--- title: Black Jersey Launch | 8th Hashtag Sports Awards description: Global awards recognizing excellence in fan engagement and celebrating creativity across sports marketing, media & entertainment image: https://www.hashtagsports.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Assets-AF-2025/llQBJJbY-xKUD25725S-file.png --- Black Jersey Launch | 8th Hashtag Sports Awards [The 8th Annual Awards](https://www.hashtagsports.com/awards/shortlist-2026?hsLang=en) # Black Jersey Launch [Chicago Blackhawks](https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks) Share [** ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hashtagsports.com%2Fawards%2Fshortlist-2026%2Fblack-jersey-launch) [** ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hashtagsports.com%2Fawards%2Fshortlist-2026%2Fblack-jersey-launch&text=Black+Jersey+Launch+%7C+8th+Hashtag+Sports+Awards) [** ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hashtagsports.com%2Fawards%2Fshortlist-2026%2Fblack-jersey-launch) ABOUT THIS ENTRY The Chicago Blackhawks brought back their iconic black jersey for the first time in nearly 20 years — and turned a product launch into the biggest cultural moment in Chicago sports that year. ![Image](https://www.hashtagsports.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Assets-AF-2025/llQBJJbY-xKUD25725S-file.png?width=1920&height=1080&name=llQBJJbY-xKUD25725S-file.png) How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"? A jersey launch is typically measured by sell-through. This one set a new benchmark by measuring something far more valuable — who was buying. A 60% first-time buyer rate redefines what a product launch can accomplish in sports. It proves that when a release is positioned as a cultural moment rather than a retail event, it converts new fans, not just existing ones. That distinction matters for any franchise looking to grow beyond its core audience. The creative decisions that got there are worth noting. Revealing the launch through a replica of Michael Jordan's iconic return fax and recreating the original 1996 launch photo were deliberate signals that this jersey belonged in the same conversation as the defining moments of Chicago sports culture — separating it from every other launch in the market. The cross-sport seeding strategy extended that thinking further. By putting the jersey in the hands of Bears and Bulls players, the Blackhawks proved a hockey uniform could travel beyond hockey's audience without a larger budget — just smarter decisions about who carries the message. Root your product in culture, distribute it beyond your existing audience, and a launch becomes a fan acquisition engine. Objective Chicago is one of the most competitive sports markets in the country. In 2025 alone, the Bulls dropped a black jersey and the Cubs unveiled a new look — every franchise in the city was competing for the same cultural moment and the same fan wallet. The Blackhawks had an advantage most jersey launches don't: they already knew demand existed. The black jersey had been the single most requested item at Blackhawks retail stores for years. The product wasn't the problem. The opportunity was maximizing it. **The goal was to take proven demand and amplify it into something far bigger** A launch that would: - Drive first-time fan acquisition at scale - Dominate the social conversation across every sport in the market - Prove that a jersey release could function as a full cultural moment for the entire city of Chicago, not just its hockey fans. Strategy & Execution The insight was simple but powerful: this wasn't a throwback. It was a power-up. The black alternate jersey had spent nearly two decades off the ice — long enough to become legendary, short enough that fans still remembered exactly how it looked under the United Center lights. The Centennial season created the perfect platform to bring it back. Not as nostalgia. As a statement. The campaign was built on four deliberate decisions.    - **Timing** — dropping the jersey on Black Friday transformed a product release into a cultural retail event, placed at the exact moment commercial attention nationwide was at its peak.  - **Heritage** — the launch was first revealed through a replica of Michael Jordan's iconic"I'm Back" fax announcing his return to the Bulls, immediately signaling this was Chicago Sports Culture moment. The original 1996 launch photo was then recreated with Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar, threading the franchise's past and future together in a single image.  - **Culture** — players from the Bears and Bulls received jerseys ahead of launch, positioning the black jersey as a Chicago cultural object, not just a hockey uniform.  - **Amplification** — organic social, paid media, and in-arena activation built anticipation, then converted attention into purchase the moment inventory went live. ** Nominations ** - Best Launch Campaign **Organizations** - Chicago Blackhawks **Links** - [  Centennial Celebration ](https://centennial.blackhawks.com) - [  YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/blackhawks) - [  Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/nhlblackhawks) - [  TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@nhlblackhawks) - [  X](https://x.com/NHLBlackhawks) - [  Snapchat](https://www.snapchat.com/@nhlblackhawks) **Featured** - Connor Bedard - Chicago Blackhawks - Frank Nazar - Chicago Blackhawks - Caleb Williams - Chicago Bears - DJ Moore - Chicago Bears - Coby White - Chicago Bulls - Kevin Huerter - Chicago Bulls **Credits** **[ Jerry Ferguson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerrymckinleyferguson/) ** EVP, Brand & Marketing Chicago Blackhawks **[ Trevor Bray](https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-b-6940a64b/) ** Director, Content & Creative Chicago Blackhawks **[ Lyndsey Stroope](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndseystroope/) ** Director, Brand & Communications Chicago Blackhawks **[ Brian Howe](https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-howe-85413a6a/) ** Director, Events & Experiences Chicago Blackhawks **[ Audra Fornaro](https://www.linkedin.com/in/audra-fornaro-bastyr-8134a5bb/) ** Manager, Content Production Chicago Blackhawks **[ Jack Gambro](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackgambro/) ** Manger, Art Direction Chicago Blackhawks **[ Nicholas Gallagher](https://www.linkedin.com/in/npgfx/) ** Manager, Marketing Operations Chicago Blackhawks **[ Greg Tonge](https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-tonge-22ab4613b/) ** Lead Editor Chicago Blackhawks **[ William Chatmon](https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-chatmon-b20a57151/) ** Lead Producer Chicago Blackhawks **[ Alec Rudin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alecruden/) ** Manager, Growth Marketing Chicago Blackhawks **[ Chase Agnello-Dean](https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaseagnellodean/) ** Photographer Chicago Blackhawks **[ Mary DeBartolo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-debartolo-740514160/) ** Manager, Player & Alumni Relations Chicago Blackhawks **[ Kayla Jackson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylamjackson/) ** Manager, Game Presentation Chicago Blackhawks **[ Rachel Stellfox](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-stellfox-74b519114/) ** Manager, Events & Experience Chicago Blackhawks **[ Ben Fromstein](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-fromstein-928537b/) ** Director, Hockey Communications Chicago Blackhawks **[ Joseph Frederick](https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-frederick-/) ** Coordinator, Paid Media Chicago Blackhawks **[ Ethan Bardolph](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-bardolph-6547ab113/) ** Sr. Coordinator, History & Heritage Chicago Blackhawks **[ Andy Torres](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-torres-alcorta-5117b6144/) ** Motion Designer (freelance) Andy Torres Films #### INSPIRED TO ENTER WORK? 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