Sports

Columbus Crew Backs Away From Rebrand, Will Not Change Name

WOSU 89.7 NPR News | By Steve Brown

Published May 18, 2021 at 6:44 AM EDT

Columbus Crew's Jonathan Mensah, left, and New England Revolution's Arnor Traustason, right, vie for control of the ball in the second half of an MLS Soccer match, Sunday, May 16, 2021, in Foxborough, Mass.

The Columbus Crew will not become Columbus SC after all.

The club on Monday backed away from the rebranding effort that angered many of the team's biggest supporters, including the fan club Nordecke that "condemned" the move that they said would strip the club of its history and heritage.

A joint statement issued by Nordecke and the team late Monday says the word "Crew" will appear in the team's new logo and the number 96 would appear in an outline of the state of Ohio. The number signifies the year 1996, when the team was founded.

Joint statement from the Columbus Crew and its supporters group, @Nordecke.#Crew96 pic.twitter.com/S0o8KeWkAV
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) May 18, 2021

Last week, the team announced that it would be known as Columbus SC, or Columbus soccer club, and the logo would change as well.

Since announcing the change, the team lost two straight games and an online petition was signed by nearly 9,000 people.