To update: The mailing has confirmed the crew is changing their name to Columbus SC, updating their crest, and planning to use “the crew” as a nickname for the club.
The crew found themselves in a PR swamp on Sunday when the team’s new official name and primary logo were released by multiple media outlets, dealing a quick blow back to fans condemning the changes.
Shipping has confirmed this Columbus Crew SC will now be known as Columbus SC – or Columbus Soccer Club – with “the Crew” being a nickname that does not appear on the official crest, but is still seen as a separate name in the stadium and on merchandise.
There have been rumors on social media of a possible rebranding since the end of Friday, after team president Tim Bezbatchenko, vice president for marketing Patrice Croci and other front office employees informed the Nordecke support group about the name and coat of arms that were to be announced shortly.
Season 2021:The Columbus Crew begins the end of the team run in the historic stadium
An image of the new primary logo, which The Dispatch verified by sources as authentic, was leaked Sunday morning. The design is the shape of the Ohio flag with “Columbus” in the picture, “SC” at the bottom between the swallowtails of the flag, and a large, blocky, white “C” on a black background in the center of the flag.
The basic colors black and gold are in the coat of arms, but the yellow, which has been synonymous with the crew since it was founded as the first team in Major League Soccer, is less pronounced than black and white.
A look back:The story of the Columbus crew
The team tries to insure that the fans’ crew is not gone
In response to the speculation, the team issued a statement through a spokesman on Sunday afternoon.
“Recently, pictures with a new logo for Columbus Crew SC surfaced,” the statement said. “The crew and the Black and Gold remain at our core, and we continue to embrace and respect our heritage as we modernize our brands as our club and the city of Columbus evolve. We look forward to revealing these in their entirety in the near future. “
Sources told The Dispatch that meeting with the North Corner sparked fierce opposition, shouting and a fan accusing Bezbatchenko of being a “traitor”.
Several members of the Nordecke leadership apparently did not take part in Saturday’s MLS game against DC United in protest.
Game review:Columbus Crew shakes off the outcome of the CONCACAF Champions League with a 3-1 win over DC United
The prospect that the club would remove “Crew” from the name sparked a quick backlash when The shipment was reported in January 2020 that the team was considering changing its name and colors. The fans quickly insisted that every time the club renamed the club, the black and gold and the name “Crew” had to be retained.
At the time, Bezbatchenko responded by saying, “The colors Black & Gold and the nickname ‘The Crew’ are important parts of our club’s identity and have been loved by supporters since 1996, reports suggesting that the club differed from the above Points would be inaccurate. “
Fans confused by the need for change
While some expressed indifference or a positive reaction to the name and crest change on social media, the predominant theme of fan responses was confusion about why the team felt they needed to make changes, as well as opposition to the Removed “Crew” from the official team name.
Morgan Hughes, who was the most visible leader of the Save The Crew movement that emerged after former owner Anthony Precourt tried to move the club to Austin, Texas in 2017, said it was probably smart for new management and the new owner a rebranding.
But, he added, removing the crew from the name – even though it can be used as a nickname – was poor judgment in the eyes of the team’s most loyal supporters.
“We’re not Columbus SC, man. We are the crew, “said Hughes.
“The fans will suffer a setback as this has been 26 years of supporting the crew, rooting the crew and rescuing the crew. All of these things have one thing in common: crew, ”added Hughes. “You can use the nickname in a loving way … at the end of the day they change our team’s name no matter what.”
There’s no official release date for the new name and logo, but The Dispatch was able to confirm a report from Massive report These front office members held a post-game meeting on Saturday to respond to the reaction after fans received a presentation.
@_jcmyers
Within
The crew is doing enough to claim their first MLS win of the season. C?
