In a city where Buckeye football reigns supreme, it’s easy to forget about some of the other sports Columbus has to offer.
Some are rich in history and some have only recently developed leagues, but they are all teams central Ohio can cheer for throughout the year – after the Buckeyes’ bowl game has come and gone.
Naghten Street Irish Football Club
Since the late 1800s, Gaelic football has maintained great popularity throughout Ireland and, in 2011, the high-energy field sport found its way to Columbus.
The team started with four men with the common goal of getting enough people together to play a few games. With that, the Naghten Street Irish Football Club was born.
The club has since added players and now competes with teams from Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.
“We started out well with a really strong squad,” says co-founder Steve Pickett. “We have a combined record of 9-5 in tournaments. I was shocked at how fast we created a competitive team.”
As a new team, Naghten Street had a bull’s-eye on its back from the start.
“We were in D.C., and they knew we were just starting,” Pickett says. “D.C. wanted to face us first, thinking they would blow us out. We came out and beat them pretty well. It was a great start and we’ve done pretty well since. We’re still new, but we can compete.”
The sport is played in an open field and competitors use both hands and feet to score or pass. The objective is to get the leather ball into a soccer-style goal or through and above the crossbar, or the uprights.
The team gets its name from the Irish immigration history of Columbus.
“Our team name is a nod to the city’s history,” Pickett says. “The Irish settled just north of Downtown, and what is now Nationwide Boulevard used to be Naghten Street. The nickname for that area was Irish Broadway.”
Naghten Street starts practice in April, and games and tournaments begin in May.
The team has created a local league for anyone interested in playing. Local league games are hosted each Sunday from May to June at Huntley Bowl Park in Worthington.
The game is usually a 13-on-13 competition, but the smaller league plays 7-on-7. This increases the action and more people get involved, Pickett says.
“When people see Gaelic football played, they know if they want to play,” he says. “Some people go all in as soon as they see it. They want to play tomorrow.”
The Ohio Machine
Lacrosse is starting to make its way from collegiate sport to professional sport, and central Ohio is one of the pioneering landmarks.
The Ohio Machine is a Major League Lacrosse expansion team and is heading into its third season of play.
Choosing the location was an easy decision, says John Algie, president and general manager of the Machine.
“The league has dabbled in the Ohio market a few times in 14 years, and the 2002 championship game took place here,” he says. “Growth of the sport has been unbelievable. By the time 2010 came around, there were programs all over the state and the surrounding areas. The fan base was built in.”
The league is looking to expand to a 16-team, 16-week schedule. As a team from the first round of expansions, the Machine faced a few early difficulties.
“It all boils down to our key players being so young,” Algie says. “If you’re a starting goalie in this league, you’re one of the best in the world. This should be our breakout year.”
The Machine opens its season April 26 against the Charlotte Hounds. The home opener is May 17 at Selby Stadium on the Ohio Wesleyan University campus in Delaware.
“For those who aren’t familiar, come out and have a great time,” Algie says. “It’s a party in the stands and it’s a great Saturday night out. You can fall in love with the game while you’re there and walk away impressed.”
The Ohio State University Quidditch League
Quidditch is an adaptation of the mythical sport played in the Harry Potter series, but the Quidditch League at The Ohio State University looks to separate itself from the books and fandom after five years of play.
“If you mention that you’re forming the team, you’ll find people just because of Harry Potter,” says David Hoops, co-captain and keeper for the varsity team. “In the first years, the game wasn’t too serious, but three years ago, Quidditch across the nation started to pull away from the Harry Potter roots and established itself as its own game.”
The game is played with a volleyball, called a quaffle. There are three chasers on offense who pass the ball down the field and try to get past the keeper and put the quaffle through three rings for 10 points each. Also on defense are two players, called beaters, who hit the opposing offense with dodgeballs. If struck, the player must run back and touch his or her own goal before returning to play.
The final position is the seeker. This person’s primary goal is to catch the snitch. In the books and films, the snitch is a small golden ball with wings that flies.
“Our snitch is an extra referee who’s in all yellow and can run anywhere he or she wants and has a tennis ball with a sock hanging out the back of their shorts,” Hoops says. “Each team wants this for an added 30 points, and it’s the only way to end the game.”
For added difficulty, each player runs with a broomstick between his or her legs.
“It’s actually pretty difficult and you have to learn to out-wrestle someone with only one arm,” Hoops says.
The sport is full contact and features both men and women on the field simultaneously.
“Matches can get brutal, but the game really looks forward in the sporting world,” Hoops says. “It’s cool to see teams from around the world with men and women on the field at the same time at the same level.”
This past fall, the team went 16-3, but lost to Bowling Green State University in the quarterfinals. If OSU can win its region this year, the club can get a shot at competing with teams from Belgium, Germany, Mexico and more at the International Quidditch Cup.
Ohio Village Muffins
The Reds and Indians may get most of the state’s baseball attention – but when it comes to vintage “base ball,” the Ohio Village Muffins is among the state’s top teams.
The members of the Muffins are Ohio Historical Society volunteers, and they are entering the team’s 34th season of old-fashioned base ball play, dressed in their 1860s best – knickers, trousers and shield shirts. Missing from the uniform are leather baseball gloves.
“1860 is the year we play and they used their bare hands until the 1870s,” says team manager Jim Kimnach. “Even then, players got made fun of for wearing gloves.”
Other regulations that differ from the MLB-style of play include underhand pitching and a one-bounce rule.
“If a defensive player catches the ball after one bounce, the batter is out,” Kimnach says. “You’ll see the catcher diving all over for a foul ball. It makes for interesting plays.”
Seasons for various base ball teams and leagues across the U.S. vary, but the Muffins play between 40 and 50 games a year. This season will open in Columbus April 5.
The team’s name derives from the verb “to muff” – meaning to commit an error.
“Back in the 1860s, these guys weren’t real athletic or coordinated, so they would often muff the ball,” Kimnach says. “(Leagues) would tier the players and put them on the teams based on ability. First nine were the best, then there was the second nine and the rest were the ‘Muffins.’”
Despite the unfortunate root of their name, the Muffins sport about a .500 winning percentage each season.
“We try to win, but it's not the end if we lose,” Kimnach says. “We just like to play.”
Stephan Reed is an editorial associate. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Columbus Clippers
The season for the Clippers, the Triple-A affiliate baseball club for the Cleveland Indians, starts April 3.
The team was founded in 1977 as a Pittsburgh Pirates feeder, though Columbus had been represented by several other minor league teams prior to that point, including the Red Birds and the Jets. The Clippers worked with a few other teams, but switched to the Indians in 2008. In 2010 and 2011, the team was the AAA national champion. The team finished 71-73 this past year.
Huge names from the MLB come and go through the Clippers organization. Derek Jeter, Grady Sizemore, Andy Pettitte and Darryl Strawberry are some of the players to have been on the team.
Columbus Crew
The Crew plays soccer matches March through October, usually with three to six games per month. This past year, the team went 12-17 with five ties, and went 15-12 with seven ties in 2012. In 2008, the team won the Major League Soccer Cup.
Die-hard fandom, a healthy rivalry with the Chicago Fire and a chance to see Crew Cat, the Crew’s mascot, are among the reasons to watch the team that plays at the first soccer-specific stadium in MLS history.
Columbus Blue Jackets
While the team has no Stanley Cups to its name, a rejuvenated and high-powered offense, along with an impressive eight-game winning streak earlier this season, will make for an exciting end-of-year run. NHL stars Rick Nash, Sergei Fedorov and David Výborný have all played for the Blue Jackets since the team’s inception in 2000.
Even if you’re not an avid fan of hockey, it’s always fun to watch the finesse that goes with ice skating. And any season in which the Jackets do well – such as this one – is worth keeping an eye on.
NOTE: The original story stated that the Ohio Village Muffins were heading into its 23rd season, but it is actually the team's 34th. Changes have been made to reflect this.
