The Chicago Steel (USHL) marketing professional who came up with this idea deserves a raise and a promotion. The minor league hockey team is hosting a Taylor Swift The Eras Night on Feb. 17, in order to raise money for the Geneva Academic Foundation.
At this point, Taylor Swift is a tour de force of nature, and her The Eras Tour is a cultural juggernaut. Swift being ingrained in the NFL is one thing- we’ve seen that all season long.
. (Apparently, she is rigging the outcome of the Super Bowl next weekend too! LOL)
Now, via the Chicago Steel, she has made a direct impact on the world of minor league hockey too. Every aspect of this promotion is brilliant. Note the detail on the jerseys, which spotlight different major milestone moments in the 24 year history of the franchise.
Then you have the manner in which the press release was written, incorporating Taylor Swift song titles and lyrics early and often.
Yes, using Swift lyrics to make commentary on Swift is a widespread practice, across all media, but they did it especially well. It’s a bit that’s getting rather cliche, to be sure, but the Chicago Steel did it perfectly.
If you want to know what The “Eras” mean in relation to Swift’s tour, it’s a reference to the different musical and thematic phases throughout her 15 year+ career, each represented by her different albums.
The Eras Tour is designed as a journey through these phases, showcasing the evolution of her music and artistic expression over time.
And if you’re reading this, and you happen to be Swiftie, you are most likely rolling your eyes at my asking such an easy, obvious question.
But I’ll Shake It Off, and I have no Bad Blood towards you, because I simply had a Blank Space in this WordPress post draft.
Now Look What You Made Me Do! The Chicago Steel take on the Tri Fox Storm in Valley Ice Arena in Geneva, Illinois.
And if you’re a Storm supporter going to the game, well, “it must be so exhausting rooting for the anti-hero.”
In their history, the Chicago Steel have won two Anderson Cups as regular season champions and two Clark Cups as playoff champions. They also have a true first round NHL Draft prospect in center Michael Hage, so if you go to the game, you can see him in action!
Check out where we have him slotted in our latest mock draft here.
The team’s ownership structure came under the umbrella of the Wirtz Corporation, who also owns the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, in August of 2023.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.