The Bucks Represent an Ideal, Collaborative Milwaukee
It may simply be viewed as a halftime show for many basketball fans, but for Milwaukee artists WebsterX, Siren, Q the Sun, Lord Fred33 and the rest of New Age Narcissism, taking the center stage at one of their city’s largest venues is monumental. Their performance on Monday night was the first of the Bucks’ “Milwaukee Mondays” series, which showcases a partnership with 88Nine RadioMilwaukee. Fans were also treated to t-shirts from Sconnie Nation, and the series will continue with giveaways from Milwaukee brands Orchard Street Press, Too Much Metal, Wiskullsin, and MilwaukeeHome.
To add to the local fanfare, the team revealed its newest TV spot recently, labelled “Our City”, featuring Milwaukee rapper Pizzle. The organization also announced Monday that their latest Bucks Pro Shop partner would be Third Ward streetwear boutique MODA3, a shop that is no stranger to showing off their Milwaukee pride. It’s clear that the Bucks are listening to the culture that truly makes up Milwaukee; quite an impressive outreach for a team undertaking a rebuilding process on the court, as well as a rebranding off of it. Oh, not to mention that whole new arena thing.
Besides effectively marketing the team, however, the Bucks are doing something much bigger with these local partnerships; they’re giving exposure to the smaller names, showcasing the power of collaboration in Milwaukee. Something that (let’s face it) we haven’t seen enough of in recent years.
When you look at Milwaukee as a whole, in a lot of aspects, division is prevalent. Protesters and strikers are taking to the streets for various causes more and more frequently. Politically, accusations fly like wildfire by our leaders, actual truthiness of said accusations be damned. The elephant in many Milwaukee rooms is still the high level of segregation we still experience as a community. So at a time when there is so much to separate us as Milwaukeeans, there are very few elements to a city that can bring us all together. Sports can be one of those elements, however, and what the Bucks are doing can be seen as an ideal; the concept of collaborating and partnering rather than trying to capitalize on one another for the sake of being the superlative. In many ways, the organization is leading by example, demonstrating that the people who make up the place we call home can be something to truly take pride in.
The coming years are very much a revolution for Milwaukee from all standpoints, and it can be argued that the Bucks have successfully pushed themselves to the forefront. As downtown and the lakefront undergo a much-needed overhaul, and with growing initiatives to support local business, this can be a time where collaboration will not only benefit both parties involved, but the city as a whole. When the biggest names in the city can get together with smaller entities, the resulting impact can echo throughout the whole community for years to come. There has to be a collaborative vision for Milwaukee to thrive. We’re on the way, but it takes the work of everyone to really make Milwaukee better, together.