CHICAGO, IL-Chicago Fire FC and the Chicago Red Stars joined the rest of the city’s professional sports teams and Mayor Lori Lightfoot as part of the “We Are Not Playing” campaign to encourage people to stay home and engage in social distancing in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Speaking at an empty Soldier Field with a soccer net meant to signify the Fire’s home opener that was supposed to have taken place on March 21st, Mayor Lightfoot announced the campaign. The Fire, Red Stars, White Sox, Cubs, Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, and Sky all signed on to the initiative to drive compliance with the State of Illinois’s Stay-At-Home order which is currently effective until April 30th.
“We all have a role to play in meeting the challenge of COVID-19, and our success is directly tied to every Chicagoan making sure they Stay Home and Save Lives,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “I am grateful to each of our hometown teams for stepping up and doing their part by joining in this call for every neighborhood and community. They’re not playing, and neither are we. The more we stay home and act responsibly, the more lives we’ll save, and the sooner we’ll be able to get our city back on track and enjoying the games we love.”
The campaign rolled out on Monday, with digital and social advertisements in phase one, and celebrity/all-star player social videos set to come online afterwards. The goal of this campaign is to appeal to every Chicagoan with a sports figure that can be easily recognized as the City works to gain compliance with the statewide Stay At Home Order.
The campaign was developed from concept to execution by the Foote Cone Belding Chicago (FCB) agency. With a consistent thread of design and message, the campaign is a message of unity through the city’s on-the-street assets, the far social reach of Chicago’s sports teams and their players’ influence. The agency provided their creative, design and digital expertise pro bono.
“The Fire has an international roster and fan base – we have fans, players, coaches and families connected to this pandemic across the globe,” said Chicago Fire FC Owner Joe Mansueto. “On behalf of our entire Club, we would like to thank Mayor Lightfoot for her leadership during this time and we are in full support of the ‘We Are Not Playing’ campaign. Although our ‘Homecoming’ match at Soldier Field has been postponed, our fans will, in due time, experience that special day. There will be a time when games resume, but for now, we all need to stay at home to flatten the curve. We know that Chicago will, once again, be a symbol of resilience for the country.”
“We love sports. In fact, it’s usually all we think about. But, for the foreseeable future, sports don’t matter. The health of our citizens is paramount,” said Arnim Whisler, Red Stars Owner and CEO. “With that in mind, the Chicago Red Stars are shifting our emphasis from being a leader on the pitch to a leader in social distancing. If we work together, we can and will flatten the curve.”
At the time of this reporting, the City of Chicago has reported 5,067 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 108 deaths. The rest of Cook County has 3,661 confirmed cases with 101 deaths. As of April 6th, the State of Illinois as a whole has had 12,262 cases with 307 deaths.
