Ohio

Ross Bjork Says “Everything is On the Table” For Naming Rights, Including Ohio Stadium, As Buckeyes Work to Keep All 36 Sports

Published

2 years ago

August 5, 2024

Ross Bjork Says “Everything is On the Table” For Naming Rights, Including Ohio Stadium, As Buckeyes Work to Keep All 36 Sports

The Horseshoe could be brought to you by a corporate sponsor in the future.

In a recent interview with On3, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said the Buckeyes have to keep all options open in terms of naming rights for corporate sponsors, including the possibility of renaming Ohio Stadium.

While Ohio Stadium already has a sponsored field, Safelite Field, Bjorks is also leaving the door open to add a sponsor name to the stadium.

“So Safelite is exclusive for the field naming, so it’s the field name,” Bjork told On3’s Pete Nakos. “But in and around the perimeter of the stadium, adjacencies to the field, things like that. I’ve been saying, ‘Look, we have to put everything on the table.’ Naming rights of the stadium. The jersey patch is a conversation. We have to work with our partner, Nike, in that conversation.

“If we’re breaking glass right now and we’re going to put the window back, let’s get it all on the table so we can put the window back in the right position. Everything has to be on the table right now to analyze. That doesn’t mean we’re going to do it. It just means let’s at least answer the question. Here’s the value. Is this the right thing to do? Yes or No. If it’s not, OK, fine. If it is, how do we pursue it? Or how does it fit in?”

Earlier this season, the NCAA approved a rule change that will allow teams to have on-field sponsor logos for regular season games. Jersey patches are another sponsored item that could be allowed in the near future, which Sportico estimates could provide more than $5 million in revenue for a premier program.

All this comes in the wake of the NCAA’s $2.78 billion antitrust settlement in May, which established the beginning of a revenue-sharing model in college sports. With athletic departments now able to share up to 22% of the national Power Conference average revenue with athletes – and Ohio State plans to pay its players whatever the full amount is – programs have been looking for ways to increase the money they bring in.

Ohio State has repeatedly stated a commitment to keep all 36 varsity sports it offers intact, starting at the top with president Ted Carter.

“We made one big, bold statement, and that is we’re going to maintain 36 Division I sports,” Carter told Eleven Warriors in July. “I watched during COVID-19 what schools like William & Mary and Stanford (which also has 36 sports but opted to cut 11 sports in 2020 before reinstating them in 2021) went through. Even in the state of Nebraska, which happened before I got there, the University of Nebraska at Omaha cut football and wrestling at the Division II level to move into the Summit League. Heavily criticized at the time.

“And as I’ve watched the college landscape and think about what it means to maintain these sports, it’s important once you get them to do everything you can to hold on to them. You don’t want to lose that. It’s too important to the student-athlete. So we’ve made a declarative statement that we’re going to hold on to that.”

Not all those sports will receive funding at the level they currently do, however, and the Buckeyes are looking for ways to cut costs, especially for sports that aren’t generating revenue. All athletes will still have at least one avenue for making money through NIL.

“What sports are in the financial aid category, what sports are in the revenue share category – all sports can be in the NIL category,” Bjork said. “We can try to support them for all sports. And then what you have to do is, depending on how it’s funded in those other categories, you have to determine what are the resources needed to support that sport. If we have sports that become walk-on sports where the athletes are walk-ons, do they need as much infrastructure around them?”

Bjork added that coaching staff reductions and operational changes could be a way to lower costs as well.

“We don’t have full clarity on that piece yet,” Bjork said. “That’s part of our analysis. And so when we say shrink, I think the answer is, what do you need to operate that program? And what do you need to operate the program where you don’t impact the student-athlete experience? You still have health and safety. You’re not going backward on that. But the other stuff that we do for our sports, you may have to pull back.”

Football will always remain the top revenue driver for Ohio State’s athletic department, though. So to help sustain both itself and everything else, Bjork is keeping all his options available.

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Ohio

Mary Lucille Young, Youngstown, Ohio

Published

5 hours ago

April 23, 2026

Press Room

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (MyValleyTributes) – Mrs. Mary Lucille Young, 74, of Youngstown, departed this life on Friday, April 10, 2026 at her residence where God welcomed her home.

Mary, affectionately known as “Mary Lou” and “Tang”, was born March 8, 1952 in Youngstown, a daughter of Lawrence and Ada Mae Alexander Hamilton Young.

She was a proud 1971 graduate of South High School.

Mary was a member of New Bethel Baptist Church.

She attended Louis Weinberger Hill Beauty School, and was accepted as a model with Barbizon Modeling Agency.

Mary worked and retired from Youngstown Sheet and Tube.

She enjoyed looking her best, dancing, shopping, casinos and decorating her home. Mary was strong, bold and took no mess. She was loved by many people.

She leaves to cherish her memories, her pride and joy, two daughters, Adalatesha Bright and Richlynn Bright; two sons, Ja-Juan Young and Dr. Ty-Juan Bright all of Youngstown; five grandchildren; two sisters, Cynthia (Floyd) Davis, Janet (Steve) Gardner both of Youngstown; and a host of family and friends.

Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by a son, Michael Lamar Young; three brothers, Isaiah, Edward, Lorenzo Young.

Private services were held at the L.E. Black, Phillips & Holden Funeral Home.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary Lucille Young, please visit our floral store.

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Ohio

NWSL announces expansion to Columbus, Ohio

Published

17 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Press Room

NWSL announces expansion to Columbus, Ohio

The NWSL is once again expanding, this time the league is heading to Ohio where Columbus NWSL 2028 will take the field. Of course, Columbus NWSL 2028 is a placeholder for now and the the new team will unveil its name, crest, and uniform to build an identity around as it approaches its first season.

News of the club was announced yesterday, though this has been in the works for some time, in a press conference. Team owners, the Haslam Sports Group (HSG), Nationwide and Drs. Christine and Pete Edwards, spoke about what they hope the club will bring to Columbus and women’s soccer more broadly.

“Our family is thrilled to help bring an NWSL team to Columbus and further invest in Ohio, with the honor of bringing the 18th team into the league,” said Haslam Sports Group Managing Partner Whitney Haslam Johnson. “We believe in the power of women’s sports and are humbled to be part of the number one women’s soccer league in the world.”

Nationwide insurance has been a corporate partner in both NWSL and MLS for years and now joins an ownership group deepening those ties. “Today’s announcement is about inspiring young athletes across Central Ohio, elevating women’s professional sports and reminding the world that Columbus is a first-class sports city,” said Kirt Walker, Nationwide Chief Executive Officer. “As Nationwide marks 100 years, this is a powerful way to celebrate our milestone with the community that has been our home from the very beginning.”

The Edwards family has deep roots in the Columbus soccer scene with Dr. Pete Edwards serving as team doctor for the Crew in 1996 and the family joining the team’s ownership in 2019 during the Save The Crew effort. “Columbus is very important to our family. For over 30 years, we’ve supported the Columbus Crew and MLS. We’ve seen how a men’s professional soccer team has brought people together and created a positive impact in our community. It’s truly special to now welcome an NWSL club and the incredible women athletes who will also uplift our city on and off the pitch,” said Dr. Christine Edwards. “We’re very excited to partner with Haslam Sports Group and Nationwide for NWSL Columbus 2028, and we can’t wait to share even more memorable moments with fans, especially during the Club’s first game at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.”

The NWSL has continued its expansion with the announcement and the team will join Atlanta in its inaugural season in two years.

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Ohio

Ex-Ohio State president Ted Carter’s girlfriend would sneak through campus garage to get to his office, report reveals

Published

1 day ago

April 22, 2026

Press Room

Ex-Ohio State president Ted Carter’s girlfriend would sneak through campus garage to get to his office, report reveals

Disgraced ex-Ohio State President Ted Carter repeatedly snuck his alleged failing podcaster lover through a campus garage for secret visits to his office as he funneled university resources into her business ventures, a shocking new report claims.

The report into the circumstances behind Carter’s abrupt exit from his cushy $1.5 million-a-year role last month detailed his secret office rendezvous with Krisanthe Vlachos, host of “The Callout Podcast,” and at least five trips he took with her.

The duo jetted off to Richmond, Virginia; Orlando, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Las Vegas – with the married 66-year-old allegedly cooking up a fake business excuse for one trip, the report released Tuesday by the college found.

One social media post showed the pair at a Colorado Springs conference in January, with the ex-prez smiling next to Vlachos, who is clad in an all-black leather getup.

Carter – married to Lynda Carter for nearly 45 years – admitted giving Vlachos “inappropriate access” to university leadership and public resources to boost her private business when he voluntarily resigned.

The probe found he tapped at least 14 staffers to help his purported paramour, who hosted a veteran-focused podcast, including efforts to score her a university job, campus space, support staff, and financial backing from the school and outside agencies like JobsOhio for different business ventures.

“Carter’s actions betrayed Ohio State’s shared values and violated university policy,” the 47-page report said, adding his “wide-ranging” efforts dragged on for almost two years.

“Carter had a close personal and business relationship with Vlachos and he allowed that relationship to improperly influence his actions and impair his judgement.”

JobsOhio shelled out $60,000 to the prexy’s reported flame to produce four podcast episodes about veteran issues – though only one was completed, the agency said last month.

The company, which said its decision to invest was driven by Carter’s recommendation, is now trying to “clawback” the funds after all of Vlacho’s poorly performing podcast episodes were hastily removed from YouTube and other streamers when the scandal erupted.

Carter – who served as a Top Gun pilot and instructor during 38 years in the Navy – admitted in one episode he was a “frequent flyer” on the floundering show, appearing as a guest at least nine times since 2024.

JobsOhio also dished out $10,000 to sponsor a January 2025 event for vets and military families at Ohio State, calling it an “opportunity that Ms. Vlachos brought our attention.”

The agency’s handouts for Vlachos came to an end after she requested a $2.9 million investment in her proposed mobile app, which aimed to help Ohio veterans get jobs.

An Ohio State spokesman previously confirmed officials were investigating an LLC registered to Vlachos at a university-owned building, in connection with the ex-leader’s departure.

Carter and Vlachos have not responded publicly to the relationship allegations.

With Post wires.

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