View source for Nationwide Arena

{{Short description|Arena in Columbus, Ohio, United States}}
{{Infobox venue
| stadium_name      = Nationwide Arena
| nickname          = 
| logo_image        = [[File:Nationwide Arena Logo.svg|80px]]
| image             = Nationwide Arena exterior.jpg
| caption           = Nationwide Arena in 2021
| image_size        = 250px
| address           = 200 West Nationwide Boulevard
| location          = [[Columbus, Ohio]], United States
| coordinates       = {{coord|39|58|9.42|N|83|0|22.00|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|display=inline,title}}
| image_map         = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=250|zoom=13|type=point}}
| publictransit     = {{bus icon}} {{rint|COTA}} {{COTA link|3|6|8|9|72|74}}<br />{{Bike icon|12px}} CoGo
| broke_ground      = May 26, 1998<ref>{{cite news |title=2 Arenas in Columbus Boost Redevelopment|agency=Associated Press|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wTFPAAAAIBAJ&pg=4909,4803550&dq=en|newspaper=[[Toledo Blade]]|date=May 27, 1998|access-date=February 5, 2013}}</ref>
| opened            = September 9, 2000
| owner             = Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority
| operator          = Columbus Arena Management
| construction_cost = $175 million<br />(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|175000000|1998}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}})
| architect         = {{hlist|[[360 Architecture|Heinlein Schrock Stearns]]|[[NBBJ]]}}
| project_manager   = Miles-McClellan<ref name="sportsbusinessdaily" />
| structural engineer = [[Thornton Tomasetti]]<ref name="sportsbusinessdaily" />
| services engineer = M-E Engineers<ref name="sportsbusinessdaily" />
| general_contractor = [[Turner Construction]]<ref name="sportsbusinessdaily">{{cite web |title=Nationwide Arena Facts and Figures|url=http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2000/10/20001002/No-Topic-Name/NATIONWIDE-ARENA-FACTS-Amp-FIGURES.aspx|work=SportsBusiness Journal|date=October 2, 2000|access-date=September 20, 2011}}</ref>
| main_contractors  = Barton Malow<ref name="sportsbusinessdaily" />
| tenants           = [[Columbus Blue Jackets]] ([[National Hockey League|NHL]]) (2000–present)<br />[[Columbus Landsharks]] ([[National Lacrosse League|NLL]]) (2001–2003)<br />[[Columbus Destroyers]] ([[Arena Football League|AFL]]) (2004–2008, 2019)<br />[[Ohio Junior Blue Jackets]] ([[United States Hockey League|USHL]]) (2006–2008)<br />[[Columbus Fury]] ([[Pro Volleyball Federation|PVF]]) (2024–present)
| seating_capacity  = [[Basketball]]: 19,500<br />[[Concert]]s: 20,000<br />[[Ice hockey]]: 18,500
|
}}

'''Nationwide Arena''' is a multi-purpose arena in the [[Arena District]] of [[Columbus, Ohio]], United States. Since completion in 2000, the arena has served as the home of the [[Columbus Blue Jackets]] of the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL). It is one of two facilities in Columbus, along with [[Greater Columbus Convention Center]], that hosts events during the annual [[Arnold Classic]], a sports and fitness event hosted by actor, [[bodybuilder]], and former [[Governor of California]] [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]].

==History==
Nationwide Arena was built near the site of the former [[Ohio Penitentiary]], which had an eastern border of West Street. The arena itself is built over the prison's former parking lot. The arena's parking lot and an apartment complex are built where the prison formerly stood. The arena was constructed in 2000.

On March 16, 2002, 13-year-old [[Death of Brittanie Cecil|Brittanie Cecil]] was struck in the head by a deflected puck during the Blue Jackets' game against the [[Calgary Flames]] at Nationwide Arena. She died two days later, becoming the only NHL fan to be killed in a game-related accident. As a result of her death, the NHL mandated safety netting in all its arenas.

In May 2012, Columbus Mayor [[Michael B. Coleman]] made a pitch to the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) requesting an expansion or relocated team be moved to Nationwide Arena.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mayor Asks NBA to Consider Columbus|url=http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/19013421/mayor-asks-nba-to-consider-columbus/rss|work=[[CBS Sports]]|date=May 11, 2012|access-date=May 11, 2012}}</ref>

==Ownership==
[[File:NationwideArena.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Arena bowl during a Blue Jackets game in 2007]]
The venue is named for the arena's original majority owner, [[Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company]], whose world headquarters are located across the street. On March 30, 2012, arena owners Nationwide Insurance and the [[Columbus Dispatch|Dispatch Publishing Group]] sold the facility to the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority (FCCFA). As part of the sale, Nationwide agreed to lend the FCCFA $43.3 million to finance the arena's purchase which will be paid back by 2039 with casino tax revenue collected by both the City of Columbus and Franklin County. In addition, the Ohio Department of Development agreed to a 10-year, $10 million loan to the FCCFA to assist with the facilities purchase. If the Blue Jackets meet annual roster payroll requirement, $500,000 of this loan per year will be forgiven. Nationwide Insurance will also pay the Blue Jackets $28 million to retain the arena's naming rights until 2022 as well as $58 million to purchase 30% ownership stake in the franchise. The Blue Jackets, in turn, agreed to remain in the city until 2039 or pay $36 million in damages.<ref name="snponline.com">{{cite news |title=Taxpayers Now Own Nationwide Arena|first=Doug|last=Caruso|newspaper=[[The Columbus Dispatch]]|date=March 30, 2012}}</ref>

==Management==
While the Blue Jackets held sole operational control of the arena from 2000 to 2012, the team contracted day-to-day operations and event booking to venue management corporation [[SMG (property management)|SMG]] from the arena's opening until June 30, 2010. On May 12, 2010, the Blue Jackets announced that SMG would not be retained as arena managers and further announced that a one-year, annually renewable, management contract had been signed with [[Ohio State University]]<!--Wikipedians do not use "The" as part of Ohio State's name; it is considered a marketing gimmick, and routinely deleted.-->.<ref name="dispatch.com">{{cite news |title=Deal Signed for OSU to Help Manage Nationwide Arena|first1=Encarnacion|last1=Pyle|first2=Kevin|last2=Joy|first3=Aaron|last3=Portzline|url=http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/05/12/osu-to-help-guide-arenas.html?sid=101|newspaper=[[The Columbus Dispatch]]|date=May 12, 2010|access-date=May 12, 2010}}</ref> The contract called for the university to take over both day to day arena operations as well as booking non-athletic events, with the Blue Jackets booking athletic events and maintaining overall control of the arena.<ref>{{cite news|title=OSU to Manage Schott, Nationwide; Ticket Prices Likely to Fall|first=Jami|last=Jurich|url=http://www.thelantern.com/mobile/campus/osu-to-manage-schott-nationwide-ticket-prices-likely-to-fall-1.1481437|newspaper=[[The Lantern]]|location=The Ohio State University|date=May 16, 2010|access-date=May 16, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927015325/http://www.thelantern.com/mobile/campus/osu-to-manage-schott-nationwide-ticket-prices-likely-to-fall-1.1481437|archive-date=September 27, 2011}}</ref> This arrangement made Nationwide Arena a sister venue to OSU's on-campus arena, [[Value City Arena]]. The university started booking acts in May 2010 and assumed day to day control of the arena on July 1, 2010.<ref name="dispatch.com"/> As part of the 2012 sale of Nationwide Arena, the Blue Jackets and OSU joined with Nationwide Insurance and the FCCFA to form Columbus Arena Management (CAM). Columbus Arena Management currently operates both Nationwide Arena and Value City Arena and oversees budgeting and event booking at both arenas.<ref name="snponline.com"/>

==Design==
The arena is of a brick design and serves as the center of an entertainment district located about one-half of a mile north of the [[Ohio Statehouse]]. Seating capacity is approximately 18,500<ref>{{cite web|title=Nationwide Arena Quick Facts|url=http://www.nationwidearena.com/arena/quickfacts.php|publisher=Nationwide Arena|access-date=February 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208031208/http://www.nationwidearena.com/arena/quickfacts.php|archive-date=December 8, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> for [[Ice hockey|hockey]], 17,171 for [[arena football]], 19,500 for [[basketball]], and up to 21,000 for concerts. The [[death of Brittanie Cecil]] from injuries sustained from a [[hockey puck]] flying into the stands at a Blue Jackets game on March 16, 2002, led to the installation of nylon netting to catch pucks that fly over the [[acrylic glass]] at all professional ice hockey arenas in the NHL, AHL, IIHF, and ECHL.

==Location==
The area surrounding Nationwide Arena, called the [[Arena District]], is a mixed-use neighborhood developed by Nationwide Realty Investors featuring restaurants, bars, offices and residential buildings. The [[Columbus Clippers]], a [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] baseball team of the [[International League]], play in [[Huntington Park (Columbus, Ohio)|Huntington Park]], also located in the Arena District and developed by Nationwide Realty Investors. Columbus uses the arena as a drawing point for the city with the other establishments feeding off of the foot traffic. The [[KEMBA Live!]] concert venue adjacent to the Nationwide Arena property, completes the entertainment complex.

==Facilities==
[[File:Blue Jackets Locker.jpg|thumb|200px|Blue Jackets dressing room]]
Nationwide Arena includes a smaller ice rink called the [[OhioHealth]] IceHaus, which serves as the practice rink for the [[Columbus Blue Jackets|Blue Jackets]] and is also used for youth hockey games and open skating times for the public. This facility made Nationwide Arena the first [[National Hockey League|NHL]] arena with an on-site practice facility and, as of 2019, one of only four such facilities in the NHL, along with [[KeyBank Center]] in [[Buffalo, New York]], [[Prudential Center]] in [[Newark, New Jersey]], and [[Little Caesars Arena]] in [[Detroit, Michigan]].

==Events==

===Sports===
*On October 7, 2000, the arena hosted the [[Columbus Blue Jackets]]' first game against the [[Chicago Blackhawks]]. [[Bruce Gardiner]] scored the franchise's first goal in the first period (which was also the first goal scored in the arena's history), but the Blackhawks won the game 5–3. Twenty days later, on October 27, 2000, the Blue Jackets picked up their first home win at the arena by defeating the [[Washington Capitals]] 3–1.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/200010270CBJ.html|title=Washington Capitals at Columbus Blue Jackets Box Score — October 27, 2000|website=Hockey-Reference.com|access-date=14 November 2021}}</ref> 
*The [[Professional Bull Riders|PBR]]'s [[Built Ford Tough Series]] bull riding tour has held an event every year at Nationwide Arena from 2000 to 2012 (events prior to 2000 the event were held at the [[Ohio Expo Center Coliseum]]; there were no BFTS events in Columbus from 2013 to 2017 and in BFTS events since 2018 have been held at Value City Arena). It was the last event of the BFTS regular season (not counting the PBR World Finals) between 2000 and 2007.
*The arena hosted first and second-round games of the [[2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|2004]], [[2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|2007]], [[2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|2012]], [[2015 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|2015]] and [[2019 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament]]s.
*The arena hosted the [[2007 NHL Entry Draft]].
*On Tuesday, April 21, 2009, a record hockey crowd of 19,219 watched the [[Columbus Blue Jackets|Blue Jackets]] play their first postseason game at home, where they lost to the defending Stanley Cup Champion [[Detroit Red Wings]] by a final score of 4–1 in a Western Conference Quarterfinal game.<ref>{{cite news |title=Zetterberg Nets Two as Wings' Dominance Puts Jackets' Season on Brink|agency=Associated Press|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=290421029|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424075859/http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=290421029|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 24, 2009|work=[[ESPN]]|date=April 21, 2009|access-date=April 21, 2009}}</ref> They would eventually get their first postseason win at Nationwide Arena on April 23, 2014, against the [[Pittsburgh Penguins]], by a final score of 4–3 in overtime.
*The arena hosted the 2015 [[National Hockey League All-Star Game]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/9919009/nhl-2015-all-star-game-awarded-columbus|title=Columbus gets 2015 All-Star Game |publisher=Espn.go.com |date=2013-11-02 |access-date=2014-01-09}}</ref> having previously been set for the 2013 edition that was cancelled due to the lockout.<ref>{{cite web|title=The 2013 NHL All-Star Game and NHL Skills Competition Refund Policy|url=http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=84948|publisher=The Columbus Blue Jackets Hockey Club|date=December 18, 2012|access-date=December 18, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121129144719/http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=84948|archive-date=November 29, 2012}}</ref>
*The arena hosted the second and third-round games of the [[2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament]].<ref>{{cite web |title=2012 NCAA Tournament Schedule|url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=6310874|work=[[ESPN]]|date=February 27, 2012|access-date=February 27, 2012}}</ref>
* The arena hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=2016 Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions takes center stage beginning Sept. 15|url=https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=19213|publisher=usagym.org|access-date=May 1, 2019}}</ref>
*The arena hosted the semi-finals and National Championship games of the [[2018 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament]].
*The arena has hosted multiple pre-season [[Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball|Ohio State University Buckeyes men's basketball]] and pre- and post-season [[Ohio State Buckeyes men's ice hockey|Buckeyes men's ice hockey games]] when Value City Arena has been unavailable for use.
*The arena also hosts the [[Ohio High School Athletic Association]] state championships for high school hockey.
*The [[Columbus Blue Jackets|Blue Jackets]] set an attendance record for a home game on April 19, 2018, when 19,395 attended Game 4 of the Eastern Conference First Round during the [[2018 Stanley Cup playoffs]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/washington-capitals-columbus-blue-jackets-game-4-recap/c-298132228|title=Capitals even series against Blue Jackets in Game 4 |publisher=nhl.com |date=April 19, 2018 |access-date=October 5, 2018}}</ref>
* On March 11, 2020, the Blue Jackets announced that they would play all of their remaining home games in the 2019–20 season [[behind closed doors (sport)|behind closed doors]] due to an executive order by governor [[Mike DeWine]] that banned public gatherings of 1,000 people or more inside the state, which was enacted in order to combat the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 outbreak]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/bluejackets/news/blue-jackets-statement-regarding-upcoming-game-schedule/c-316128078|publisher=NHL.com|date=March 11, 2020|access-date=March 11, 2020|title=Blue Jackets statement regarding upcoming game schedule}}</ref>
* The arena hosted all games of [[The Basketball Tournament 2020]], a 24-team winner-take-all tournament with a $1 million prize, in July 2020.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://abc6onyourside.com/sports/content/the-basketball-tournament-releases-game-schedule-for-24-team-event-at-nationwide-arena |title=The Basketball Tournament releases game schedule for 24-team event at Nationwide Arena |first=Sarah |last=Wynn |website=[[WSYX]] |date=June 30, 2020 |access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref>
*[[Monster Jam]] made a grand return to the arena on July 31 and August 1, 2021, for a one-off weekend.
* The arena hosted the [[2021 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament]] in December 2021.
* The arena broke the attendance record again at 19,434<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38UNJVYipTo|title=Columbus Blue Jackets host largest crowd in franchise history|publisher=Bally Sports Ohio |date=March 5, 2022 |access-date=March 6, 2022}}</ref> against the [[Boston Bruins]] on March 5, 2022.
* The arena is hosting First and Second round games of the [[2023 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament]]. One notable [[2023 Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Purdue men's basketball game|game]] was when No. 16 seeded [[Fairleigh Dickinson Knights men's basketball|Fairleigh Dickinson]] defeated No. 1 seeded [[Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball|Purdue]] 63–58, to become only the second 16 seed to make it out of the Round of 64.

===Mixed martial arts===
* The arena has hosted many noteworthy [[Mixed martial arts|MMA]] events including, Gracie Fighting Championships, International Fighting Championships, Caged Combat, ''[[UFC 68|UFC 68: The Uprising]]'', ''[[UFC 82|UFC 82: Pride of a Champion]]'', ''[[UFC 96|UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine]]'', ''[[UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Daukaus]], [[WEC 47]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.watchkalibrun.com/2009/12/14/1200946/its-official-wec-47-set-for|title=It's Official! WEC 47 set for Columbus, Ohio on March 6th |publisher=watchkalibrun.com|date=December 14, 2009}}</ref> [[Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mmajunkie.com/news/22730/strikeforce-feijao-vs-henderson-scores-7123-attendance-ohio-return-likely.mma|title="Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson" scores 7,123 attendance; Ohio return likely|publisher=mmajunkie.com|date=2011-03-06}}</ref> and [[Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey]].
:UFC 68 produced a number of attendance records for a mixed martial arts event. It was the first MMA event outside Japan to have at least 15,000 people in attendance. This record has since been outdone on a number of occasions, with the current holder being [[UFC 193]] which had 56,214 people in attendance.

===Professional wrestling===
*On June 23, 2002, the arena hosted the [[WWE]] pay-per-view [[King of the Ring (2002)|King of the Ring]].
*On June 13, 2004, the arena hosted the WWE pay-per-view [[Bad Blood (2004)|Bad Blood]].
*On June 14, 2015, the arena hosted the WWE pay-per-view [[Money in the Bank (2015)|Money in the Bank]].<ref name="ppvschedule">{{cite web|last1=Johnson|first1=Mike|title=COMPLETE 2015 WWE PPV SCHEDULE|url=http://www.pwinsider.com/article/90630/complete-2015-wwe-ppv-schedule.html?p=1|website=pwinsider.com|access-date=7 January 2015}}</ref>
*On March 11, 2018, the arena hosted the WWE pay-per-view [[Fastlane (2018)|Fastlane]].<ref name= "WWE returns to Columbus with Fastlane PPV in 2018">{{cite web|last1=Ravens|first1=Andrew|title=Date And Location Officially Announced For 2018 WWE FastLane PPV|url=http://www.pwmania.com/date-and-location-officially-announced-for-2018-wwe-fastlane-ppv|website=pwmania.com|access-date=4 December 2017}}</ref>
*On September 26, 2021, the arena hosted the WWE pay-per-view [[Extreme Rules (2021)|Extreme Rules]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=WWE announces additional dates on September live touring schedule|url=https://www.wwe.com/article/september-live-tour-dates|access-date=2021-07-09|website=WWE|language=en}}</ref>

<!--===Concerts===
{{hidden
| headercss = background: #ccccff; font-size: 100%; width: 100%;
| contentcss = text-align: left; font-size: 100%; width: 100%;
| header =List of concerts
| content = 
*[[Faith Hill]] and [[Tim McGraw]] – September 9–10, 2000, with [[Faith Hill]] (Opening nights, attended by 33,565 people); April 21–22, 2006; July 18, 2007; and September 7, 2017, with [[Brent Cobb]]
*[[Tim McGraw]] – April 6, 2003, with The Dancehall Doctors; April 23, 2010, with [[Lady Antebellum]] and [[Love and Theft (duo)|Love and Theft]]; May 7, 2011, with [[Luke Bryan]] and [[The Band Perry]]
*[[Kiss (band)|KISS]] – September 29, 2000, with [[Ted Nugent]] and [[Skid Row (American band)|Skid Row]]
*[[Sarah Brightman]] – October 13, 2000
*The [[Barenaked Ladies]] – October 21, 2000, with [[Guster]]; December 30, 2001
*[[Tina Turner]] – November 1, 2000, with [[Joe Cocker]]
*[[Mannheim Steamroller]] – November 24, 2000
*The [[Gaither Homecoming]] – December 9, 2000; April 24, 2004; December 16, 2005; December 9, 2006; December 15, 2007; December 18, 2009
*[[WNCI]] 97.9's Jingle Ball – December 17, 2000; December 16, 2001
*[[Andy Williams]] – December 18, 2000
*[[Kid Rock]] & [[Twisted Brown Trucker]] – January 25, 2001, with [[Buckcherry]] and [[Fuel (band)|Fuel]]; March 23, 2013, with Buckcherry; February 17, 2018, with [[A Thousand Horses]]; April 15, 2022, with [[Grand Funk Railroad]]
*[[Neal McCoy]] – March 3, 2001
*[[AC/DC]] – April 4, 2001, with Sinomatic
*[[U2]] – May 7, 2001, with [[PJ Harvey]]
*[[Eric Clapton]] – June 1, 2001, with [[Doyle Bramhall II]] & Smokestack; July 12, 2004, with [[Robert Randolph and the Family Band]]
*[[Prince (musician)|Prince]] & [[The New Power Generation]] – June 21, 2001, with The Fonky Bald Heads
*The [[Backstreet Boys]] – June 22, 2001, with [[Shaggy (musician)|Shaggy]] and [[Krystal Harris]]
*[[Janet Jackson]] – July 21, 2001, with [[112 (band)|112]]
*[[Britney Spears]] – November 1, 2001, with [[O-Town]]; August 20, 2011, with [[Destinee & Paris]] and DJ [[Pauly D]]
*[[Bob Dylan]] – November 10, 2001
*[[Amy Grant]] & [[Vince Gill]] – December 11, 2001, with [[Nickel Creek]], [[Rachael Lampa]] and The [[Nashville Symphony]]; December 21, 2003, with [[Henry Cho]] and The Nashville Chamber Orchestra
*[[Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young]] – February 7, 2002; February 7, 2007
*[[NSYNC]] – April 23, 2002, with [[Sean Combs|P. Diddy]]
*The [[Honda Civic Tour]] – June 5, 2002
*[[Def Leppard]] – June 14, 2002, June 14, 2003 and October 27, 2005, with [[Cheap Trick]]
*[[Cher]] – June 19, 2002 and April 30, 2014, with [[Cyndi Lauper]]
*[[A-Teens]] – August 8, 2002, with The [[Baha Men]]
*[[George Strait]] & The [[Ace in the Hole Band]] – September 27, 2002, with [[Jo Dee Messina]]; March 27, 2004, with [[Dierks Bentley]] and [[Kellie Coffey]]; February 17, 2007, with [[Ronnie Milsap]] and Taylor Swift; September 9, 2010, with [[Reba McEntire]] and [[Lee Ann Womack]]; February 15, 2014, with [[Little Big Town]]
*The SCREAM Tour – October 6, 2002
*[[The Rolling Stones]] – October 20, 2002, with [[The White Stripes]]; September 24, 2005, with [[Beck]]
*[[American Idol]] Live! – November 6, 2002, July 11, 2003 and July 27, 2010
*[[Peter Gabriel]] – November 8, 2002
*[[Nelly]] – November 23, 2002
*[[Guns N' Roses]] – November 25, 2002, with [[CKY (band)|CKY]] and [[Mix Master Mike]]
*[[Martina McBride]] – November 29, 2002; December 15, 2006; February 1, 2008, with [[Jack Ingram]] and Lady Antebellum; February 21, 2010, with [[Trace Adkins]] and [[Sarah Buxton]]
*"A Royal Christmas" Concert – December 8, 2002
*[[Mark Wills]] – January 18, 2003
*[[Bon Jovi]] – February 16, 2003, with The [[Goo Goo Dolls]]; May 10, 2011; March 10, 2013; March 18, 2017
*[[Yanni]] – March 16, 2003; June 7, 2009
*[[Elton John]] – April 22, 2003, with Billy Joel; November 18, 2005
*[[Matchbox Twenty]] – May 25, 2003, with [[Sugar Ray]] and Maroon 5
*The [[Dixie Chicks]] – June 10, 2003, with [[Joan Osborne]]
*[[Mark Chesnutt]] – June 14, 2003, with [[Joe Diffie]] and [[Tracy Lawrence]]
*[[Roscoe (rapper)|Roscoe]] – July 17, 2003, with VI
*The [[Blues Traveler]] – July 18, 2003, with [[Shurman]]
*[[Good Charlotte]] – September 27, 2003, with [[Something Corporate]] and [[The Living End]]
*[[Bette Midler]] – December 13, 2003
*[[Linkin Park]] – January 25, 2004, with [[P.O.D.]], [[Hoobastank]] and The [[Story of the Year]]; February 15, 2008, with [[Coheed and Cambria]] and [[Chiodos]]
*[[Incubus (band)|Incubus]] – July 10, 2004, with [[Sparta (band)|Sparta]] and [[The Vines (band)|The Vines]]
*[[Sarah McLachlan]] – August 28, 2004, with [[Butterfly Boucher]]
*[[Phil Collins]] – September 25, 2004
*[[Alan Jackson]] & The Strayhorns – September 30, 2004, with Martina McBride
*[[Barry Manilow]] – October 16, 2004, February 8, 2008; March 1, 2015, with [[Dave Koz]]
*[[The Wiggles]] – October 31, 2004 (two shows); August 18, 2005 (two shows); August 15, 2006 (two shows); August 14, 2007 (two shows); August 13, 2008
*[[Norah Jones]] – November 4, 2004, with [[Amos Lee]]
*[[Keith Urban]] – November 6, 2004, with [[Katrina Elam]]; October 5, 2005, with Miranda Lambert; August 14, 2009, with Jason Aldean; July 19, 2011, with [[Jake Owen]]
*The [[Trans-Siberian Orchestra]] – December 18, 2004; December 7, 2005; December 6, 2006; December 27, 2007 (2 shows); December 20, 2008 (2 shows); January 3 (2 shows) and December 28 (2 shows), 2010; December 18, 2011 (2 shows); December 30, 2012 (2 shows); December 26, 2013 (2 shows); December 28, 2014 (2 shows)
*[[Phil Vassar]] – January 8, 2005
*[[Slipknot (band)|Slipknot]] – March 8, 2005, with [[Lamb of God (band)|Lamb of God]] and [[Shadows Fall]]
*[[Destiny's Child]] – August 13, 2005, with [[Mario (American singer)|Mario]]
*[[Hilary Duff]] – August 24, 2005
*[[System of a Down]] – September 25, 2005, with [[The Mars Volta]]
*[[Aerosmith]] – November 20, 2005, with [[Lenny Kravitz]]; November 25, 2012, with Cheap Trick
*[[Trick Pony]] – January 21, 2006
*''[[Delirium (Cirque du Soleil)|Delirium]]'' – February 17–18, 2006
*[[Tool (band)|Tool]] – September 21, 2006, with [[Isis (band)|Isis]]
*The [[Gigantour]] – September 23, 2006
*[[The Cheetah Girls (group)|The Cheetah Girls]] – November 9, 2006, with [[Jordan Pruitt]] and [[Vanessa Hudgens]]; November 28, 2008, with [[Clique Girlz]]
*The [[Blue Man Group]] – November 16, 2006 and November 15, 2007
*[[Josh Groban]] – February 21, 2007
*[[John Mayer]] – February 23, 2007 and March 12, 2010, with [[Michael Franti & Spearhead]]
*[[Christina Aguilera]] – April 11, 2007, with [[The Pussycat Dolls]] and [[Danity Kane]]
*[[Yellowcard]] – June 22, 2007
*[[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] – September 22, 2007
*[[Maroon 5]] – October 7, 2007, with [[The Hives]]; March 11, 2015, with [[Magic!|MAGIC!]] and [[Rozzi Crane]]
*[[Brad Paisley]] & The Drama Kings – December 1, 2007, with [[Rodney Atkins]] and Taylor Swift; January 22, 2010, with Miranda Lambert and [[Justin Moore]]; October 5, 2012, with The Band Perry and [[Scotty McCreery]]
*[[Miley Cyrus]] – December 11, 2007, with The Jonas Brothers; October 7, 2009, with [[Metro Station (band)|Metro Station]]
*[[Chris Brown]] – January 30, 2008, with Bow Wow and [[Soulja Boy]]; February 14, 2015, with [[Trey Songz]] and [[Tyga]]
*The [[Casting Crowns]] – March 6, 2008, with [[Leeland (band)|Leeland]]
*[[Hank Williams Jr.]] – April 12, 2008, with [[Lynyrd Skynyrd]] and [[38 Special (band)|.38 Special]]
*[[Michael Bublé]] – April 16, 2008; June 30, 2010, with [[Naturally 7]]
*[[Billy Joel]] – April 20, 2008; July 14, 2009, with Elton John
*[[Natalie Grant]] – April 25–26, 2008, with [[Sandi Patty]]; April 29, 2011
*[[The Police]] – May 4, 2008, with [[Fiction Plane]] and [[Elvis Costello]] & The Imposters
*[[Raven-Symoné]] – June 8, 2008, with [[B5 (group)|B5]]
*The [[Jonas Brothers]] – August 23, 2008, with Demi Lovato; August 26, 2009, with [[Honor Society (band)|Honor Society]] and The [[Wonder Girls]]
*The [[Steve Miller Band]] – November 15, 2008
*The [[Radio City Christmas Spectacular]] - December 9th-10th, 2008
*[[Toby Keith]] – January 31, 2009
*[[Nickelback]] – March 11, 2009, with [[Seether]] and [[Saving Abel]]; October 1, 2010, with [[Three Days Grace]] and Buckcherry; February 27, 2015, with [[The Pretty Reckless]]
*[[New Kids on the Block]] – April 3, 2009, with The [[Jabbawockeez]]
*[[Fleetwood Mac]] – April 18, 2009; April 4, 2013; October 19, 2014
*The [[Johann Strauss Orchestra]] – May 18, 2009
*''[[Saltimbanco]]'' – August 12–13, 15–23, 2009
*[[Creed (band)|Creed]] – September 2, 2009, with [[Staind]] and [[Like a Storm]]
*[[Styx (band)|Styx]] – November 8, 2009, with [[REO Speedwagon]] and The [[Outlaws (band)|Outlaws]]
*[[Steven Curtis Chapman]] – April 30 and May 1, 2010, with Mandisa
*[[Pearl Jam]] – May 6, 2010, with The [[Band of Horses]]
*[[Maxwell (musician)|Maxwell]] – July 9, 2010, with [[Melanie Fiona]]
*The [[Uproar Festival]] – August 24, 2010
*[[Rush (band)|Rush]] – August 29, 2010; September 20, 2012; June 8, 2015
*[[Sugarland]] – September 23, 2010, with Little Big Town and [[Randy Montana]]
*[[Jason Aldean]] – February 26, 2011, with Eric Church and [[The JaneDear Girls]]
*[[Lil Wayne]] – March 18, 2011, with [[Rick Ross]], [[Nicki Minaj]], [[Porcelain Black]], [[Travis Barker]] and [[Mix Master Mike]]
*[[Hawk Nelson]] – March 25–26, 2011, with [[Group 1 Crew]] and [[Britt Nicole]]
*The [[Zac Brown Band]] – May 26, 2011, with [[Blackberry Smoke]]
*[[Taylor Swift]] – June 7, 2011, with [[Needtobreathe]] and [[Frankie Ballard]]; May 8, 2013, with [[Ed Sheeran]] and [[Florida Georgia Line]]; September 17–18, 2015 with [[Vance Joy]]
*[[Britney Spears]] - August 20, 2011
*[[Sammy Hagar]] & [[The Waboritas]] – September 17, 2011
*The [[Foo Fighters]] – September 22, 2011, with [[Rise Against]] and [[The Bronx (band)|The Bronx]]
*[[Bob Seger]] & The Silver Bullet Band – November 4, 2011; January 29, 2015, with [[The J. Geils Band]]
*[[Andrea Bocelli]] – December 1, 2011, with [[Ana María Martínez]] and [[Heather Headley]]
*[[Rascal Flatts]] – January 21, 2012, with [[Sara Evans]] and [[Hunter Hayes]]; February 9, 2013, with The Band Perry
*[[Blake Shelton]] – February 17, 2012, with Justin Moore and [[Meg & Dia]]; September 20, 2013, with [[Easton Corbin]] and [[Jana Kramer]]
*[[Eric Church]] – April 26, 2012, with [[Brantley Gilbert]] and Blackberry Smoke
*[[LMFAO]] – May 22, 2012, with [[Far East Movement]] and [[Sidney Samson]]
*[[New Edition]] – May 23 and 25, 2012
*[[Miranda Lambert]] – June 14, 2012, with [[Chris Young (singer)|Chris Young]] and [[Jerrod Niemann]]; January 17, 2015, with Justin Moore, [[RaeLynn]] and Jukebox Mafia
*[[Big Time Rush (band)|Big Time Rush]] – July 5, 2012, with [[Cody Simpson]] and [[Rachel Crow]]
*[[Journey (band)|Journey]] – November 7, 2012, with [[Pat Benatar]] and [[Loverboy]]
*''[[Quidam]]'' – December 6–9, 2012
*[[Tiësto]] – February 28, 2013, with Quintino and Tommy Trash
*The [[Mormon Tabernacle Choir]] – June 12, 2013
*[[One Direction]] – June 18, 2013, with [[5 Seconds of Summer]]
*[[Justin Bieber]] – July 12, 2013, with [[Hot Chelle Rae]] and [[Mike Posner]]
*The SoundWave Summertime Concert – August 4, 2013
*[[Justin Timberlake]] – November 16, 2013, with DJ Freestyle
*[[Selena Gomez]] – November 23, 2013, with [[Emblem3]] and [[Christina Grimmie]]
*[[Drake (rapper)|Drake]] – December 13, 2013, with [[Miguel (singer)|Miguel]] and [[Future (rapper)|Future]]
*The [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]] – March 5, 2014
*[[Demi Lovato]] – March 22, 2014, with [[Fifth Harmony]], [[Little Mix]] and [[Cher Lloyd]]
*[[Bruce Springsteen]] & The [[E Street Band]] – April 15, 2014
*[[Katy Perry]] – August 13, 2014, with [[Ferras]] and [[Kacey Musgraves]]
*[[The Who]] – May 15, 2015, with [[Joan Jett and the Blackhearts]]
*[[Paul McCartney]] – October 13, 2015
*[[Coldplay]] – July 28, 2016, with [[Foxes (singer)|Foxes]] and [[Alessia Cara]]
*[[Ariana Grande]] – March 9, 2017, with [[Victoria Monét]] and [[Little Mix]]
*[[Twenty One Pilots]] – June 24, 2017, with [[Judah & the Lion]] and Public
*[[Ed Sheeran]] – September 27, 2017, with [[James Blunt]]
*[[Sam Smith (singer)|Sam Smith]] – June 23, 2018
*[[Panic! At the Disco]] – July 15, 2018
*[[Jeff Lynne's ELO]] – July 30, 2019, with [[Dhani Harrison]]
*[[Iron Maiden]] – September 7, 2022, with [[Within Temptation]]
*Panic! At the Disco – September 21, 2022
*[[Trans-Siberian Orchestra]] – December 23, 2022
*[[For King and Country (band)|For King and Country]] – April 7, 2023
}}
-->

===Other events===
*The 2007 [[National Catholic Youth Conference]] 
*The 2011 [[North American Youth Congress]]
*[[Jeff Dunham]] on Controlled Chaos Tour, December 24, 2011
*[[Barack Obama]] held a campaign rally on November 5, 2012, with [[Bruce Springsteen]] and [[Jay-Z]].
*From March 29, 2016, to April 3, 2016, the arena hosted a $1,000,000 international [[Counter-Strike: Global Offensive]] tournament, [[MLG Major Championship: Columbus]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hltv.org/news/16443/mlg-with-250000-major-in-columbus|title=MLG with $250,000 major in Columbus|website=HLTV.org|access-date=14 November 2021}}</ref>
*[[Impractical Jokers]] Santiago Sent Us Tour February 3, 2018
*[[Olivia Rodrigo]] performed two nights at the arena for her [[Guts World Tour]] on March 22, 2024.
*[[Sabrina Carpenter]] performed the opening night of her [[Short_n%27_Sweet_Tour|Short 'n Sweet Tour]] on September 23, 2024.

==Reception==
ESPN The Magazine declared it "the No. 2 stadium experience in professional sports."<ref>{{cite web |title=The Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets|url=http://www.hockeyarenas.com/stadien/columbus/nationwidearenaenglish.htm|publisher=HockeyArenas.com|access-date=February 5, 2013}}</ref>
The Ultimate Sports Road Trip rated it the best arena in the NHL saying "This newer arena in downtown Columbus is the anchor for the emerging Arena District, already burgeoning with shops, restaurants and hotels. The venue is spectacular, from its nostalgic brick and stone veneer to its sweeping concourses with blue mood lighting and modern amenities. The arena bowl has state of the art scoreboards and surround LED graphics boards which look 21st century high tech. With a separate practice rink built right in the facility, theme restaurants and great food selection, not to mention a raucous hockey atmosphere, this NHL venue is a must see!"<ref>{{cite web |title=NHL Venue Rankings|url=http://www.thesportsroadtrip.com/nhlfavorites.html|publisher=The Sports Roadtrip|access-date=February 5, 2013}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of indoor arenas by capacity]]

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|http://www.nationwidearena.com}}
* [http://www.arenatrack.com/?at_id=350 Arena map and directions]

{{s-start}}
{{succession box | before = first arena | title = Home of the<br />[[Columbus Blue Jackets]] | years = 2000–present | after = current}}
{{succession box | before = [[Scotiabank Place]] | title = Host of the<br />[[NHL All-Star Game]] | years = 2015 | after = [[Bridgestone Arena]]}}
{{Succession box | before = [[American Airlines Center]] | title = [[NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA Women's Division I]]<br />[[NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship|Basketball Tournament]]<br />Finals Venue | years = [[2018 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament|2018]] | after = [[Amalie Arena]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{NHL Arenas}}
{{Columbus Blue Jackets}}
{{Columbus Destroyers}}
{{Columbus, Ohio}}
{{Music venues of Ohio}}
{{PVF Arenas}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2000 establishments in Ohio]]
[[Category:Columbus Blue Jackets]]
[[Category:Basketball venues in Columbus, Ohio]]
[[Category:Gymnastics venues in the United States]]
[[Category:Ice hockey venues in Ohio]]
[[Category:Mixed martial arts venues in the United States]]
[[Category:National Hockey League venues]]
[[Category:Ohio State University buildings]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 2000]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Columbus, Ohio]]
[[Category:Indoor arenas in Columbus, Ohio]]
[[Category:Indoor arenas in Ohio]]
[[Category:Arena District]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Downtown Columbus, Ohio]]
[[Category:Volleyball venues in the United States]]