The Minnesota Swarm Teams Up the Ho-Chunk Nation for Three Years

November 20, 2014

The Minnesota Swarm announced they have entered into a three year deal with the Ho-Chunk Nation as the team's presenting sponsor beginning in 2015 through the 2017 season. With that, the floor will be known as Ho-Chunk Nation Field at Xcel Energy Center. I will call it the Ho-Chunk Nation Field at The Hive because the Swarm play at The Hive not at Xcel like the hockey team. The Swarm jerseys will also have the Ho-Chunk Nation logo on them.

The Ho-Chunk Nation owns around 4,200 acres of land in numerous Wisconsin counties through land trusts as they don't have reservation per se. Wisconsin is where Ho-Chunk Nation aka "People of the Big Voice" calls home from when time began even though they have members of the nation throughout the Midwest including Minnesota which in part was due to forced resettlement in the 1800's. Their tribal headquarters are in Black River Falls, Wisconsin and they operate six casinos in the state.

Already, some on the team's facebook page have raised questions as to why a Minnesota team is sponsored by a Wisconsin entity. Well, the Ho-Chunk are their own Nation and have done quite well reclaiming their heritage and improving the lives of their people. Also, many Swarm fans are Packer fans, so the Wisconsin connection continues. With the contacts that Ho-Chunk probably has in central Wisconsin, maybe a pre-season game in the future in Madison or Milwaukee could be arranged. But most importantly, the sponsorship that Ho-Chunk Nation provides is a much needed boost for a team that has admitted themselves is not on the most stable financial foundation.

The Swarm did not have a presenting sponsor in 2014 as their sponsorship with Treasure Island Resort & Casino ended after the 2013 season even though the end of agreement seemed a bit controversial to me. Now with Ho-Chunk Nation on board, it is paramount that the Swarm build a great relationship with them so three years down the road the decision to continue the sponsorship with the Swarm is a easy and smart decision for Ho-Chunk Nation.

This is a very encouraging step forward taken by Swarm management, who I have been quite critical of in the last year some would say, (okay everyone would say I have been quite critical of them) to ensure long-term sustainability in Minnesota. They are not completely out of my proverbial doghouse yet as the road has many miles yet to be traveled but they are showing signs that they still may and want to make this work in Minnesota.