The Athletic posted a piece on the rebrand that I wish I could cut and paste in it's entirety but obviously that's not allowed but I'm going to push the boundaries because so much of it is deadly: Brooks: Let’s begin with a scenario, Adam. You are the owner (more precisely, the “investor-operator”) of an MLS team. You saved this team from relocation and then almost immediately led it to an MLS Cup title. Your club’s fans could not be happier. You could not be in better standing with them. So what do you do next? A) Nothing. Everything is great — why jeopardize that? Or, B) Exactly the opposite of anything that makes sense? Adam: Well Brooks, I, a non-investor-operator who does not have very many zeros in my bank balance, would most likely look at all the fans who are happy with me — not to mention the brand new stadium I’m about to open — and probably take the first option. However, because I am not a very rich investor-operator, I am sure that my brain is too small to comprehend one of the oldest rich-person adages in sport: if it ain’t broke, do absolutely everything you can to fix it. Really fix that not-broke thing as much as you possibly can.... Brooks: Well, that kind of gets to the true impetus of what we’re here to discuss. In the eyes of the Columbus Crew’s owners, and those of the consultants and agencies they presumably hired, something was broken here. The Columbus Crew, for all their success and good vibes, were not a Global Brand. For owners of any professional soccer club in the year 2021, this a cardinal sin. It was the same prompt for the Chicago Fire’s ill-fated rebrand and the Montreal Impact’s transition to being Club de Foot. Having local appeal isn’t good enough anymore. If people on the other side of the world are not buying your shirts and liking your tweets, you’re basically a complete failure. What are you supposed to do — care about people in your own region? What kind of loser concept is that?! Adam: ...... You’re about to open that new stadium. If you’re going to rebrand, I suppose this is an OK time to do it. But, well… how global of a brand will Columbus, Ohio ever really be? It’s Ohio.....The chances you turn the Columbus soccer team into a Manchester United or a Real Madrid don’t seem very high from the outset. And furthermore, I just don’t think Columbus actually needs to be a global brand. They’ve done pretty well for themselves being the small town underdog American soccer city (see Cup, MLS and Cero, Dos A). Brooks: I take issue with this being as good a time as any to rebrand — eliminating “Crew” from the team’s name two years after fans literally protested under the banner of “Save the Crew” seems like a terrible, terrible decision on an astonishing number of levels. And why are they doing this after a new season has already started?! That’s a remarkable fact that’s getting lost in all of this. But this isn’t a club whose name has been forever tarnished and shamed (well, not the “Crew” part, anyway). But I agree that the concerted pursuit of becoming a Global Brand is foolish one. This is something that MLS owners should be forced to recite every time they meet: If you set out to be a brand for everyone, you will be a brand for no one. As but one example, Leicester City gained global appeal not because of their branding, but because of their improbable results on the field in one of the world’s top leagues. Brooks: Again, I just cannot comprehend how anyone could witness the “Save the Crew” movement and think “We should definitely downplay the word ‘Crew’ in our branding.” It wasn’t “Save Columbus’ Soccer Team.” It was specifically “Save the Crew”! But beyond that, it’s not the name of the club that attracts global support. Had Leicester City been the “Leicester Lollipops” since 1884, no one would have thought “Their name is silly and doesn’t follow the conventions I’m used to. I will thusly ignore their incredible story and refuse to buy their merchandise on principle.” Yet, these MLS clubs legitimately seem to believe this is what happens. In the original press release announcing the move to being Columbus Soccer Club, president and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said, “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.” This was reminiscent of what the Fire said when they moved from being an “SC” to an “FC”: “The change from ‘soccer’ to ‘football’ reflects a long-term vision for the club as Chicago’s global ambassador to the world’s game.” But that prompts the question of why Columbus stuck with “soccer” instead of moving to “football” if the global stage was their new interest? If anything, it just shows that all of this is half-baked nonsense. Obsessing over which combination of words will unlock the jackpot of global revenue streams is a fool’s errand. Adam: The constant talk of “becoming a global brand” is really the key, because “Save the Crew” so specifically did attract global attention. You want a global brand? Great news, you’ve already got one! And what irked me possibly even more than the name change itself was the messaging the club kept delivering that the club was “still the Crew.” How they’d always be “the Crew.” People kept bringing up the fact that they were getting rid of the old name and they kept saying that they were not, because they’d always be the Crew in everyone’s hearts and minds, I guess. It was incredibly frustrating doublespeak that felt like its whole purpose was to deflect the understandable anger at the name change by suggesting the name change was not, in fact, a name change. I’m getting tired just talking about it. Brooks: Yes, it was such a transparent and weak attempt to defuse anger — showing that, on some level, they knew this would be a deeply unpopular decision. Again, I have to ask the question that I keep coming back to through all of this: Why?! Why did they think this would work? Did they really think becoming “Columbus Soccer Club” would inspire such a tidal wave of global support that it would drown out the impassioned cries of the existing fans it was betraying? \ Read the whole thing: The Columbus Crew rebrand fiasco: a step-by-step breakdown – The Athletic
This was my favorite part: Brooks: Again, I have to ask the question that I keep coming back to through all of this: Why?! Why did they think this would work? Did they really think becoming “Columbus Soccer Club” would inspire such a tidal wave of global support that it would drown out the impassioned cries of the existing fans it was betraying? Why? Why, Adam? Tell me why!!! Adam: A fun fact: my mother lived in Columbus for a few years after she graduated college and taught Spanish to one of the guys from Rascal Flatts. Not the singer or the lead guitar player. The other guy. The third Flatt. And if I can glean anything from the knowledge that Columbus birthed Rascal Flatts, it’s that “the plainer the better” might be an adage that holds true in both these situations. That’s as close as I can get to an answer for you here, Brooks. Also the point about Leicester City is SPOT ON.
Also, this - LOL Brooks: But they did sacrifice the triangle to implement the supporters’ suggestion of representing the club’s (and the league’s) first year, 1996. The triangle died so the Crew could live. RIP triangle. Adam: I’ll try not to think too hard into the theological implications of the triangle’s sacrifice. This is the best possible outcome for that bottom right corner, though. The triangle goes away entirely, taking away my anger at how it seemingly doesn’t align with anything at all, and is replaced by something with actual significance, the founding of the club. Bonus points for getting rid of the soul patch and how the “C” no longer looks like a “G.” It doesn’t really help how I still don’t like the crest, especially compared to the former Columbus Crew crests, but it does help this one out a little bit. Brooks: It’s like being at a restaurant and the server brings you a meal you didn’t order, then when you tell them this, they take away the garnish and leave all the same unwanted food on the plate. Perfect. Done.
It is sharp and professional looking. Please don't replace it with an oddly shaped "B" or something and kudos to your son on a classy logo. Just goes to show a U12 player can do a better job than the MLS Marketing Department.
I don't get why Manchester United or Liverpool is always paired up in these comparisons with PSG, Madrid etc. It actually proves the point that Ohio isn't a limiting factor to being a global brand. A "global brand" isn't something that those yokels in Columbus should never aspire to be. I understand they're some of the most valuable clubs in world football, but they're also located in metro areas of similar sizes of our own. If you put stock into the GaWC city classifications, Columbus is actually a tier above Liverpool (and Cincinnati) in terms of global importance. If city / metro area impacted the global reach of your brand so much we would anticipate Ajax, Anderlecht & Toronto FC to all have better reputations than Juventus, Dortmund & the aforementioned Liverpool. All this to say, I appreciate that the club's ownership wants to put this team and city on the map. But you don't get there by a "slick" redesign and finding the exact right color palate to appeal to teenagers in Thailand. You get there by dominating your opponents, building club legends which takes time and eventually competing for the best talents in the world. Not a wonky 'C' and no identifying marks.
Someone send a copy of this directly to Ms. Croci! Maybe she'll realize she is in the wrong job. She hasn't a clue WTF she is doing when it comes to sports branding/marketing.
Thanks! Unlike the crew logo, the Blast logo was due for a much needed update HA. They are doing great things with the club, a new partnership with Romeo Jozak, and a new training facility in 2022. I will have three kids in the program this fall, excited to be a part of it all. What years did you play? I have several friends that played in the late 90's
late 90s early 2000s back when Eduard and Lesh ran the club. Lesh is a riot. He would practice with us sometimes, with no shirt and a fanny pack on. Still the best player on the field ha
Ah those funny Yugoslavs. Back around the same time Mook played for Marcello Carrera in Canton. You couldn't stop him from playing in any scrimmage that broke out. It was like an addiction to the guy, and he was still in tremendous shape. Used to take the guys out on these insane runs which included a few trips up and down the steps of the McKinley memorial. Everybody is just totally gassed and he's still smiling.
Oh, man...that had to suck. Those are no joke. It's remarkable how many soccer players have tended to stick around the local area when said local area is somewhere in Ohio. Especially the indoor guys up this direction (I can rattle off quite a few from those mid-late 80s through 90s guys, many of whom I ended up playing against/with in their senior years), but it seems to hold for ex-Crew guys as well.
I just wanted to say thanks a bunch for mentioning Mare of Easttown. Mrs Smoking Monkey is now totally addicted. Who the hell knew Kate Winslet could actually act?
If she likes MoE, I'd highly recommend Happy Valley on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80007225 HV must have served as model for for MoE; the structure of the shows and aspects of the characters are almost identical. The plots differ, and (personally) my wife and I found Happy Valley to have more believable plot lines. It's run two season, with a 3rd planned. And the lead (Sarah Lancashire) is a total hardass. Brilliant show. Great acting.