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Earlier this week, the Carolina Hurricanes took souvenir cups to the next level with the “beer skate” that debuted at a playoff game. Now, a professional rugby team in Chicago is hoping to capitalize by going the same route with the drinking vessel it will be giving away at a game.
Many people who attend a sporting event in person treat themselves to an alcoholic beverage (or a few) over the course of the game. Those overpriced drinks are usually served up in a can or a plastic glass, but teams have gotten increasingly creative when it comes to getting fans to shell out extra money at the concession stands.
This season, people who order a margarita at Dodgers games can get it served up in a tiny water cooler that set the bar for creative drink containers in 2026.
However, the Carolina Hurricanes saw and raised them with the beer skates that were available at the Lenovo Center when they kicked off their playoff series with the Dodgers, which popped up on eBay for hundreds of dollars and sold out thanks to the fans who bought nearly 4,700 of them in one night.
It’s unclear if that inspired a Major League Rugby team or if they already had a similar item in the works, but the squad is harnessing a similar approach in its quest to drum up some publicity.
The Chicago Hounds are giving away “beer boots” that look like a rugby player’s leg
The Chicago Hounds are one of the six teams that currently comprise Major League Rugby, and the team is currently in the midst of its fourth season after setting up shop at SeatGeek Stadium in 2022.
That venue can accommodate up to 20,000 spectators, but the Hounds haven’t come close to hitting that capacity when you consider their current record for attendance was the 4,889 fans who watched them beat the NOLA Gold last May.
Chicago has gotten off to a hot start this season, as they currently sit at the top of the standings after starting the campaign at 5-0. They’ll hope to keep that perfect record intact when they host Anthem Rugby Carolina on May 10th, and they’re giving people some extra incentive to attend by giving away custom beer boots to the first 500 fans who enter the stadium.
COMING TO SEATGEEK THIS SUNDAY: THE BEER BOOT.
First 500 fans in the stadium on Sunday get this commemorative mug 🍻 pic.twitter.com/pTIsuNIbxC
— Chicago Hounds (@HoundsChicago) May 7, 2026
They’re a fairly straightforward take on the traditional German beer boot, which was referred to as “Das Boot” in Beer Fest but is called a “bierstiefel” in the country where it was dreamed up.
It’s unclear how much beer the cleated boot can hold, and while fans will have to pay for the liquid they drink from it, they won’t have to pay the premium the Hurricanes charged to acquire a beer skate in the first place.