Whirlpool x Premier Lacrosse League: Lacrosse on the River

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

In July 2025, the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) and Whirlpool Brand – the league's Official Home Appliance Partner – staged the first-ever professional lacrosse game played on a river. Timed to the PLL's return to Chicago after a six-year absence, the PLL’s Hall of Fame Weekend, and large youth lacrosse presence in the region, the activation transformed a double-decker riverboat into a fully branded, floating lacrosse arena on the iconic Chicago River.

PLL and Women's Lacrosse League (WLL) athletes competed in 3v3 games on the top deck while VIP guests experienced Chicago-style hospitality below. The boat navigated a custom downtown route, pausing in front of Whirlpool's historic Reid Murdoch building headquarters as thousands of fans lined the Riverwalk and crowded bridges to watch history unfold. The activation generated 79.9M impressions, 76 Tier-A media placements – 153% of goal – and 100% positive sentiment, proving that bold experiential storytelling can outperform traditional marketing strategies.

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

Excellence in engagement has traditionally been measured by reach, clicks, and impressions. This activation delivered all of that, but it also did something harder to manufacture: it created genuine, unscripted human moments. Fans timed their lunch breaks to the boat's route. Office workers waved from windows. Pedestrians who had never seen a lacrosse game became part of one. That kind of spontaneous participation cannot be bought.

By treating the city itself as the venue, the activation expanded the definition of the sports fan experience beyond the stadium and beyond the screen. It demonstrated that the most powerful fan engagement happens at the intersection of place, culture, and live sport, and that a bold idea executed with precision can outperform any media budget.

For the industry, this work offers a replicable blueprint: identify a brand's authentic connection to a city or community, find the unexpected venue hiding in plain sight, and build an experience so distinctive that the story tells itself. In an increasingly fragmented media landscape, that kind of organic cultural resonance is the most future-proof investment a sports brand can make.

Objective

The activation was built to solve two interconnected challenges, in a way that neither brand could accomplish alone.

For the Premier Lacrosse League, the objective was to reintroduce the league to Chicago after a six-year market absence with a moment powerful enough to capture the city's attention, generate earned media, and drive genuine excitement ahead of an important weekend of competition, anchored by the league’s Hall of Fame ceremony. A press release alone wouldn't cut it. The PLL needed a cultural statement.

For Whirlpool, the challenge was amplifying a new sports partnership in a way that felt authentic, memorable, and culturally relevant.. As a proud Chicago-based brand with offices on the Chicago River, Whirlpool had a unique geographic and cultural connection to the city. The objective was to leverage that connection and position Whirlpool not as a logo on a banner, but as an active, innovative participant in the sport.

Together, the shared goal was to generate maximum earned media and organic social buzz, using the city itself, its most iconic waterway, and the captivation of live  sport to do the heavy lifting. The result needed to be impossible to ignore and built for sharing.

Strategy & Execution

Rather than traditional event sponsorship, the team identified an untapped canvas iconic to the region: the Chicago River. By staging a first-of-its-kind professional lacrosse game on the water, the activation gave fans - both dedicated lacrosse followers and curious downtown passersby - something they had never seen and couldn't walk, or scroll past.

The double-decker riverboat was transformed into a fully branded floating arena. The top deck hosted multiple live 3v3 games featuring PLL and Women's Lacrosse League athletes, while the lower deck delivered VIP hospitality that included locker room-inspired aesthetics and Chicago-style food and beverage. The boat followed a custom route through downtown, strategically pausing in front of Whirlpool's riverside headquarters for maximum visibility and brand storytelling.

On shore, brand ambassadors distributed rally towels, cowbells, and branded merchandise, converting lunchtime pedestrians into active participants. Drone footage, custom video captured by PLL producers, and natural skyline backdrops created shareable, broadcast-ready content.

Every element, from route design to timing to visual branding, was engineered to reach the modern sports fan where they already were: in the city, on their phones, and hungry for something new.

Organizations

• Premier Lacrosse League (PLL)

• Women's Lacrosse League (WLL)
• Whirlpool Brand

Links

•   Website

Featured

• PLL and WLL professional athletes

• Paul Rabil
• Kay Adams

Credits

Paul Rabil
Co-Founder & President
Premier Lacrosse League

Mike Rabil
Co-Founder & CEO
Premier Lacrosse League

Matty Lee
Chief Commercial Officer
Premier Lacrosse League

Shannon Blakely
CMO North America
Whirlpool Brand

Emily Spaeter
Whirlpool Brand Manager
Whirlpool Brand

Matt Bush
Creative Director, WoW Studios
Whirlpool Brand

Tom Brady
Chief Media & Marketing Officer
Premier Lacrosse League