The south side Chicago baseball team had been stagnating in the previous 5 years even though they had built a new state-of-the-art baseball facility that was second to none.

A new coach, new players and a new stadium that people were not going to. All located in a less than desirable location on the City of Chicago’s south side. Oh, and the team had been wiping up the cellar for many years. (Did we mention that public transportation was an issue as well?).

We simply focused attention on the way the White Sox play the game—hard-nosed team play. This strategy allowed us to avoid the inevitable issues of wins and losses. As long as the team played the right way, the fans would get what they wanted. We branded the team with “Win. Or Die Trying.” This attitude became a rallying cry for the team and its fans—and a shared bond that reignited the emotional relationship between them. In support, we developed the “Grinder Ball Rules” to reflect the White Sox unique style of play, with rule number one being “Win. Or Die Trying.”