For a few hours on a warm Saturday afternoon, East Harlem became the center of New York’s creative community. The borough rivalries that usually define the city disappeared behind dugouts filled with laughter, music drifted across the diamond and the sound of families cheering from the sidelines. It wasn’t just a softball game. It was a reminder of what happens when people make the time to gather offline.
Black and Brown women from every corner of New York City made their way uptown, traveling from the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and beyond for an afternoon that felt equal parts neighborhood cookout, creative reunion and friendly competition. Artists, photographers, stylists, musicians and friends traded networking events and downtown parties for gloves, jerseys and a patch of dirt in East Harlem. Presented in partnership with adidas Originals, the event blended sport, style and culture, with players taking the field in custom jerseys while the brand helped transform a neighborhood ballpark into a celebration of community. In a city where so much interaction happens through screens, the day felt refreshingly analog. People laughed with strangers, caught up with old friends and rooted for women they had met only moments before.
The beauty of the afternoon wasn’t found on the scoreboard. It was in watching women from different boroughs and different backgrounds come together with a shared sense of joy. East Harlem became common ground, proving that community can still be built the old-fashioned way by simply showing up for one another. adidas Originals‘ partnership underscored that idea, supporting an event where sport became a vehicle for bringing together New Yorkers who may have otherwise never crossed paths.
The gathering was part of the second annual ICE Studios City Series, an event created by photographer and creative director Renell Medrano. Inspired by her years growing up playing softball in the Bronx, Medrano envisioned the series as more than an athletic competition. It is an opportunity to recreate the sense of belonging, teamwork and connection that sports can foster while giving women a space to build relationships outside of work and social media. With adidas Originals helping bring that vision to life, the tournament continues to evolve into a celebration of women’s sports, creativity and community rooted in New York City.
That intention could be felt throughout the day. Spectators lined the fences, children chased softballs through the grass and teammates who had been strangers just hours earlier celebrated every hit like they’d been playing together for years. The featured matchup between Team NYC and Team Dominican Republic kept the crowd engaged from the first pitch. After the Dominican Republic squad built an early advantage and Team NYC struggled through a handful of strikes and foul balls, the hometown team settled in, rallied together and mounted an exciting comeback that had both dugouts and the crowd erupting with every big play. The friendly competition embodied exactly what the afternoon was about: playing hard while celebrating one another every step of the way.
The custom jerseys, the music and the cheers echoing across the field made the tournament feel unmistakably New York. Families gathered in lawn chairs, creatives swapped stories between innings and supporters packed the fences as if they were watching lifelong friends instead of women who had often just met that day. It was a reminder that the city’s Black and Brown creative communities are deeply interconnected, even if they don’t always have opportunities to gather in the same space.
As cities become increasingly digital, events like ICE Studios City Series feel more necessary than ever. They remind us that community isn’t built in comment sections or group chats. It’s built by sharing space, supporting one another and creating memories that live far beyond a social post. What Medrano has built is more than an annual softball tournament. It’s a growing New York tradition that celebrates connection, neighborhood pride and the communities that keep the city moving.