Columbus’ three professional sports franchises have launched a new, grass-roots collaborative campaign, Game On Columbus, to ignite the spirit of our hometown fans. Heading into Columbus’ Bicentennial celebration in 2012, the campaign will start with outdoor digital billboards promoting Game On Columbus for each team, which will run 625 times on designated days throughout the city encouraging fans to raise their “Columbus Sports Pride”. Fans can join Game On Columbus on Facebook and Twitter and additional ways fans will be engaged will be shared in the near future.
Along with the Greater Columbus Sports Commission and with the support of Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman and City Council President Pro Tem Hearcel F. Craig, the campaign was launched Monday morning at the Experience Columbus Visitors Center. The campaign comes at a time when all three of the city’s professional sports teams have significant momentum on the field. Mayor Coleman and Councilman Craig cited the teams being a tremendous ambassador of the Columbus brand nationally and internationally and a boost to the city economically, in quality of life and in youth sports. They, along with team executives, coaches and players on hand, encouraged fans to support the clubs at their games, showing team colors and following each more closely as they pursue winning traditions.
“Our three pro teams mean so much to Columbus and there is a lot of excitement right now in the city for each of them;” said Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “I commend them for working together to raise pride in our city and I’m proud to become one of Columbus’ No. 1 Sports Fans. With the playoffs for the Clippers, the big playoff push for the Crew and the home opener for the Jackets all coming up, I look forward to attending more games and working with each franchise on our Bicentennial celebration in 2012.”
The community-owned and first-place Columbus Clippers, who play in beautiful Huntington Park, are well-positioned to try and repeat as the International League & Governor’s Cup Champions after winning the trophy last season. The Columbus Crew, who play in iconic Crew Stadium which was the first U.S. soccer-specific stadium for professional soccer, sit atop the Eastern Conference as they try to win the MLS Cup for the second time in four years. The Columbus Blue Jackets are coming off a decade of play at the nationally-regarded Nationwide Arena and one of the most exciting offseasons in franchise history.
"Being a community owned team, we are extremely thankful to the Franklin County Commissioners and all the residents of Franklin County and central Ohio," says Clippers President & General Manager Ken Schnacke. "The fabulous support of the Clippers & Huntington Park helps to give this project with ALL of our teams such strong synergy. In our state capitol, we enjoy our role in making Columbus a baseball town through our games and the other baseball events we host, especially those events that help to grow and expand youth baseball in and around central Ohio".
“We’re a city and a region that has a vision and a plan for what we want to be and where we want to go, and this type of collaboration is a perfect example of that,” said Crew President and General Manager Mark McCullers. “This campaign speaks volumes to the commitment our city, county, sports commission and our teams have to help Columbus become one of the top professional sports cities in the country.”
“The Blue Jackets are very proud of the impact we’ve had on our community over the past decade, from serving as a catalyst to the development of the Arena District to spearheading growth of hockey in central Ohio to the $3.5 million contribution in community grants by the Blue Jackets Foundation,“ said Club President Mike Priest. “We’re thankful for the support of the city and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission on this project and look forward to collaborating with them as well as the Crew and Clippers.”
“Columbus continues to be a premier national sports destination in the U.S.,” said Greater Columbus Sports Commission Executive Director Linda Logan. “Our teams help our national profile so much and in addition to their own seasons, their facilities allow our city to pursue signature sporting events like NCAA Basketball, the Women’s World Cup and future events like the NHL All-Star game. There are indeed some great growth opportunities on the horizon for Central Ohio.”
The treatment of ColumbUS in the Game On Columbus artwork is an extension of the national image campaign underway for Columbus through an unprecedented collaboration that includes the City of Columbus, Franklin County, the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, Columbus Partnership, 200Columbus the Bicentennial, Columbus 2020 (The Columbus Region), Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission with Fahlgren being the collective agency of record.
Game On ColumbUS Facebook page
Photos courtesy of the Jared of Wheelhouse Collective (Clippers) and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission (Blue Jackets, Crew).
