The Atlanta Hawks are in fifth place in the NBA‘s Eastern Conference and are in good position to make the postseason for the ninth straight year. In other words, the team can probably afford to put all that making-the-playoffs business on hold for a few minutes and instead try to play matchmaker with their single fans.
IT’S BACK!#SwipeRightATL pic.twitter.com/LaEC40niJ3
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 8, 2016
That’s right. Tinder Night is returning to Atlanta for the second straight year, and if last year’s event was any indication, fans can expect a romantic night at the basketball arena.
Here are some scenes from last year’s Tinder Night.
Roses for the gentlemen. #SwipeRightATL pic.twitter.com/i7daqk8chz
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 7, 2015
Tinder Night Update: There are suites w/ roses and altoids and such. Dating game at the half. We’re about to get weird, y’all
— Robby Kalland (@RKalland) January 8, 2015
So far, a rousing success. #SwipeRightATL pic.twitter.com/U1gUsVbpVo
— Eric Goldschein (@ericgoldschein) January 8, 2015
Arena employee comes around handing out large squares wrapped in plastic…I’m told they’re thunder sticks. Not condoms. Oh. #SwipeRightATL
— Eric Goldschein (@ericgoldschein) January 8, 2015
For the Hawks, a team trying hard to attract millennials, the promotion makes perfect sense. (No word on whether Weezer’s frontman Rivers Cuomo will be in attendance.)
“Last January’s ‘Swipe Right Night’ was a national sensation and allowed a broad audience to experience the creativity and fun of our brand,” Hawks CEO Steve Koonin said in a statement. “This year’s ‘Swipe Right 2.0’ ushers in the official start of spring, and love will be in the air at Philips Arena. This night’s amazing game experience will help our fans make, in the words of our partners at Tinder, ‘new friends, dates, relationships, and everything in between.’”
For the game, the Hawks will provide Tinder-themed rooms where “like-minded Hawks fans [have] the chance to create face-to-face connections that just may go beyond the arena walls.” There also will be “Swipe Right” and “Super Like” lounges for people who have downloaded the Tinder app on their phones to mingle.
“Tinder is a perfect fit for live events,” said Phil Schwarz, CMO of Tinder. “We know that combining Tinder with the electric energy inside Philips Arena for ‘Swipe Right 2.0’ will create an amazing social environment for fans to meet while enjoying the game.”
For some, the Hawks’ 2015 Tinder Night appeared to lead to some connections.
https://twitter.com/KCoop09/status/553004848674009088
She swiped right!!! @ATLHawks #SwipeRightATL pic.twitter.com/4rUpqmttys
— Stu (@StewieG_18) January 8, 2015
Of course, we should have already known that Tindering at NBA games could lead to great success. After all, if Omar Epps has taught us anything in this life, it’s that love and basketball can coexist.
H/T Bro Bible | Photo via Michael Tipton/Flickr (CC BY SA 2.0)
