If you’ve ever tried explaining to an out-of-towner that Columbus plays its MLS matches at a stadium called Lower dot com Field, you’ve probably felt that tiny sting of secondhand embarrassment.
No shade to the company itself (local! supportive! not evil!) but as far as stadium names go… yeah, it’s been giving “my WiFi network name accidentally became the venue.”
But rejoice, Crew fans: a new era is coming. The team announced that Lower.com will let its naming rights expire ahead of the 2026 MLS season, meaning the Black & Gold’s home in Astor Park is officially on the market for a rebrand.
Lower.com isn’t ghosting the Crew, far from it.
They’re sticking around as a Proud Partner under a new multi-year deal. They just won’t be plastered across the roof anymore, which honestly feels like a win for everyone’s dignity.
Even Lower.com’s CEO Dan Snyder sounded sentimental about the split, calling it an honor to be the naming partner during some absolutely iconic years: opening the stadium, hosting the MLS All-Star Game, and oh yeah, winning an MLS Cup, a Leagues Cup, and a Campeones Cup. Not a bad résumé.
Crew President of Business Operations Mary Shepro returned the love, praising Lower.com’s role in elevating matchday experience and community initiatives since 2021. No messy breakup here, just a clean, mutually agreed-upon vibe shift.
So what happens now?
The Crew have tapped Legends (the global sports hospitality giant) to lock down a new naming rights partner for 2026. The announcement will come later, which of course leaves us plenty of time to wildly speculate. Will it be another Columbus company? A mega-brand? Something cool? Something cursed? The possibilities range from “oh wow that’s perfect” to “please no, not an insurance company.”
If the timing seems sudden, it’s not random. MLS is gearing up to overhaul its season structure in 2027 to match global soccer calendars (running from July to May) so 2026 is already shaping up to be a transition year. A fresh stadium name fits right in.
Whatever lands on the marquee next, the important thing is this: the Crew aren’t going anywhere, and neither is the electric atmosphere of home matches in Astor Park. We’re just getting a new name to shout, type, Google, tattoo, and inevitably shorten into an abbreviation nobody outside Columbus will understand.
And honestly? As a lifelong Columbus resident and Crew fan, I’m pretty jazzed. Lower.com did its job (thank you for your service) but I’m ready for something that sounds a little less like a command to click a phishing link.
Onward, Black & Gold. Let the naming speculation begin.
