to celebrate HBCU culture and create meaningful opportunities for students, including a pregame panel featuring HBCU alumni in executive leadership roles, a high school essay contest awarding an HBCU scholarship, a halftime performance by a renowned HBCU marching band, and an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the Pepsi Bottling Company production facility. Multiple internal teams support this partnership including global partnerships, communications, community impact, marketing, game presentation and legal.
Our relationships with event promoters, forged over years of cultivation, allow us to bring the very best talent to the arena.
Although we compete with other nationally recognized venues near us, we consistently set ourselves apart from our peers due to our reputation and professionalism. Every day we must remain consistent and vigilant in our approach to our talent promoters to ensure that they think of us first, always. Our FY26/27 calendar is proof our strategy is a success with some of our highest grossing events in Barclays Center history including five nights of Ariana Grande, ten upcoming Olivia Rodrigo shows (our longest-ever residency) and much more.
Strong relationships with our local government officials are equally imperative to our success. New York State is Barclays Center’s landlord and our close collaboration with city and state economic development officials, police, fire and other agencies keeps our patrons safe and paves the way for us to build new venues and businesses, such as the New York Liberty Practice Facility, Casa Tua Cucina at One Hanson, our magic property, The Orange Tree, and Brooklyn Basketball Training Centers which require multi-agency approvals for everything from zoning to parking to liquor licenses, signage requirements and more.
As an anchor of the community, we know that people look to us to set an example. Not only do we crisscross the borough to bring our brand and resources to every part of Brooklyn, but we consistently host community events in our home from youth basketball clinics to college and job fairs, literacy programs, community holiday meals and gifting and more. We also want our communities to experience our regular programming and so we give away tens of thousands of free tickets to community organizations each year. These efforts reinforce our goal to develop new audiences and cultivate long-term relationships.
One of our most recent highlights was our partnership with the Brooklyn Prom Project. In Spring 2026, we hosted more than 1,000 local high school juniors and seniors in the Barclays Center atrium to dress them for their proms. Students took home formal wear, shoes, accessories, and more to ensure that they could celebrate in style! It was truly a proud day for our organization to know that local students would have the opportunity to partake in a meaningful tradition without worrying about whether they could afford the experience.
Another recent partner highlight was our work with Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) to find an innovative way to connect with its pediatric patients. Through a unique collaboration with the Brooklyn Nets, patients were invited to create Nets-themed artwork that was featured on player shooting shirts during a 2026 home game at Barclays Center. Selected patients were then invited to attend the game and meet the Nets players wearing their custom-designed shirts. Through this special experience, HSS successfully leveraged its partnership platform to bring joy and inspiration to its patients while creating a memorable connection to the team and the sport.
Growth isn’t just about expanding our footprint.
The Brooklyn Nets, the New York Liberty, and Barclays Center are the pillars that have defined our legacy, and their continued evolution and commitment to excellence remain a top priority. We must consistently reinvest in the businesses that are central to our identity. These core businesses not only drive our success today, but they also set the stage for the success of tomorrow.
Not only do we continue to invest in our teams to deliver the highest level of on-court performance, but we also consistently pursue improvements to our arena to push the boundaries of innovation and hospitality.
Some investments that are underway as of 2026 to continue to deliver best in class experiences are:
World-class facilities are the foundation of exceptional experiences. From creating jobs and boosting the local economy to serving as vessels for memorable moments, our venues represent the heart of what we do. They reflect our commitment to hospitality, innovation, and community.
We are Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment.
We take seriously our commitment to our three sports teams by ensuring they have all the tools they need to win championships. But sports are just one form of entertainment – and it is our responsibility to continue to evolve as a business by widening our circle of experiences to bolster our ecosystem including immersive entertainment and new types of hospitality.
As noted, this year, our primary corporate development efforts will focus on launching Casa Tua Cucina at One Hanson (across from the Arena) and bringing our new Magic property, The Orange Tree, to Midtown Manhattan.
As we look to the future, we are actively seeking profitable business opportunities uniquely connected to the Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment ecosystem—ventures that align with our purpose, serve our passion points, and enhance the connectivity of our platform. These new businesses are vital to our evolution, enabling us to reach new audiences, expand our impact, and stay ahead in an ever-changing landscape.
We aim to add new businesses that have a network effect – a synergetic impact on the rest of our businesses, whether existing, or new. Each venue, event and program serve as a gateway to the broader Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment experience, introducing customers to various offerings. For example:
Each venue, event and program serve as a gateway to the broader Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment experience, introducing customers to various offerings. For example:
Whether it’s sports, entertainment, hospitality, or cultural engagement, our business is designed to encourage customers to interact with multiple aspects of our platform.
What makes this approach unique is the synergy between our venues and our businesses. Unlike organizations with isolated ventures, our venues – and the experiences we offer within them - form the backbone of an integrated model, where every touchpoint adds value to the whole. These synergies aren’t just obvious to our customers, they exist behind the scenes because of our platform model (as we will further explain). From how we deploy technology to our marketing cross-promotions and content integration, we find meaningful efficiencies across the organization.
It is also important to acknowledge that despite our best efforts not every new business or project will be successful. Innovation requires a willingness to test new ideas, learn quickly, and adapt. The strongest businesses are not the ones that only pursue guaranteed successes; they are the ones that continually experiment, listen to their customers, and evolve based on what they learn.
Every new venture provides valuable insight into what resonates with our fans, our partners, and our broader ecosystem. Some ideas will scale and become meaningful parts of our portfolio. Others will teach us where demand is limited, helping us focus our resources more effectively. Both outcomes make us a smarter, stronger organization.
As Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, our goal is not simply to launch new businesses—it is to build a platform that continually evolves alongside the people we serve. By embracing thoughtful experimentation, learning from every outcome, and investing in the ideas that create the greatest value for our customers and our ecosystem, we position ourselves to remain innovative, resilient, and relevant for years to come.
To achieve our WHY and deliver on our company goals, we must operate at the highest level, with conviction and confidence.
There are countless stories about how individual and team performance truly drives our goals.
These synergies exist because we prioritize team collaboration. When teams collaborate seamlessly, their strengths amplify each other, leading to creative breakthroughs, stronger relationships, and tangible growth across all areas. No single success happens in isolation; every win reflects the dedication, strategy, and shared vision of a well-aligned team.
That’s why each of us must also commit to hiring and developing the best talent. Our talent acquisition process starts well before we extend an offer to a new hire and welcome them through our doors. It begins with cultivating a strong company reputation, having a sense of clarity about the type of talent that will thrive at this organization and then using the necessary tools to identify that talent.
But our team performance is not just about what you do; it is also about how we invest in you.
How We Put Our People First