Long before the bright lights of New York sports, Amityville's Criscia Long was just a kid discovering her love for dance. Now she’s the Senior Director of Entertainment for BSE Global. NewsdayTV’s Jolie Katzen reports.  Credit: Morgan Campbell

Sports Jobs is a Newsday series exploring jobs Long Islanders have in the world of sports.

It is a good two hours before tipoff at Barclays Center and a minor crisis is brewing in the tunnel that leads to the Liberty locker room.

The cameras have gathered to chronicle the pregame tunnel walk where team members strut their off-the-court fashion acumen as they enter the arena. Ellie the Elephant, the team’s uber popular mascot, is next up but seems to be having a costume malfunction involving the yellow ruffle on her left bell-bottom.

In swoops Criscia Long, the director of entertainment for BSE Global, the company that owns the Liberty, Brooklyn Nets and Long Island Nets. Long pulls off the offending loose thread from Ellie’s elaborate Latina night ensemble. Crisis is averted and minutes later Ellie is salsa dancing down the tunnel in preparation for the team’s Latina Night.

New York Liberty and Brooklyn Nets senior director of entertainment...

New York Liberty and Brooklyn Nets senior director of entertainment Criscia Long, center, helps Shenay Rivers, left, and fix Ellie's hair at the Barclays Center last month. Credit: Morgan Campbell

This all goes to say that despite having a big-time job, no detail is too small for the 40-year-old Amityville resident. Long is in charge of the show around the show, overseeing all the entertainment for the Liberty, the Brooklyn Nets and the Long Island Nets.

It’s a job that can lead to long days as she supervises the company’s nine dance/entertainment teams, two mascots and works with the game presentation team to hire all outside entertainment. It’s also a dream career, though slightly different from the one she first envisioned when she fell in love with dancing as a 3-year-old growing up in Amityville.

Long’s father, Craig Richardson, was a popular disc jockey on Long Island known as DJ Skipp and he would often take his young daughter on his jobs.

“I would be the kid at the party — Sweet 16, birthday party or anything,” Long said. “My dad and my mom would just throw me out there. The first time, it was just magnetic. That’s when I first found the love for the connection I could have through dance and music. And every time, I just couldn’t wait to get out there.”

Long attended Copaigue High School and Long Island School of the Arts before heading off to Virginia Commonwealth University where she obtained a degree in Dance and Choreography. After graduating, she worked as a dancer at Busch Gardens and Disney World and got jobs performing with Lil’ Kim and Madonna.

Long started her career in sports entertainment on the court as a Knicks City Dancer in 2010. She picked up more and more responsibility, becoming captain of the Knicks dance team and interning with the marketing department of the Liberty, which were then owned by the Knicks.

In 2015, she was hired by BSE Global to be the director of entertainment for the Nets. When the company later bought the Liberty and started their G League team that plays at Nassau Coliseum, she took on responsibility for those teams too.

New York Liberty and Brooklyn Nets senior director of entertainment...

New York Liberty and Brooklyn Nets senior director of entertainment Criscia Long directs dance practice before a Liberty game at Barclays Center on Aug. 21. Credit: Morgan Campbell

The days when fans attended a sports contest simply to watch a game are long gone as sports organizations go to great lengths to lure new fans and create a loyal overall fan base. This was particularly important for the Liberty, who in the seven years before coming to Barclays Center had bounced around from the Prudential Center, Madison Square Garden and finally the tiny Westchester County Center.

Last year, the Liberty ranked third in attendance in the WNBA with an average of more than 16,000 fans. A big reason for that, of course, was the fact hat the Liberty were contending for a championship. Another reason, however, is the overall team experience, which general manager Jonathan Kolb says is the best in the league.

“I travel to every road game, so I have the privilege of seeing the fans and entertainment teams of all of our opponents,” Kolb said. “I can say firsthand that we have undoubtedly the best fan base in the WNBA. What our fans deserve in return is the best in-game experience, and wow, do Criscia and her teams deliver every night. From the Timeless and Lil’ Torches to of course, Ellie, Barclays Center has a vibe like no other and creates the best home-court advantage in basketball.”

Ellie, who debuted in May 2021 when the team moved to Barclays Center, is Long’s most well-known project as she operates as the stylist for the fashion-forward mascot. Ellie has her own line of merchandise, has 232,600 followers on TikTok and has been featured in Vogue, SLAM and The Wall Street Journal.

Long, who is raising two young daughters in Amityville, admits that she was initially nervous about giving up dancing. That quickly changed as she realized the thrill that she gets watching Ellie and the rest of her team perform is the same kind of thrill she got when she first fell in love with dance. It’s one of the things she loves about her job.

“Even though I’m not physically doing it with my own body, to be able to see my vision come to life with dance is the same feeling,” she said. “It’s something I just love about my job.”

More on this topic
SUBSCRIBE

Unlimited Digital AccessOnly 25¢for 6 months

ACT NOWSALE ENDS SOON | CANCEL ANYTIME