COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Crew—or should I say Columbus Soccer Club—no, wait...The Crew? With a new re-branding of the team and its logos, fans are confused as to what to call them, and why the change was made in the first place.
On Monday, the team announced updated brand logos meant to embrace the Crew's "history and tradition of the Club and its trademark Black & Gold colors."
But in addition to the new logos, it also seems the club is attempting to drift away from the name Columbus Crew—without really doing so.
“The current direction of our Club and our city provides a natural time to examine our identity going forward,” said Crew president and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko. “Our identity and brand evolution includes a shift in our mindset to be consistent contenders on the pitch, but also includes evolving our look both in the community and across competitions. With the upcoming completion of our new, modern, dynamic stadium, our world-class OhioHealth Performance Center, and coming off an MLS Cup championship, our marks are aligned with where we are headed as a city and as an organization. We are proud to represent Columbus on the global stage of soccer and aspire to help elevate the city and honor it for what it has done for the Club. We are Columbus Soccer Club, we are The Crew, and we will always be the Black & Gold.”
But what are they? The Crew? The Soccer Club? Fans can't seem to tell.
Logo comments aside, the handle is @columbuscrew, the name is The Crew, and the tweet twice says Crew but never once Columbus SC.
— John Parker (@jpforsoccer) May 10, 2021
What's the team's name now? https://t.co/lJng4JzYjo
'The Crew' Twitter account with the handle @ColumbusCrew tweeting out a new logo that says 'Columbus SC.'
— Graham Ruthven (@grahamruthven) May 10, 2021
Feels like they should maybe nail down what the club's name actually is...
I’m so confused. What is the name of the team? Really
— columbustillidie (@r_roggenkamp) May 10, 2021
"The Icon C indeed represents the Crew primarily and also Columbus. The state of Ohio flag forms the overall shape of the shield. The new marks authentically incorporate symbols (checker flag to present the diversity of our fans, Ohio state flag to represent Ohio’s first MLS team, Short North arches and stadium geometry to inspire our new font) meaningful to the region and our supporters and represent an evolution of the Club's tradition," the team said of its new logos.
But many wondered why the re-brand wasn't discussed publicly, considering fans fought so hard to keep the team in Columbus following plans for a possible move to Austin that were announced in 2017 and pushed heavily against by the #SaveTheCrew movement.
Building a grass roots fan movement to save the team from moving out of Columbus on #SaveTheCrew then your first move as an ownership team is to drop 'The Crew' and change a popular crest without consulting any of the fans. Tough look.
— Evan Webb (@ewebb42) May 10, 2021
you just won MLS cup
— Joe Baseball Fan 🐻 🐘 ⚾ (@MOFFITW) May 10, 2021
you just opened a beautiful new stadium
why would you do this
The team is set to open Crew Stadium in downtown Columbus in July.
Here is a look at all of the new re-branding for the Columbus Crew SC—or whatever the team's name is now:
Here's what we do know: If there's one thing soccer fans do not like, it's surprises.
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