Dateline Columbus. August 29, 2024. Summer is winding down during a massive heatwave in Central Ohio. The calendar suggests that fall is coming soon.
The Ohio State Buckeyes play their regular-season opener this Saturday afternoon at Ohio Stadium against Akron. Over 100,000 fans are expected as is tradition at any Buckeyes’ game at home. You could cut the excitement with a knife.
The Columbus Crew were crowned Leagues Cup champions on Sunday when they defeated Los Angeles FC thanks to a goal by Cucho in extra time. Lower.com Field went into a frenzy when he scored his second of the night to send the Crew to another championship.
The vibes are good with both the college football and Major League Soccer in town. Then there are the Columbus Blue Jackets. As we approach the start of Training Camp in 2024-25, despite being a team in one of the four major sports in North America, they continue to live in the shadow of the Buckeyes and Crew. They also live in the shadow of football in general with so much NFL interest in town.
Some Background
Anyone that’s followed the Blue Jackets for any length of time knows that since they joined the NHL in 2000, it’s been many more dark years than good ones. Whether it was missing on top draft picks or making poor personnel decisions along the way, books could eventually be written about how awful things have been at Nationwide Arena.
While they have had some good moments, the bad far outweigh the good. The Blue Jackets’ sweep of the Lightning was historic and got the city on fire for hockey. But they still didn’t make it out of the Second Round. The Lightning got them back the next season. They haven’t been back to postseason since four years and counting. Not only have they not been back to postseason since, they haven’t been close to returning to the playoffs.
Over time, this has had an effect on the fans and their perception of the team. What started out as excitement of a new team quickly turned into indifference for many.
Like any fanbase, the Blue Jackets have their fair share of devoted fans. Through the struggles, they still went to the games to cheer their team on. Even with the playoffs not a reality, the team managed to get sellout crowds later in the season.
However, a deeper look at the situation does reveal that something has to change…
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