There is so much about this commercial that gets me excited and gives me goosebumps all at the same time. Also makes me shed a tear for the late, great Harry Caray[wiki].
As much as I have come to despise the Red Wings, I’m totally pulling for the hometown team in this one. Outdoor game at Wrigley Field in the Windy City? How can you not cheer for the Blackhawks? Of course, I spent years searching for a team to capture my attention in the NHL, and all the years I spent growing up in the Midwest, Chicago never did it for me.
At least until now because everyone in Chicago should rejoice in the resurgence of that team. They are chalk full of some amazing, young talent, captained by a youngster from and the pride of New Westminster, B.C. (which we often pass through on a regular basis), Jonathon Toews. Additionally, WGN acquired the broadcast rights for both TV and radio beginning this year, so that really puts a lot in place to bring the Hawks back into the hearts of Chicago.
In my opinion, this is the best thing that could have happened to the Blackhawks franchise. As many folks in the area can tell you, the bigger task is to put the team back into the mindset of the city where the MLS Chicago Fire ranks higher in popularity than its original six NHL team, at least as of a year ago.
Kudos to Michael DiLorenzo on Twitter for sharing this one.
Talk about resurgence of the Blackhawks….in our first 10 years in the Chicago media market, I’ve seen the team on TV a handful of times. The Chicago Fire, our MLS team, pulled in more fans and revenue than the Hawks in 2007. Since Bill Wirtz died last year and his home market TV blackout passed with him, there has been a Blackhawk redux. It started with TV commercials every hour for the Hawks on all the local channels over the summer. WGN picked up the radio broadcast this season. We’ve actually watched some home matches this season and your nephew wants to go to a match at the UC. It’s amazing what marketing and lack of it, can do.