Atlanta Hockey Branding Concepts 2: Atlanta H.C.
Community Connections and Content Creation
The first proposal for a new Atlanta-based hockey team was a fiery rebirth of the Thrashers. The “Thrashers” concept was about leveraging Atlanta’s hockey history (preserving brand equity). The second proposal for a new Atlanta hockey brand is focused on making a connection to the local population. This proposal illustrates two interrelated facets of sports fandom in 2025: 1. Connecting to the Community, 2. Content Creation.
1. Fandom is about community and is often tied to a larger, geographically centered region. Sports fandom is strongest when it is associated with a geographical area.
2. Fandom is about shared stories, and shared stories are created through content. The modern sports organization needs to view itself as a content-producing entity.
These two points should be guiding principles for any new or relocated sports franchise. The first insight is that sports are a key part of local culture, and successful sports organizations are viewed as pillars of the community. The top sports brands may be independent for-profit businesses, but they tend to be viewed as members of the community. Being a part of the community means that the city subculture overlaps with the fandom subculture. This makes fandom building much easier.
However, creating local connections is increasingly challenging as the modern media landscape is less conducive to developing local fandom. Forty years ago, the local teams were a key source of content for the local newspaper and newscasts. Now, the internet and social media make it easier to follow international superstars than local players. Local media was free advertising for local teams, but now local media is largely irrelevant.
The second insight is that sports are fundamentally entertainment, and entertainment is about content. Sports naturally create content every time a puck drops or a ball is thrown, but moving into the future, games may be just the starting point. The love fans have for their teams and players, coupled with the distribution possibilities provided by new media platforms, are creating new opportunities for sports storytelling. All sports franchises, and especially new teams, need to position themselves as strategic content creators.
The Concept
The second concept centers Atlanta in the new team’s name: Atlanta Hockey Club or Atlanta H.C. This name is reminiscent of European (and MLS) soccer clubs, like Manchester United or Barcelona. I will refer to this proposal as the “Atlanta HC” or “Community Connection” proposal.
The image shows a prospective logo for Atlanta H.C. It is generated in ChatGPT, so it’s a little different than what I had intended, but it’s an illustrative starting point.
The key design elements include:
1. The name makes explicit the connection to the city. Rather than a name like the Panthers or Oilers that refers to something (tenuously) associated with a city, the name directly connects the team to the city. Atlanta HC is part of Atlanta from the moment of the announcement. The team could also use ATL HC.
2. The logo is dominated by the letter A with a smaller H and C below. The A includes legs that resemble hockey sticks. The periods following the H and C were supposed to resemble hockey pucks, but the image generation program wouldn’t cooperate.
3. The logo includes colors similar to those of other local teams and colleges.
4. The name and logo forgo the opportunity to connect the new team to the previous Atlanta hockey teams, the Flames and Thrashers. The new team is an Atlanta team rather than a hockey team (temporarily) located in the city.
5. The name is similarly themed to Atlanta’s most recent successful expansion team, Atlanta United. The United’s success was due to many factors, but one potentially overlooked aspect was the team's direct link to the city.
6. A possible criticism of the name is that there is no track record of broad acceptance or fondness for these city-focused names in traditional major American sports leagues. The best examples of these names (Washington Football Team, Utah Hockey Club) have only been used as placeholders.
Marketing Communications
Team names are just the start to a marketing program. Marketing communications would continue to enhance the city-team connection. For example, the image below shows the logo integrated with the city skyline and local places of interest. This might be an early image for social media or a landing page on a team website.
1. The image places the team within the city. The team is joining the community.
2. A consideration for this message is whether the focus should be on the city or the metropolitan area. A new hockey team is likely to be based outside Atlanta's city limits. ATL is being used to refer to the metropolitan area rather than the city.
3. The image features the tagline “ATL’s coldest team just dropped.” The phrase highlights the contrast between “Hot” Atlanta and “Cold” hockey to generate interest. The phrase "just dropped" also signals new cultural content, like music or sneakers. This cultural positioning aligns with Atlanta’s own but may conflict with the potential hockey audience in the city’s northern suburbs.
Content Strategy
The second insight driving the “Community Connection” brand proposal is that sports teams are content creators. While the team is a hockey club, hockey content and personalities can be leveraged to produce material beyond the arena.
To illustrate the potential to turn a hockey club into a content engine, I have two proposals for reality series. The first targets hockey and sports fans, and the second targets non-traditional sports audiences. The goal of both series is to create fandom-building narratives about Atlanta H.C. and to integrate the new team within the ATL community.
Series 1: “Welcome to the Club”.
Premise: “Welcome to the Club” is a docu-reality series following the formation of the Atlanta Hockey Club (Atlanta HC), the NHL’s newest team. The show blends high-stakes sports drama with heartfelt community integration, showing players, coaches, and staff as they build a winning team and work to earn a place in Atlanta’s cultural soul.
“Welcome to the Club” is a hockey-driven content focused on the behind-the-scenes of a pro sports organization and the drama of players striving to get to and succeed in the show. The target audience is sports fans, especially those interested in sports documentaries like the Last Dance and Drive to Survive.
Episode Structure
Ep 1 – “The Arrival”
The NHL returns to Atlanta. Meet the coach, ownership, and first wave of players. Atlanta HC is born.
Ep 2 – “The Draft”
Behind-the-scenes access to the expansion and entry drafts. Hopefuls, veterans, and a vision take shape.
Ep 3 – “Training Camp”
Intensity ramps up. Players battle for roster spots. Chemistry is tested on and off the ice.
Ep 4 – “ATL”
The team explores Atlanta from barbershops to HBCUs to music. Hockey culture meets Southern soul.
Note that the episode structure is generated by AI because it's more of an illustrative example than a firm proposal. Episode 4 might be reconsidered as the primary target market is primarily suburban rather than urban Atlanta.
Ep 5 – “Preseason Heat”
First real games. Injuries, standouts, and doubts emerge. Cuts are coming.
Ep 6 – “The Roster”
Final roster decisions. Dreams realized or ended. Leadership rises as the city leans in.
Ep 7 – “Opening Night”
Arena packed. Atlanta HC takes the ice. New traditions are born under the lights.
Ep 8 – “Welcome to the Club”
A new team. A new era. Atlanta claims its place in hockey, and the club becomes a family.
Some key points
1. The first series is a hockey documentary. It emphasizes the challenges and dramas associated with creating a new team.
2. The show’s title, “Welcome to the Club,” furthers the cultural connection to Atlanta. Players and fans are meeting/joining a new club, and Atlanta is well known for “Clubs” and clubbing. This positioning needs to be balanced with the franchise's suburban location and fandom.
3. The show is an opportunity to create shared stories and build relationships. Players often become beloved local celebrities through years of playing, but in the modern media environment, the team can directly create and distribute player-oriented content. The goal is to create relationship-building narratives purposefully and quickly.
4. Maintaining authenticity is a challenge in this approach. The show must feel organic and genuine, not like a commercial for the new team.
Series 2: “Off the Ice: Love and Line Changes.”
Team and City cultural integration could be further accelerated with a secondary content concept, called “Off the Ice: Love and Line Changes.” “Off the Ice” would target a different demographic than “Welcome to the Club”; more female and less sports-oriented. The tone would be more Real Housewives or The Batchelor than Hard Knocks or Drive to Survive.
Premise: While Atlanta HC takes to the ice, the real sparks fly behind the scenes. From longtime wives to new flames — and a couple of dangerously single players — “Off the Ice: Love & Line Changes” follows the glam, gossip, and growing pains of love, loyalty, and locker room politics in America’s hottest hockey town.
Notes
1. The episode structure would be based on specific players and their partners.
2. The focus would be on relationships. These relationships would play out in the Atlanta area.
3. Love & Line Changes would lend itself to social media and have viral potential.
Parting Thoughts
The Atlanta H.C. concept highlights the critical nature of local fandom. For most franchises, the core fandom is geographically tied to the same city as the team. Most great sports brands are located in cities with great sports traditions. The Bruins, Celtics, Red Sox, and Patriots are Boston sports teams. The Blackhawks, Cubs, Bulls, and Bears are Chicago teams. In great sports cities, teams are inextricably linked to the city, and fans love all of the local teams. Atlanta H.C. starts from the insight that sports fandoms are communities based around local teams.
The proposal for the new club also emphasizes content. The foundation of any fandom is the stories shared by the fans. Sports are a natural story generator as every game and season is an opportunity to create exciting, memorable moments. Critically, sports action also opens up more narrative and character development possibilities. A series about the challenges and drama of building a new team can be compelling. Likewise, a series focused on the personal lives of the players and their partners can be fascinating to a different audience.
In this case, the content strategy is closely linked with the geography-focused branding strategy. Atlanta is a culturally significant metropolitan area for many demographic and historical reasons. The city has essentially been a featured character in shows like “Atlanta” (FX), “Real Housewives of Atlanta” (Bravo), “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” (VH1), and various Tyler Perry projects. The proposed series would use Atlanta and hockey to attract an audience and generate interest in the hockey team. The goal would be to make the team a part of Atlanta.
Next: In the third Atlanta hockey proposal, I will change direction and show a concept based on a growing trend of brands transitioning from product-focused to lifestyle brands. It’s a different approach as we shift from building a brand from a hockey team to using hockey to change an established brand.