The crew’s most recent rebranding was in the sub-pink planning phase for more than a year, but news of an announcement only began to slide out of containment last week. In fact, many members of the team’s front office didn’t find out about it until Saturday, when they were informed by savvy fans during a game at the old Crew Stadium.
Sunday, a story about the team’s rebranding plans was published at massivereport.com. Then a blurry photo of a strange new logo started popping across social media. The simmering fan dissent went to a boil and the hot bilge started spilling all over the place.
In no time at all, the crew’s rebranding news drove the history of the Blue Jackets out of the way Farewell to John Tortorellawho was just the greatest coach in franchise history. One reason is that the The announcement of Tortorella was not unexpectedThe crew’s upcoming announcement was lightning that started a fire.
Of course it was.
The connection between fans and their team is emotional and rooted in passion. This is especially true for soccer fans. A month ago a dozen billionaire owners tried to start a European Super League and their plans were sunk within 48 hours after the fans flocked to the street and threatened to riot.
Passion for the crew is world famous. Save the crew is the reason. Where else did the fans stand up to and beat the machine until last month? Only in Columbus. That wonderful story rose to an MLS Cup title by the end of 2020. It was almost too fantastic to believe.
Five months later the new management will be renamed? Say what?
Are they going to remove “Crew” from the team’s official name?
Are you going to get rid of what may be the best – and perhaps the most famous – crest in the League?
This after they put the team’s trademark, banana yellow uniforms, on the shelf?
Who is running this show? Andy Loughnane?
This rebranding is a public relations nightmare, artificially constructed, completely deaf and horribly wrongly tuned. It conjured up previous owner Anthony Precourt and its CEO Loughnane, both of whom had the intellectual depth of Barnacles. They spoke analytically about “authenticity” as they worked behind a curtain to bring MLS ‘first chartered team to Texas. With Don Garber’s complicity.
I hope all of their yachts are sinking.
This can be said of Precourt: when it renamed in 2015, most of the work was done in-house, fans were part of the process, and the rollout was well organized and intelligently done. While it produced a bombshell with its “Forever Columbus” kits with the evergreen shorts, it also produced a logo that was largely well received.
OK, the “SC” is stupid. I like a time when an American team can be called by their nickname which is the Crew, and that doesn’t mean the midfielders will pick up the ball and throw it. That means the logo from the house the horse thief remains a nice confirmation from the club and the city.
It is an allusion to the German history of Columbus (German Village, Nordecke, etc.) as it is circular, like many Bundesliga badges. The inner “O” comes straight from the state flag of Ohio and emphasizes Columbus as the capital. The vertical stripes represent the original teams in an upward trajectory. The “96” commemorates the league’s inaugural season, and the black and gold chess board is a nod to the fans waving the iconic Black & Gold flags.
As for the new logo …
I conducted an anonymous survey of a dozen former players and coaches on Sunday. For one man, they had a question: why should the crew not only cut out their name – known around the world for Save the Crew – but also get rid of the league’s best badge?
The fans were just as amazed. I got a million (more like 30) texts.
Typical: “It’s an MLSification of something good into something bad, the worst example of the latest league trends. Uninspired, unoriginal and offensive to fans for not looking for input. I don’t spend a dime on merch with this logo. “
Another: “Is that a soccer team or a cartoon network?”
The front office lost control of the story in the way Vinko Bogataj lost control of his skis. Indeed, this SC PR disaster is being investigated by future generations of MLSificators aspiring to Super League status – and the “Crewell’s Old Boys” or “Columbus Haslamotiv” or “Crewjax” or “Confluence Villa” or “Real Inter United.” “Let the crew FC SC AC DC float” at the next rebranding. It’s due in about six years, isn’t it?
On Sunday night the SC stood for Spin Control and the front office worked desperately to capture a narrative it never had. It pushed ahead with its official rebranding announcement, in part to deal with the damage. The press conference took place on Monday afternoon.
I have to say when they finally got the chance to tell their story, she had some chew. These people have deep roots in Columbus and care about the team and its history. They represent owners who have invested millions in a bright future – and their vision has already spawned a championship.
You could understand their thinking behind the rebranding. You could hear their deliberate reasoning in the redesigned logo. Agree or disagree, they ended up making a compelling case.
I continue to be skeptical of what they produced – I hate the logo as much as my kids (demographic: 14-29) – but I wasn’t as excited on Monday as I was on Sunday. I find their protests (“We’re not eliminating” Crew “- it will be everywhere! – we’re just cutting it out of our name”) ridiculously insincere, but I can just blame Garber. It’s usually his fault.
SC fans had much bigger battles. You will learn to live with the remains of that special day. What they will not forget is the insensitivity of the team in everything that Precourt conjured up in all his abomination.
