Soccer is a sport that oftentimes revolves around the community a team is based in. It becomes part of the identity of a city, intertwining with the populations and becoming an integral part of any experience. Whether it be Glasgow, Madrid, Manchester, or Munich, soccer is such a vital part of the culture. It would be unthinkable to move them from their homes. While this is a "foreign" concept in many countries where soccer is king, it is not unusual in America. That does not make what Anthony Precourt wants to do with the Columbus Crew any less upsetting and worrying.

He wants to remove the team from its home in Ohio and move them all the way to Austin, Texas.

The idea of moving a team is not something unusual in America. The Seattle SuperSonics, the Kansas City Kings, the Browns, the Colts, etc. In soccer, however, it almost never occurs. The last high profile move of a club was AFC Wimbledon, who became MK Dons. This was met with scorn, outrage, and derision. Moves of this nature are generally rare in soccer, and this should not be another example of a team leaving its home.

Furthermore, Columbus has history with the sport of soccer in the United States. The Crew had the first soccer-specific stadium in America, which has become a crucial home stadium for the United States National Team. It was also one of the first teams established when the MLS began playing in 1996. It has never been the worst in the league in attendance, either, and it has won trophies. Overall, it is a successful team, so why move it? Money? There are issues there as well.

Austin and Columbus are fairly similar. They have the same population, roughly the same metro area, and a big red flag; college football teams, and two of the largest programs in the country as well. Also, the last time Austin had a team, it bombed out and moved to Florida! Why rip a team out of a place where it is "struggling" when the place the team would be transplanted to has not shown a desire to support their previous soccer teams and previous efforts? None of this is to attack Austin; it is a great city with great people. However, this is my team. I grew up with them; their trophies would not be the trophies they experienced. They would be ours, and our experiences. This was our club in a way no one could ever have.

This is not the biggest of issues in the world. This isn't fighting against poverty. Anti-vaxxers. Supporting causes with much larger ramifications on a global scale. This is still important to me. This is the first team I fell in love with. I watched as they marched towards the cup. This is my team and it embodies me just as much as I feel I embody them.

#SaveTheCrew.