Columbus Monthly / June 2011 / Spectator Sports

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Spectator Sports

 

The sports scene in Columbus is action-packed, from the crack of a bat and the slap of a puck to the swish of a net and the roar of the crowd. Fans have plenty of chances to cheer, with Ohio State football, professional hockey and world-class golf among the athletic offerings. If you’re hoping to catch a game while you’re in town, here are some of the city’s top options for spectator sports.

 

Ohio State University sports

For many die-hard fans, Ohio State football is the only game in town. The Buckeyes play at venerable Ohio Stadium, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The horseshoe-shaped arena fills with more than 105,000 fans on Saturday game days. Those who can get OSU football tickets for the $70 list price are lucky, resourceful or well connected—home games almost always sell out by kickoff, although you probably can find a ticket at Ohio Stadium if you arrive with cash in hand. Scalpers’ prices vary, depending on the opponent and the kind of season the Buckeyes are having.

The strong traditions of the OSU men’s and women’s basketball teams ensure they’re also high on the list of sports to watch. Home games begin in November and end in February or early March at the 19,500-seat Value City Arena, which is inside the Schottenstein Center at the corner of Lane Avenue and Olentangy River Road. The best seats for men’s games belong to seat license holders or people affiliated with the university. Available seats range from $10 to $30, and it’s not uncommon for games to sell out. The women’s team draws good crowds, but tickets are always available for $11.

Ohio State offers 33 other sports teams—a number of them reaching regional or national championship tournaments in the past few years—and more than 200 annual events. OSU’s sprawling athletic complex around Lane Avenue and Olentangy River Road includes Bill Davis Stadium for baseball; Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, which houses soccer, lacrosse and track and field; the Jack Nicklaus Museum, and the Stickney Tennis Center. Nearby stands St. John Arena, home of the OSU gymnastics, wrestling and volleyball teams; French Field House for indoor track; McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, and the OSU golf courses. For ticket information about any OSU sporting event, call 292-2624.

 

Soccer

Since the first season of Major League Soccer, the Columbus Crew has been one of the league’s most successful franchises. The team won its first MLS Cup in 2008 and scored its second consecutive Supporters’ Shield Trophy (for most wins in the regular season) in 2009.

Many of soccer’s biggest stars play in Crew Stadium during the year, either for the home team or as visitors on other MLS teams. The season runs from late March through October, with playoffs, if they qualify, running through November. Most of the 17 regular season home contests are on Saturdays. Single day-of-game tickets start at $27 ($24 in advance), and parking is $10. Ticket packages are available. Call 447-2739.

Crew Stadium, the first soccer-specific stadium built in the U.S., has converted Columbus into something of a soccer mecca, attracting special events that draw national and international attention. Such events have included women’s World Cup games, men’s World Cup qualifiers and international “friendlies.” A stage allows the stadium to host outdoor concerts as well.

 

Baseball

The Columbus Clippers, the minor-league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, are the reigning Triple-A National Champions, taking home the trophy in 2010. Just a year earlier, the “Hometown Heroes” moved into their new home, Huntington Park, a $50 million, 10,000-seat stadium located across from Nationwide Arena in the downtown Arena District. The new ballpark is designed to be fan-friendly, with rooftop bleachers and views from every angle, including the concession stands.

The team plays 72 home games beginning in April and ending Sept. 5. Playoffs, should the Clippers qualify, could last until late September. Most home games start at 7:05 pm, though there are a few afternoon dates on the schedule. General admission is $6 for adults, $3 for seniors over 60 and children under 12; box seats are $15 (or $12 in advance); reserved seats are $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and children. Call 462-5250.

 

Golf

The Memorial Tournament has been held at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin every year since 1976 and regularly draws one of the top tournament fields on the PGA Tour. The par-72 course was designed by legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus, who has won the Memorial twice and still hosts the event each year. The Muirfield course is spectator-friendly, with grassy banks and rises.

The week-long event is held around Memorial Day each year. Tournament badges cost $155, though tickets for practice rounds, which are more readily available, are $30 for a daily pass and are good for all three nontournament days. Call 889-6700.

The Nationwide Tour, which serves as a proving ground for players on the PGA Tour, makes a stop at Ohio State University’s Scarlet Golf Course July 21 through 24, 2011, for the fifth annual Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational. Call 764-4653.

 

Motor sports

One of the nation’s top classic road courses, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course—a 2.25-mile, 13-turn track—is located 60 miles north of Columbus in Lexington. The 2011 season marks the track’s 50th year of racing and includes such diverse events as the Vintage Grand Prix June 24 through 26, Honda Super Cycle Weekend July 8 through 10, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days July 22 through 24, Honda Indy 200 Aug. 5 through 7, NASA Championships Sept. 9 through 11 and EMCO Gears Classic Sept. 16 through 18.

 A general admission ticket for a three-day race weekend ranges from $20 to $60. Single-day tickets are $10 to $40. Children under 12 get in free with an adult. Sites for tent camping and motor homes are available all summer. Pack a cooler and bring your own food and drink to the races. Call (800) 643-6446.

About 20 miles east of Columbus in Hebron is National Trail Raceway, which hosts national drag-racing competitions. Highlights on the 2011 schedule include the 24th Annual Night of Thunder July 16 and the 7th Annual Jegs Northern Sportsnationals Sept. 22 through 25. Call (740) 928-5706.

Stock car racing is popular in Central Ohio, with crowds filling the stands at Columbus Motor Speedway in Obetz to watch drivers blaze around the track in Late Model, E. Mods, Sport Stocks and Compacts. Races take place each Saturday from April 9 through Sept. 25. Admission to regular racing Saturdays is $12 for adults and $4 for children ages 4 to 11, though special events may cost more. Call 491-1047.

 

Hockey

The National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets enjoyed a fairly long honeymoon phase with fans after they joined the league in 2000. In the 2008-’09 season, the team reached the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time. Key young players on the team continue to emerge as rising stars.

The Blue Jackets play 41 regular-season home games from early October through April. Playoffs could extend into June. Many of the 18,136 seats available for hockey at Nationwide Arena are held by seat license and season-ticket holders. But it’s usually possible to get single-game tickets, even up close, for most games, especially in advance of game day. Ticket prices range from $20 to $200 per game, face value. It’s common to find folks selling single-game tickets outside the arena in the hours leading up to game time, and many times they can be had for less than face value. The Blue Jackets also release a minimum of 250 seats for $10 each beginning two hours before face-off. Call 246-4625.

Nationwide Arena also hosts a variety of professional figure-skating shows, motocross and other events throughout the year. Call 246-2000.

 

Horse racing

Central Ohio’s spot for harness racing is Scioto Downs, located at 6000 S. High St., about six miles south of downtown. The 2011 racing season offers races Friday through Sunday from mid May through mid September. Scioto Downs also offers simulcasting of harness and thoroughbred races from other tracks seven nights a week May 8 through Oct. 8. In-season general admission is $3. Parking is free. Call 491-2515.

The Little Brown Jug is the crown jewel of harness racing. Most of the best 3-year-old pacers in the nation compete annually for a purse of more than $600,000 in the second leg of pacing’s Triple Crown. This year’s 66th running will be Sept. 22 at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, about 30 miles north of Columbus in Delaware. Box seat and grandstand tickets are hard to find, but there’s always plenty of standing room around the half-mile track—total attendance on Jug Day can be upwards of 50,000. Tickets cost $30 Sunday through Tuesday and $50 on Wednesday and Thursday, and are readily available for the four days of preliminary racing. It’s a rare Jug week that doesn’t see at least a couple of world records on the preliminary race cards. Call (800) 335-3247.

Beulah Park, Central Ohio’s first thoroughbred race track, is in Grove City, about 10 miles southwest of downtown Columbus. In early 2011, the park’s new owner was considering a plan to move it to Dayton. Until a decision is made, however, Beulah continues to run two racing seasons, January through early May and September through December. Depending on the season, live racing is held four or five days a week with post times in the early afternoon. Live racing is supplemented by simulcast races from 12 to 15 harness and thoroughbred tracks, shown from noon to midnight seven days a week.

General admission is $2 on live racing days, free on Sundays and Thursdays and days when only simulcasts are offered. Seniors and children 12 to 17 are $1 and kids under 12 are admitted free. General parking is $1. All seating areas are enclosed and heated. Call 871-9600.

 

Horse shows

The All American Quarter Horse Congress, which has taken place at the Ohio Expo Center (also known as the state fairgrounds) since 1967, is the world’s largest single-breed horse show. This year’s 45th annual event, Oct. 7 through 30, is Ohio’s largest annual convention and the third largest in the U.S., with 650,000 attendees. Tickets for the event are $25 per carload per day. Whole-show passes also are available, and certain events have additional admission prices. Call 644-3247.

 

Marathons

One of the 20 largest marathons in the country, the Columbus Marathon attracts many of the best runners in the world. The course is a veritable tour of Columbus, winding through the Short North, the Ohio State campus, Upper Arlington, German Village, Victorian Village and Bexley, then finishing back downtown at the Ohio Statehouse. Corporations and neighborhood groups sponsor festivals, entertainment and water tables along the way, and thousands line the race route when the weather is good. The 2011 event is Oct. 16. Call 421-7866.

 

Cycling

The Tour de Grandview has been rated one of the top five events of its kind in the country. The 19th rendition in 2011 includes professional male and female bicyclists racing through the Columbus suburb of Grandview Heights on June 26. Admission is free, and events include a street party, live entertainment and children’s activities. Call 529-4268.

Pelotonia is a community-based cycling event launched in 2009 that raises money for cancer research. Cyclists can opt to ride varying distances between Columbus and Athens and back. The 2011 event is Aug. 19 through 21. Call 221-6100.