The Art of Fandom: Alexandria Williams on Finding Yourself in the Game

About this article:
The Art of Fandom focuses on what it means to be a genuine fan — of a team, a brand, an artist, or cultural moment, and how that devotion has shaped the way they build brands, connect with audiences, and make work that actually moves people.

Before I worked in sports, I was a little girl playing tennis in third grade, watching Venus and Serena Williams and seeing possibility.

Here were two extraordinarily talented Black girls playing the same sport I was learning. Their presence made tennis feel closer to me. I could recognize something of myself in them, even as I watched them do things on a court that I could only imagine.

At that age, I didn’t have the language for representation or understand its significance in sports marketing. I simply knew how it felt to see girls who looked like me command attention in a sport often associated with country clubs, tradition, and a certain kind of exclusivity. That feeling was the beginning of my fandom.

Years later, attending the US Open in 2022 and again in 2023 brought that connection into a new setting. I arrived as a fan, but also as someone whose career had taught her to pay attention to how an experience comes together.

The tennis was the reason to go. The atmosphere gave me more reasons to stay connected.

There is a “poshness” to tennis that I enjoy: the style, the rituals, the sense of occasion. At the US Open, that elegance meets the energy of New York. The sport feels both aspirational and social, a place where competition, fashion, food, entertainment, and culture share the stage.

You can appreciate the discipline of the athletes while also enjoying the experience around them. You can come with deep knowledge of the game or a curiosity that becomes something more by the time you leave.

To me, that is part of the art of fandom: giving people different ways to find their way into a sport.

My way in began with a racket in third grade and two sisters who expanded my imagination. Someone else’s might begin with an invitation from a friend, a favorite athlete’s outfit, or the excitement of being in the crowd. Those entry points matter because a casual interest can become a personal connection.

Today, as Director of Marketing, Partnerships & Merchandise for the Dallas Mavericks, I think about those connections from the other side of the experience.

My work spans partnerships, merchandise, campaigns, and food and beverage experiences. Each offers an opportunity to deepen someone’s relationship with the team. A piece of merchandise can become an expression of identity. A meal can become part of a game-day tradition. A thoughtful partnership can add something useful or memorable to a fan’s visit.

Attending the US Open reminded me to experience those details as a guest, too. Working in sports makes it easy to think in deliverables, timelines, and approvals. Being a fan brings me back to the feeling we hope all that work creates: anticipation, joy, pride, and the desire to return.

It also reminds me that belonging deserves attention. I remember what it meant to see Venus and Serena on the court. That memory shapes how I think about the people we invite into our spaces, the stories we tell, and whose experiences we reflect.

The US Open’s appeal, through my eyes, is its ability to hold both the seriousness of the sport and the pleasure of the occasion. It gives fans something to admire, something to enjoy, and something to make their own.

That is what I carry into my work with the Mavericks. We help create the setting, but fans give it meaning through their memories, rituals, and relationships.

And sometimes, that relationship begins with a little girl seeing herself in the game.