How a group of fans in a bar saved Columbus Crew from extinction
When the team’s owner announced plans to move the Crew 1,000 miles south to Texas, supporters vowed he would not get his way
When Columbus Crew fans were making their wish for 2018 there was a simple dream: that their team would stay in their city and not move 1,000 miles south to Austin, Texas. It appears they have their wish. Major League Soccer announced last week that a tentative agreement had been reached with the Haslam and Edwards families to purchase the Crew with the intent of keeping the team in Columbus, Ohio.
“We are extremely grateful for the efforts of the Columbus community as well as Crew SC fans, to help us efficiently complete and fulfill the requirements and deadlines set,” read a statement from the Haslam and Edwards families. Both families are established names in Ohio sports: the Haslams own the NFL’s Cleveland Browns while Pete Edwards, the owner of a medical practice in Columbus, has also served as Crew’s team doctor. “Throughout our conversation, it’s been overwhelmingly clear that Crew SC belongs in Columbus, and we are thrilled to have reached an agreement in principle to assume an ownership position in Major League Soccer and to operate Columbus Crew SC.” Also notable is the approval of funds for a new stadium in downtown Columbus, while former Crew owner Anthony Precourt will retain the rights for an expansion team in Austin