JW Johnson, who married the bosses' daughter Whitney and will someday be the Crew's lead owner. And literally everyone who knows him says he's an asshole.
But JW got the Browns to bring back glossy helmets and white facemasks (thank goodness). So he can't be all bad in my opinion.
Staring down at his phone like a teenager, he sure looks interested in what’s happening around him. Truly captivated and engaged.
Well, TBF Jimmy and Bez were probably talking about the Crew and he's just waiting for them to start talking about something he cares about. Like shiny helmets.
Worse, no one that cares about the Crew trusts JW. I’ve said for awhile now how worried everyone is about Jimmy retiring. Privately, I’ve heard that the rest of ownership doesn’t trust him either. This is why Nationwide buying a chunk of the Crew is a good thing.
Is there someone at Nationwide who actually personalizes their ownership stake? For the Edwards Family, it's Dr. Pete. For Nationwide, what human being tracks what's going on with the Crew, would weigh in okaying a transfer fee for a DP signing? That kind of thing.
Lorient, perhaps. https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/26170936.wilfried-nancy-holds-talks-european-side-amid-vacancy/
It's an interesting question for the future, is someone from Nationwide able to push back against the Haslem's when partnered with the Edward's? It's no secret Nationwide gets what it wants in this town, especially when it comes down to what happens in the arena district. I recall IM saying Nationwide vetoed some of the more progressive design ideas on the new stadium. The Edward's are well connected to the Columbus elite which I am pretty sure includes the top brass at Nationwide. HSG had a big bank account, but Nationwide is even bigger.
Nationwide has always had some interest in soccer. As I recall, they had (have?) their own in house league. We could never beat them in Corporate Challenge as they fielded a team with mostly ex-college players (we (CAS) had a couple, ourselves).
In what particular do you see Nationwide "pushing back" against the Haslams? Be specific. Give examples.
The main advantage, to me, of the Nationwide investment in the Crew, is that the team will no longer be forced to scramble around for a new shirt sponsor every few years. The shirt is gonna read Nationwide until Hell.freezes over.
That's what I was thinking when it was first announced and I do think you're right. However...wouldn't there be potential lost revenue there since it'd essentially be the ownership group paying itself? If another company wanted to back up a Brinks truck up to the FO for shirt sponsorship, how much would it take for the FO to look foolish by not accepting the Brinks truck? Would they accept, say, $100 million over five years?
Well, The New York Red Bulls gave up the naming rights to Red Bull Arena and now play in “Sports Illustrated Stadium.” Money talks. [Add: the stadium is owned by Red Bull GmbH, an Austrian conglomerate which developed the Red Bull beverages.]
In the future it could be anything that the ownership group would need to approve as a group. I'm not sure how in the past or in the future they would handle any differences of opinion amongst owners, but I have to believe it happens from time to time. This could include needing additional investment, running a profit or a loss, ticket price increases. Pretty much anything that roles up to them for final decision.
Strasbourg likely. So in the Chelsea club system. I will be visiting in December. INFO @OnzeMondial - Toujours à la recherche de son entraîneur, Strasbourg a peut-être trouvé l'heureux élu. Le technicien français Wilfried Nancy est en pôle pour devenir le prochain entraîneur du Racing. Les détails ⬇️. #Mercatohttps://t.co/WL7dUWhbsj— Marc Mechenoua (@LeMechenoua) July 6, 2026
Doing the French and German Christmas Markets is on our "list of things to do." But it's a fairly long list. Thing is as summer becomes ever more pricey, crowded and hot, and shoulder season about as pricey as high, off-season travel is looking ever more tempting. I was in Alsace years ago, during the summer. It's idyllic.