civic sidelines: where sports met city pride

I was selected to independently develop a capstone project during my internship with the Kansas City Mayor’s Office, under the guidance of the communications team.

In Kansas City, sports aren’t just entertainment — they’re identity. From Super Bowl parades to World Cup prep, KC shows up. But civic engagement? That’s a harder sell, especially among young people. This project asked: Can we channel KC’s sports loyalty into civic energy?

  1. the challenge

2. the strategy

Civic Sidelines is a campaign concept that treats civic engagement like a team sport. I built a strategy that connects major sports moments — and the players behind them — to citywide goals like youth engagement, local pride, and voter turnout. The goal: reframe showing up for your city as just as meaningful as showing up for your team.

3. the work

  • Campaign Concepting: Positioned the Mayor’s Office as a key player in a citywide sports-marketing initiative that feels youthful, exciting, and authentic to KC.

  • Social Content Plan: Designed sample Instagram posts, a hashtag system, and visuals styled like trading cards, draft boards, and sports graphics to boost shareability.

  • Event Ideas: Proposed pop-up voter registration at stadiums, youth job fairs co-hosted with athletes, and a civic challenge activated through local teams.

  • Messaging & Brand Voice: Developed key talking points and visual language that link city participation to sports culture. Think: “Your Team. Your City. Your Voice.”

4. why it matters

Young people already believe in something: their team. This campaign shows that civic engagement doesn’t have to compete with that passion. It can channel it. Civic Sidelines positions participation as pride, power, and belonging, both on and off the field.