Washington Capitals - "Caps 11" Original Song
The 6th Annual Awards
- Excellence in Black Storytelling
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
As part of celebrating black history month, it was a unique opportunity to create an original anthem to educate the audience on the 11 black alumni in Capitals franchise history. This goal was to achieve this in a culturally relevant way to sports fans which ultimately led to the creation of the song “Caps 11”, by Saukrates. To watch the music video, see here.
How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?
With music rights being a challenge for sports team on social media, an example like this helps show how teams, leagues and athletes can go above and beyond to create collaborations that are authentic and personal to their brand and set forth objectives. While fans may accustomed to seeing entertainment on the video board, the lyrics of the song and the edit of the music video helped create a new benchmark for how fans can connect with their team and it’s history. While hockey strives to be a more diverse support, this also shows trying to connect with new audiences through different genres of music.
Objective
The Capitals and musical artist Saukrates collaborated on an original song called ”Caps 11” dedicated to honoring the 11 Black alumni in Capitals history. The song debuted in-game on Feb. 25. Capitals Black Hockey Committee member and Tucker Road Ducks Parent Alexandria Briggs-Blake assisted with conceptualizing the initiative.
A staple in the music industry since 1994, Saukrates is a classically trained violinist who developed his musical talent while playing with Scarborough’s youth symphony orchestra. He’s earned multiple Juno nominations, in addition to assisting artists across the world through song production, instrument musicianship, hook and verse appearances, ghost writing and consultation.
The song was also played in the Capitals locker room following a practice to share with the current Capitals team, played in-arena alongside ice projection on Black History Night and distributed on Capitals digital channels.
Strategy & Execution
Music is at the intersection of sports and culture. When it comes to the modern sports fan, music is infused in their life through their personal Spotify playlist, their commuting, at sports games and beyond. Traditionally we have celebrated the 11 black alumni through tactics such as the arena display, graphics or video content. We wanted to challenge that standard by bringing in the music genre of rap and have a rapper thread the stories of these athletes together with a backdrop of footage. This gave Capitals fan a history lesson while also having them bob their heads, learn and appreciate all that was the song of “Caps 11”.
Organizations
- Washington Capitals
Links
Featured
- Saukrates
Credits
Tim Libeau
Senior Editor
Monumental Sports
Saukrates Soxx
Rapper, Singer and Producer
Washington Capitals
Aimee Brillhart
Producer
Washington Capitals
Amanda Tischler
SVP, Marketing
Washington Capitals
Kwame Mason
Producer
7 and EH! dream productions
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 6th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 6, 2024 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
