The morning after celebrating Land-Grant Brewing Company's third anniversary at its Franklinton brewery — featuring the display of a large #SAVETHECREW banner — company co-founder Walt Keys got up Sunday morning earlier than he would have liked and "a little hung over."

He had an important appointment: He was going to a rally with about 2,000 others at Columbus City Hall aimed at keeping the Columbus Crew in the city, five days after owner Anthony Precourt said he was eyeing a possible move to Austin, Texas.

Land-Grant has been a Crew sponsor since 2015, the year after the company was founded. When Keys heard the news last week that owner Anthony Precourt might move the team to Austin, he was "shocked ... saddened" and "blindsided."

"None of us were expecting that news last week," said Keys, a longtime fan of the Crew. "We found out about it online, the same way everyone else did. We're still waiting on a letter or email from Precourt. We still haven't heard from him."

Land-Grant makes (and sells at Mapfre Stadium) the official beer of the Crew, an American wheat ale called Glory, named after the popular "Glory to Columbus" song that bellows often from the stadium's supporters' section.

Other local sponsors also indicate disappointment and frustration with the news, especially given reports that Precourt had already been talking to Austin officials for months.

"The whole thing is really bizarre. It almost seems predetermined," said Ira Sharfin, CEO of Crew sponsor Continental Office. "It just seems shifty in a way."

Sharfin, whose company's offices are close to Mapfre Stadium and who has been a sponsor for two years, said he's enjoyed several aspects of the Crew deal.

Sponsors typically negotiate a payment to the team for a period of at least two or three years. In exchange, they get signs at the stadium, mentions on the website, the opportunity to take part in special promotions and other items. Continental Office has used suites and hospitality areas at the stadium to entertain employees and clients, and has held meetings at the stadium on weekdays.

"It's really a great atmosphere," Sharfin said. But he added that Continental struck a deal with the Crew "because of the local nature" and would definitely not remain a sponsor if the team were to leave Columbus.

That sentiment was echoed by other Columbus-based sponsors. Martin Kelly, CEO of Kahiki Foods, had just made a two-year commitment to a Crew sponsorship starting this season. The deal included a Kahiki concession stand at the stadium, promotion at field level and on the stadium video board and player appearances at local retailers selling Kahiki products. It's the company's first foray into professional sports sponsorship.

"Frankly, we had planned on this being a foundation for us in terms of our relationship with the Crew fans and the Columbus community," Kelly said. "We're pretty disappointed now in terms of the potential here. We were very happy with how it worked our first year, and we're very disappointed that it may not continue."

Kelly added: "Like most people in Columbus, we're disappointed on multiple levels ... as fans, as residents of Columbus and as a business."

Some companies with an international presence and customer base have joined with the Crew in large part because of their central Ohio presence and market.

Matt Sloustcher, a spokesman for Honda's Acura brand, said they became Crew jersey sponsors this year partly because five out of six Acuras sold in the U.S. are made in Ohio. The Crew is the only athletic sponsorship deal Acura has struck, although the company is deeply involved in racing but not other team sports, Sloustcher said.

Sloustcher declined to comment on the Crew's possible move or what Acura might do if they follow through.

No matter what happens, Columbus fans and sponsors may be left with a sour taste for the team, said David Carter, executive director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business.

"Even if a local company has customers there (in a team's relocation city), some sponsors' customers might view their association with the team as a potential negative," Carter said. "They might ask, 'How could you support this franchise after what you've done to the fans?'"

Carter said if the team does stay, "the mere speculation of relocation" could have ongoing repercussions with civic officials and potential sponsors. He said deals vary widely, but typically MLS sponsorships might cost a company anywhere from "low five figures to low seven figures," and generally include a provision to break a contract if a team has a "major business shift" such as relocating out of state.

Jim Kadlecek, executive director of the Sport Marketing Association and a professor of sport business at the University of Mount Union in Alliance, agreed that regardless of the outcome, there could be "lingering negative associations" for some Columbus Crew fans.

"It all depends on how it plays out, though," Kadlecek said. "If the community rallies and they would come up with a new state-of-the-art Downtown facility, I think sponsors would want to jump in, especially with the positive momentum right now for the MLS."

mrose@dispatch.com

@MarlaMRose