Columbus, Ohio is known for its rabid sports fans. City legend says when Columbus was offered an NFL team, they turned it down. The Ohio State Buckeyes was more than enough sports excitement for them.

Columbus fans also enjoy a variety of local teams including the Columbus Clippers (Minor League Baseball), Blue Jackets (Hockey), and the Columbus Crew (Soccer).

The Crew, as they’re known in Columbus, just might have the most marketing-savvy group of fans.

In 2017, the soccer club was set to relocate to Austin, Texas. This caused no small amount of disapproval from the Crew’s die-hard fans. A volunteer group was established to stop the relocation and #SaveTheCrew was born.

It took a few years of battling it out, but finally, a decision was made that the Columbus Crew SC would remain in Columbus.

In May 2021, the team did something inexplicable and again, the fans were outraged.

What did the Crew do?

They rolled out a name and logo change.

It was suggested they lose the “Crew” name and instead, just go with “Columbus SC” with “Crew” as the official nickname.

And the fans weren’t having it.

Who could blame them? They fought hard to keep their team in town. They lobbied, they supported the team, and here was a major change that no one wanted and no one asked the fans their opinion.

Chalk it up to a miss by a U.K. branding agency.

This story has an important lesson every business owner should heed.

First, don’t ever take your fans for granted. Especially if they fought for your survival.

Second, don’t make a huge change with your branding without at least taking the temperature of your most passionate fans.

And third, remember the first lesson always.

After the angry backlash, the fan supporter group Nordecke met with the team owners to discuss their concerns. It was finally decided that the soccer team would keep the Crew name while still building global recognition.

Good for them and good for the fans.

The bottom line is this: who are your most dedicated and loyal fans? Every business has them. How close are you to them? Do you know their names? Do you reach out to them when you want to change anything?

And how do you reward your fans? With discounts? Extra bonuses?

Remember, your fans can always leave you and find someone else. Hardcore fans keep us humble because they can just as well leave if they feel neglected or taken advantage of.

The Columbus Crew’s owners found this out the hard way. Learn from their mistake.