Times may be finally changing. The Cavaliers, thanks to a trio of masterpieces by The King, vanquished the Warriors in June to bring a title to Cleveland. The Indians rode Corey Kluber and Andrew Miller within striking distance of a World Series victory against the best team in baseball. The Bengals had been stringing together winning seasons until injuries decimated their chances this fall. The Browns and Reds are--- eagerly preparing for the ever promising possibilities of next year?
The oft forgotten crown jewel of under delivering on the faintest sign of promise, however, is currently turning the tide, too. With only two playoff wins to their name in fifteen seasons, the Columbus Blue Jackets have historically encountered two problems. First, rosters comprised of a fatal mix of disinterested and untalented players continually result in disappointing records and no semblance of culture. Secondly, they have long failed to register on the radar of Central Ohioans conditioned to only respond to scarlet and gray.
It's one thing to simply construct a competitive team. After many unsuccessful tries, though, this front office seems to have done it. In goal, netminder Sergei Bobrovsky is finally healthy and riding a boost in confidence from the summer to high ranks in nearly every statistical category. The blue line, usually the team's most glaring weakness, is anchored by savvy youngsters in Zach Werenski and Seth Jones who are playing with an ebullient confidence allowing all three pairings to excel. Up front, the group's stalwart captain (Nick Foligno), breakout stars (Cam Atkinson and Alexander Wennberg), Stanley Cup winner (Brandon Saad), grizzled veterans (Brandon Dubinsky and Scott Hartnell), and grit extraordinaire (Matt Calvert) are embodying a fast and physical style of play flummoxing the rest of the NHL en route to 12 straight wins. Some notable stats to illustrate the performance thus far:
Record: 23-5-4 (1st)
Power Play Conversion: 27% (1st)
Goals Differential: +45 (1st)
Goals Allowed: 64 (2nd)
Barring a rash of injuries, this flurry of dominance should only slightly falter. Any bunch that racks up 50 points before Christmas is a bonafide contender. Most fun to watch is the fact every player suits up each night with energy and passion for the franchise. The locker room is full of guys who weren't around to be the butt of hockey jokes, and that youthful ignorance should be treasured. During the tenures of past stars, this wasn't the case and the toxicity destroyed the team. As long as this refreshing attitude pervades through the rest of the season, I will be thrilled and maintain an optimistic outlook through any droughts or struggles a tough second half schedule might or might not bring. Now, as for the second and far more difficult challenge...
To understand the nuanced difficulty of battling the Goliath that is The Ohio State University's football team for coverage and caring, look no further than the franchise's marketing campaigns over its existence. Some early iterations (Gotta See It Live and Jackets Time) begged fans to come check out the sport, the arena, and the team. Others (All Out, All Season and Ignite the Night) encouraged fans to keep coming back and step up in game participation. The most clever branding covered the first two bases and paid homage to the team's Civil War namesake (Join the Battle and Carry the Flag). The team acknowledged the fact its hometown was so fixated on one sports team year round it realized it essentially had to plead for fans to give them a chance. The only problem is when you're not winning you create an extremely limited appeal. Even this season, the Jackets rank 27th in the league in attendance.
The current version, March With Us, isn't anything revolutionary. The formula was replicated once again when this branding was revealed in August 2015. Yet for the first time, the previously implicit invitation for the fans to take up arms alongside the team is now bluntly stated. This seems like a minor wrinkle at first glance, but when you look at what the Jackets aimed for when the phrase launched, a larger goal reveals itself:
A promise of a better tomorrow than the current today? Familiar for the sports fans in this state. An expressed desire to win a championship? The ultimate endgame in any sport. A plan to become ingrained in all aspects of the community and paint union blue across Ohio State's city? Objectively lofty and unprecedented.
Deliberate efforts seem to slowly and surely be doing just that, though. It's being fostered through more and more partnerships with companies headquartered in the 614 to increase visibility and a social media presence unmatched and likely envied by many other franchises across sports. The team sets up their own outdoor ice rink annually in an effort to lure fans downtown. Affordable ticket deals for the thousands of students who flock to the campuses around Columbus exist for every home game. Further investment and growth in the Arena District has turned pre and post game festivities into their own destination.
Once this legwork gets people in the arena, it's no wonder they willingly take up arms alongside the 5th Line. Hockey games are simply fun to go to, and any and all downtime during television and intermission breaks is full of energetic and often hilarious entertainment. Anybody who is familiar with the song We Like Pizza knows exactly what I'm talking about. Chatter about the experience in Nationwide Arena is always positive, even more so in the midst of such a historic run in a "we can't act like we've been here, we've never been here before" position for the team.
While all these factors are great and meaningful, it's ultimately true winning cures all ails. This winning streak is why coverage of Ohio State's quest for a second national title in three years has virtually taken a backseat in the local media. It's why the last two home games have been sellouts. It's why posts and photos of my friends at game are pridefully showing up in abundance online. It's why an increasing number of households are tuning into each game on television. But this run will end soon enough.
Please don't let that dampen your enthusiasm for Columbus' lone major professional sports team. Please don't let that prevent you from asking the bartender to turn on a regular season game in February. Please don't let that motivate you to unsubscribe from score alerts, unfollow the team on Twitter, or sell tickets to a game you get as a Christmas present.
Please March With Them, Columbus. The Blue Jackets finally deserve it.
J. Nave
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