Lionel Messi joins list of high-profile visiting athletes who have competed in Columbus
After over a year of anticipation, Inter Miami star Lionel Messi is expected to be at Lower.com Field to face the Crew on Wednesday.
Even without the extended wait, the excitement for Messi's first game in Columbus has matched, and possibly exceeded, that which surrounded David Beckhem's first game against the Crew. That was back in 2008 when Beckham played with the Los Angeles Galaxy, and The Dispatch noted the next day that "the boos ... mostly drowned out the gleeful screeches every time (Beckham) touched the ball."
The excitement for Messi's appearance has been amplified by the fact he missed his first two opportunities to play in Columbus this season. Messi was expected to headline MLS' All-Star team lineup at Lower.com Field on July 24 but had to pull out of the game due to an ankle injury. It was that same injury that made Messi unavailable for Miami's round of 16 Leagues Cup match against the Crew on Aug. 13.
When Messi touches the field at Lower.com Field, he will join a long list of high-profile athletes who have competed in Columbus.
Note: This list centers around athletes who did not compete in Columbus on a regular basis, so it will not include any Columbus-based athletes or frequent opponents of Columbus-based teams. The focus here is on one-offs: exhibition games, national team appearances, special events or Ohio State non-conference games. We do not include visits for non-competition. So, for example, Pele's soccer clinic in 1979 doesn't count.
LeBron James
Although Columbus doesn't have a professional basketball team, and the Akron native chose to forgo competing collegiately, LeBron James has taken the court at Value City Arena.
James led Akron St. Vicent-St. Mary to the semifinals of the Ohio state high school tournament during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Both years, the matchups took place on the Buckeyes' home court.
And, during his two stints with the Cleveland Cavilers, James returned to Value City Arena for NBA preseason action.
NBA Hall of Famers: Bird, Jordan & Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
In addition to James' Cavs, other NBA teams have scrimmaged in Columbus.
Celtics legend Larry Bird visited St. John Arena in 1989 for an exhibition game against the Washington Bullets. A year earlier, Micheal Jordan played at the same venue when his Chicago Bulls faced the New Jersey Nets.
When it comes to college hoops, the Buckeyes have welcomed in many stars. Headlining that list is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who came here during the 1968-69 season when Ohio State hosted the UCLA Bruins.
John Elway
Who is the greatest nonconference opponent to face the Ohio State football team? Arguably that distinction belongs to John Elway.
During the 1982 season, the Stanford Cardinal took a trip to Ohio Stadium and pulled off a 23-20 upset behind Elway's 400+ yard performance. More than 89,000 people (a record-breaking crowd for Ohio State at the time) were in the stands to see the future No. 1 NFL draft pick make the game-winning pass with less than a minute on the clock.
Great golfers: Tiger Woods, Anika Sorenstam and Bobby Jones
The Memorial Tournament has brought many well-known golfers to the area, but none bigger than Tiger Woods.
Woods has won the Memorial a record five times, with his first victory coming in 1999. The most recent of his 18 visits to Muirfield was in July 2020.
Other famous golfers have competed in the area. World Golf Hall of Famer and three-time Women's PGA champion Annika Sorenstam took part in the New Albany Golf Classic in 1999. Many years before that, the most successful amateur golfer ever, Bobby Jones, won the 1926 U.S. Open at Scioto Country Club.
Mia Hamm and the USWNT
Following its iconic victory in the 1999 FIFA World Cup, the United States women's national soccer team took on South Korea on Oct. 3 of that year at Historic Crew Stadium.
Mia Hamm, one of the sport's biggest names at the time, netted a goal in the match. It wasn't her first time visiting the Columbus area. That came six years earlier when the USWNT faced Italy at Westerville North High School. Hamm also scored a hat trick in Columbus, accomplishing that feat against Scotland in 2002.
This April, Columbus welcomed back the USWNT for the SheBelieves Cup final at Lower.com Field. Forward Alex Morgan headlined the United States lineup that went on to win the trophy.
The U.S. men may consider Columbus their spiritual home and have visited here many times, but Hamm's star power is unmatched.
Bobby Hull & Stan Mikita
Long before there were the Blue Jackets, there were the Columbus Checkers of the International Hockey League.
In 1966, the team's first-ever game was an exhibition against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Ohio Expo Fairground Coliseum. In the lineup for the Blackhawks that day were future Hall of Famers Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, though the game was almost canceled due to poor ice conditions.
Mike Tyson
Though just 17 years old at the time, Mike Tyson had already started to make a name for himself by the time he appeared as an amateur at the 1983 Ohio State Fair. Fresh off gold-medal wins at the 1981 and 1982 Junior Olympic Games, Tyson knocked out Jerry Goff in the semifinals, then won the heavyweight division by walkover when No.1-ranked amateur Kansan Olian Alexander said he could not compete due to a sore left hand.
Tyson appeared to recall the event fondly, asking on social media years later if someone could find him video of his victory.
Anybody have footage of me when I was young in Ohio State Boxing Fair? Love to see it.
— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) January 5, 2012
Speedsters at the Jesse Owens Classic
The same year that Mike Tyson competed at the Ohio State Fair, nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis won the 100-meter dash at the first Jesse Owens Classic at Ohio Stadium. Lewis ran the race in 10.26 seconds.
In 1987, Edwin Moses won his 120th consecutive race setting a meet-record with a time of 48.89 in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles.
1993 Big Bear Tennis Challenge
The 1993 Big Bear Tennis Challenge in New Albany fielded an all-star lineup.
Even though 18-time grand slam champion Martina Navratilova was scratched with an ankle injury, the women's side was still stacked with Billie Jean King, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Monica Seles and Virginia Wade. On the men's side, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Andre Agassi and Vitas Gerulaitis competed.
Cooperstown's legends
Columbus has a rich baseball history with the Clippers, but even beyond that, the city has welcomed in MLB stars and Negro League greats.
In 1946, Bob Feller's all-stars battled Satchel Paige's all-stars as part of a barnstorming tour. The tour's 11th stop was at Red Bird Stadium and proceeds went toward the Columbus Zoo.
Feller's team fell 4-3 despite Paige not taking the mound. (Paige was not in the lineup, though he was scheduled to be until the last minute.) Fans still got to see Josh Gibson, who was called the "Black Babe Ruth."
Oh, and Ruth himself barnstormed in Columbus.
"When Babe Ruth used to come into town with the Yankees and play exhibition games, the players stayed at the Neil House," Clippers historian Joe Santry told The Dispatch. "Everyone thought Ruth was a notorious ladies' man, and his teammates thought at night he'd be out chasing girls.
"What he did every year he came was buy a brand new car and go to Lazarus and buy all the toys there. He'd then drive to St. Vincent's orphanage on the near east side and donate the toys and cars. The only thing he asked was that nobody ever knew this. It was between him and the kids. We didn't find out until we were told stories and shown pictures by older women who were children at that time."
Another Yankees great to play an exhibition here was Mickey Mantle, whose visit to Jets Stadium came in 1956.
Michael Phelps
Before competing at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, where he won four gold medals, the then 14-time gold medalist took part in the Columbus Grand Prix at the Ohio State Aquatic Center. During the meet, Phelps came out on top in the 100 freestyle along with the 200 freestyle and butterfly.
Many thanks to the Twitter users who submitted recommendations for this list.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Lionel Messi, LeBron James among biggest names to compete in Columbus
