(312) Day Gets a 3-Point Upgrade<\/p>\n
~WNBA\u2019s Line \u2018Em Up Initiative Announced by\u00a0Chicago All-Star 2026 Host Committee as Legacy Project~<\/p>\n
(CHICAGO\u2019S SOUTH SIDE) March 12, 2026 \u2013 The Chicago Sky\u00a0and the Chicago All-Star 2026 Host Committee\u00a0are partnering with Gatorade to bring the WNBA\u2019s Line \u2018Em Up<\/a>\u00a0initiative to Chicago. In collaboration with the Chicago Park District, Hamilton Park on Chicago\u2019s South Side was selected as the first community basketball court to be painted with the WNBA\u2019s Fire Orange 3-point line\u00a0\u2014 a visible, powerful symbol to inspire girls and women to play basketball.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cChicago is one of the greatest basketball cities in the world, and the courts in our neighborhoods are where that love of the game begins,\u201d said Nadia Rawlinson, Chicago Sky Co-owner and Operating Chairman.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cAs we prepare to welcome the world for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2026\u00a0this July, we\u2019re proud to partner with Gatorade to launch the Line \u2018Em Up initiative here in Chicago, investing in the spaces where girls first pick up a basketball and making it clear that they belong on these courts and in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n Gatorade, headquartered in Chicago, is the first official partner of the Line \u2018Em Up legacy project in Chicago. Supporting the ongoing participation of young female athletes in sports and making sure they have access to science-driven hydration, nutrition, and resources to fuel their performance are key components of Gatorade\u2019s \u2018Fuel Tomorrow\u2019 initiative.<\/p>\n \u201cAt Gatorade, we believe every athlete deserves the opportunity to play, compete, and dream big,\u201d\u00a0said Carolyn Braff, PepsiCo VP of Sports and Entertainment. \u201cPartnering with the Chicago Sky and the WNBA All-Star Host Committee on Line \u2018Em Up is about making the game more visible and accessible for girls across Chicago, and celebrating the energy and talent shaping the future of women\u2019s basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n Located in the Englewood community on Chicago\u2019s South Side, Hamilton Park Cultural Center totals 28.88 acres and features two gymnasiums, an auditorium, dance studio, archery range, and a multi-purpose room. Outside, the park offers a swimming pool, baseball\/softball diamonds, basketball, handball, tennis courts, and playground.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Chicago Park District is honored to partner with the Chicago Sky and the Chicago All-Star 2026 Host Committee to unveil the very first Line \u2019Em Up community court here at Hamilton Park,\u201d said Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO.\u00a0\u201cParks are where Chicagoans come together, and today we are making sure that every child, especially every girl, sees that these courts and these opportunities are for them.\u200b\u201d<\/p>\n Taking the first shot from the new WNBA Fire Orange 3-point line at Hamilton Park was Host Committee Ambassador, Chicago Sky Legend, and 4x WNBA 3-Point Champion Allie Quigley, along with students from Englewood STEM High School, Charles W. Earle STEM Elementary School, Benjamin E. Mays Elementary Academy, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy of Social Justice. The students also took part in a basketball clinic hosted by Quigley along with Host Committee Ambassador, Chicago Sky Legend, and the South Side of Chicago\u2019s own Linnae Harper.<\/p>\n \u201cThe future of the game is in great hands based on what I saw in our clinic today,\u201d said Quigley.\u00a0\u201cIf this court, and the WNBA Fire Orange line, inspires young girls to keep playing and dreaming bigger, then that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Line \u2018Em Up Project means extended hope in Chicago,\u201d said Harper.\u00a0\u201cIt means so much to me to see what was once viewed as an under-utilized court, now turned into an opportunity for young girls in Chicago to learn, grow, and envision themselves on bigger platforms in the game of basketball one day.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional courts are planned now through July in the lead up to AT&T WNBA All-Star 2026, which takes place July 23-25, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n (312) Day (March 12) is an annual celebration of Chicago culture, communities, and local pride that is named after the city’s original 312 area code. Established in 1947, 312 was once the area code for the entire Chicago metropolitan area. Many Chicagoans use (312) Day as a day of community service or to raise awareness for local businesses and causes.<\/p>\n About WNBA\u2019s \u201cLine \u2018Em Up\u201d Initiative\u00a0<\/p>\n The WNBA\u2019s “Line ‘Em Up” is a nationwide initiative launched in 2025 to install regulation Fire Orange WNBA 3-point lines on public, outdoor basketball courts. Aimed at increasing equity, visibility, and access for girls and women, it transforms male-dominated “park” spaces by providing a dedicated, professional area for girls and women to play and train. Visit lineemup.wnba.com<\/a>\u00a0for more information.<\/p>\n The 2021 WNBA Champion Chicago Sky are a professional women\u2019s basketball team founded in 2005 by principal owner, Michael Alter. The Chicago Sky were the first independently owned women\u2019s professional basketball team to join the WNBA and play at the Wintrust Arena. The WNBA regular season runs from May-September. Follow @chicagosky and tag #WNBAAllStar2026 and #NeverOutdoneChi on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X. Call 866.SKY.WNBA or visit sky.wnba.com<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n Fuel Tomorrow is Gatorade\u2019s global platform to drive equity in sport, built on research from 2,500+ parents across global markets to understand why teens drop out of sport. Gatorade has pledged to help 2.5 million teens access the life-changing power of sport by 2030.<\/p>\n About Chicago Park District<\/p>\n With more than 8,800 acres of green space, the Chicago Park District is one of the largest municipal park managers in the nation. The District\u2019s more than 600 parks offer thousands of sports and physical activities as well as cultural and environmental programs for youth, adults, and seniors. The Chicago Park District is also responsible for 27 indoor pools, 50 outdoor pools, and 26 miles of lakefront. From canoeing to soccer to arts and crafts, there is never a shortage of activities in Chicago\u2019s parks.\u00a0<\/p>\n For media inquiries, please contact:<\/p>\n Tristan Tucker, Chicago Sky Senior PR Manager<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(312) Day Gets a 3-Point Upgrade ~WNBA\u2019s Line \u2018Em Up Initiative Announced by\u00a0Chicago All-Star 2026 Host Committee as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":532299,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,48,82,630],"class_list":["post-532298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=532298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/532299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=532298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=532298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=532298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}