Rebranding in Chicago
Jeff Sims
Tuesday December 4, 2012
The end of the 2012 season for the Chicago Rush left starved arena football fans in the city with a lot of questions. The team had been owned and operated by the offices of the Arena Football League. The franchise had its lowest average attendance in the team’s 12 year existence and they did not make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
Would the team return for the 2013 season? If so, who would own them and would a winning team be put back on the field? Can the attendance levels be revitalized to the levels that were seen prior to the league going bankrupt in 2009 and could the game experience for fans be close to what it was before?
Fear not Rush fans!
After approximately seven months of negotiations, it was announced on November 21st that Julee White, President and CEO of Testarossa (Italian for red-head)Entertainment, a Chicago based public relations and marketing agency, had purchased the team.
She has coordinated successful marketing campaigns with sports figures such as Richard Dent and Manny Pacquiao, among others.
“I have been involved in sports marketing for 15 plus years,” White stated. “I feel that this is the next step of my natural progression.”
Having only four months to prepare for the upcoming season, the new owner understands that there is a lot of hard work that has to be done to get a buzz going for the organization.
“We have a lot of work to do in our front office as it relates to marketing, ticket sales, and sponsorships” said White. “I have a 300 page marketing plan with a number of concepts that I would like to incorporate. We really need to create conversation and a social media buzz around the team. There will be a ton of marketing and promoting involved.”
One of the first things that White and her team is doing is rebranding the team with a new logo and colors. The team name will not be changed and will remain the Rush as it is seen as a well known name in the market.
“Without giving too much away,” White stated, “I will let you know that the new logo will incorporate the six prong star from the Chicago flag. It is a unique symbol for a unique city. The new logo will be unveiled in the very near future.”
The past two seasons saw silver introduced into the team colors. Last season saw team colors of blue, silver, and white. The new scheme sees a slight change with the team colors for the upcoming season being blue, silver, and red.
New uniforms and helmets will also be unveiled prior to the start of the season.
The team will return to the Allstate Arena for 2013. White understands that the biggest thing to change from last season will be the number of empty seats.
“We will need to get people to understand the entertainment value that comes with Arena Football and the Chicago Rush,” she said. “When people come to a Rush football game, they will see the fast pace and the excitement that the game brings. In addition, I want to see if we can have big name performers at our games. We are also going to be working with a charity for each of our home games.”
Another wonderful thing that will get Rush fans excited is the cheerleaders.
Yes, I said the word cheerleaders!
“What football team in existence that you know of has dancers?” she asked. “We will change the name of the Adrenaline Rush Dancers to the Chicago Rush Cheerleaders. We will be the only football team in the city with cheerleaders.”
Now we’re talking!
Another complaint from fans last season was the team not having a local television deal. All games had to be viewed on the computer via UStream, which was not always the best viewing experience.
White, who went through the same pain as the rest of us fans, says that there will be a local television deal in place for the upcoming season, although a network agreement has not yet been reached.
On the actual football side, one of White’s first actions was to bring back head coach Bob McMillen. McMillen has signed a two year deal to remain the team’s coach and Director of Football Operations.
“Bob has a proven track record both as a player and as a coach in this league,” she said. “I feel like he has my back on the field.”
McMillen is excited about working with the new team owner and feels that things are definitely headed in the right direction.
“She has many fresh ideas and knows a lot of people that will help us grow again in Chicago,” he said. “She has helped us during the recruiting process by talking to potential players and letting them know what we will have going on here long term. I am excited to have her here.”
To help lure potential players to the organization, the team will have a new practice facility for the upcoming season. In the past, the team has practiced out in the suburbs. This season, the team will have a practice facility and living quarters in the city.
“We have one of the best cities at our disposal,” she said. “In the past, not every player would have transportation and would be limited to the suburbs and what was near the facility. With a facility in the city, you have the transportation system and more to offer as a whole.”
With her feistiness and an obvious passion to win, one thing that she has had to learn as a new owner is the limitations that are in existence due to the agreement with the players union.
“There have been a couple of times already where Bob and Scott (Bailey), our Director of Player Personnel, have had to reel me in a bit and inform me that I can’t do some things,” White stated. “While we are trying to win, we want to ensure that we are a team of integrity and are playing by the rules.”
While taking over as a new owner in what is currently the largest market in the Arena Football League, White is excited to be a part of the league and says that she has received a lot of support from the other owners in the league.
“Both Jon Pettit (Iowa) and Ron Jaworski (Philadelphia) have contacted me offering their support whenever I need it,” she said. “I am blessed to be a part of the ownership group and to have the support that I do as an owner in this league.”
All in all, fans of the Chicago Rush can have a sense of comfort knowing that their team is back to stay and that they have an owner with an aggressive plan that wants to maintain a winning tradition and provide an unmatched game experience and presence in the community. Nothing said that more than in the final statement during our interview.
“We are going to have a team that is the best at what they do and will be sure that all of the right things are in place.”
Jeff has been writing for ArenaFan.com since 2004. Originally from New York, Jeff has been living in the Chicago area for the past ten years and is an avid football fanatic. He holds a BA in communications from Hofstra University in New York and a sports management certificate from Loyola University in Chicago.
