Ravens Fan Commitment

**Bhcforlife** · 01-03-2018, 08:27 AM

They have perks but it's nothing major. You can win the chance to go on the field and hold one of the flags before the game, and depending on when you pay, you can have a chance to win various prizes in the offseason, but I've never won anything (and I've been a PSL holder since 2003). You definitely don't buy them for any perks...you buy them to go to the games, which nobody wants to do anymore, lol.

**The Fanatic** · 01-03-2018, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by Bhcforlife

They have perks but it's nothing major. You can win the chance to go on the field and hold one of the flags before the game, and depending on when you pay, you can have a chance to win various prizes in the offseason, but I've never won anything (and I've been a PSL holder since 2003). You definitely don't buy them for any perks...you buy them to go to the games, which nobody wants to do anymore, lol.

Season ticket owner and PSL owner since 1996. I've never won anything either other than the highest percentage of ticket price increase every time they increase prices.
There are a few nice prizes to be won such as away game trips.
The only things I'd consider major perks are first crack at playoff tickets and entry into the lottery for a chance to buy Superbowl tickets at cost if the team goes to the Superbowl.
If your PSLs are in the club level that lottery is more heavily weighted towards you which I think is bullshit as well.

**ERey** · 01-03-2018, 09:58 AM

I bought two PSLs in 2000. I'm pretty sure they were some of the cheapest you can buy at $500 each. I don't regret buying them, although all the advantage goes to the owners if you didn't cash out when they went up in value. I attend the games, although this year has been rough. I sold 3 games and ate the tickets on a few others. I plan on attending all the games next year.

As far as advantages of being a PSL owner, I've seen very little. I've never won any of the drawings. I have used the NFL Replay, or rather my son has. I didn't get picked for Super Bowl tickets so I had to spend a fortune in the secondary market which was really annoying because I know fans who were picked and sold them.

I'm not to fond of the cement block stadium either. Restroom lines are to long and the food isn't all that great. Parking is expensive and the walk to the upper deck sucks. If it rains you're sitting in the elements for hours (yes I'm fond of the new stadiums in Dallas, Minnesota and Atlanta). But I still go because I enjoy football live. At least they are installing escalators.

**usmccharles** · 01-03-2018, 10:02 AM

Interesting comments. I think the product at home is just so good, doesn't make a lot of sense anymore to a lot of fans to go spend the amount of money it takes to go in person. One maybe two games a year I'm good, but I also don't live in Baltimore

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**PurplePill** · 01-03-2018, 10:10 AM

I guess it depends if you see your tickets as some sort of investment, or see then as your tickets to go see the Ravens play football. I never bought any of my four PSL's as investments. In fact I bought my last two at a big markups, even though I knew I'd never see the full value returned to me if/when I finally sell them. I simply WANTED the two seats next to mine and was willing to pay a premium to get them. To me it was worth it to have control of who sits next to me. If I didn't buy them, they would have probably gone to brokers and I would have had Steelers, Redskins, Cowboys, Raiders fans, on and on next to me for every game. This way I sell them at face value to friends and can actually enjoy the game rather than dealing with drunk a-hole fans sitting next to me. What I'm getting at is try not to get hung up on what your tickets are worth. They will go up and they will go down. Right now is THE WORST time to sell your PSL's in the history of the team. People selling now at huge discounts are nuts. The market will rebound eventually. Use your tickets and sell the ones you can't use to RAVENS FANS whenever possible. I'd sell for face value for Ravens fans over taking 2 or 3x the money from opposing fans.

**Bhcforlife** · 01-03-2018, 10:11 AM

Have to remember even w/ their prizes and stuff, there are tens of thousands of PSL owners so it's not like the odds are in your favor to win anything.

Until recently one of the "perks" of being a PSL owner was that you got to pay for two games worth of playoff tickets in early December if the team appeared to have any chance of the playoffs. And if you didn't pay then, you didn't get to buy your seat for the playoffs. To be fair if there was no home playoff game, they applied to next years tix, but it's a nice way of getting our money and starting to draw interest on it. They've thankfully changed that in recent years, where you can do pay as you go and will only be charged for games they actually play.

**ERey** · 01-03-2018, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by usmccharles

Interesting comments. I think the product at home is just so good, doesn't make a lot of sense anymore to a lot of fans to go spend the amount of money it takes to go in person. One maybe two games a year I'm good, but I also don't live in Baltimore

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I think it depends on what you like to watch. I like watching the players on the sideline so I can see what's going on. I also like watching the receiver routes and the entire defensive backfield. I like the player introductions and all the excitement that goes with it. And I like hearing the fans on 3rd down and on scoring plays. These are things you just can't get from home.

But yes, I watched from home that past Sunday and no doubt the warm fire, rest room, food, couch, no commute/walk and big screen TV were all preferable! I get it.

**Bhcforlife** · 01-03-2018, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by usmccharles

Interesting comments. I think the product at home is just so good, doesn't make a lot of sense anymore to a lot of fans to go spend the amount of money it takes to go in person. One maybe two games a year I'm good, but I also don't live in Baltimore

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Pretty much agree and I've been on the fence w/ selling my PSLs for a couple years now. Going to wait and see what they do in the next couple weeks but it may finally be time. I don't care so much about the monetary investment, I got 15 years of going to games with my dad and lots of great memories I wouldn't change for anything, but we can watch games from home now in HD where I don't have to worry about him freezing to death and is overall a much more enjoyable experience vs. going to a Dec 31 game sitting in 10 degree weather for several hours just to have the team take a big dump on your face.

**esmd** · 01-03-2018, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by The Fanatic

Season ticket owner and PSL owner since 1996. I've never won anything either other than the highest percentage of ticket price increase every time they increase prices.
There are a few nice prizes to be won such as away game trips.
The only things I'd consider major perks are first crack at playoff tickets and entry into the lottery for a chance to buy Superbowl tickets at cost if the team goes to the Superbowl.
If your PSLs are in the club level that lottery is more heavily weighted towards you which I think is bullshit as well.

Oh yeah, and then there's that. I started sitting in my seats in 2006. The cost per ticket was $60. Now, it's $103. Total cost per season has gone from $1200 to just over $1900. That's a pretty big rate of inflation, IMO. Parking used to be $20. Now it's $40. Just another reason to be disgusted with the current state of things.

**bmorecareful** · 01-03-2018, 10:20 AM

The whole idea of "fickle fans" is kind of BS. We don't owe the team anything. I'm not here to impress anybody or be a "real fan," I enjoy sports and have since I was a child but the product needs to be good enough to earn my interest. I have plenty of books to read, movies to watch, people to meet and talk to, places to see, etc. etc. that if football went away my life wouldn't be over.

It's not just Baltimore, interest in the NFL is declining precipitously across the country. Most or all owners across the league seem to take the fans for granted and just assume they can do whatever they want and the money will keep flowing in. Prices for everything are absolutely exorbitant despite NFL owners having virtually no investment risk to cover--stadiums are financed by the taxpayers/gov't subsidies and revenue sharing protects the least profitable teams.

The NFL has been coddled and propped up with crony capitalism for so long that they no longer even understand the basic business concepts of selling a strong product at an attractive price in a competitive market while keeping costs lean and reinvesting the profits.

**Raven1998** · 01-03-2018, 10:21 AM

Watching the Ravens defense screw up 4th and 12 with a minute to go is much better at home than at the stadium.

**Captain Offense** · 01-03-2018, 10:22 AM

I have been a PSL Owner since 1998 (the first year) and a Season Ticket Holder since 1996. I have been one of the fortunate ones to get some things, including winning the Super Bowl Lottery for two tickets. Still, over the last few years I have felt like the NFL, and the Ravens, have been less concerned about the regular-level fans (non-corporate/non-lunch pail].

One of the big moves that impacted me was the Training Camp change. I understand the business element of it, but the atmosphere at Camp before the change was a major difference. I have seven grandchildren and looked forward to taking them to Camp when they got old enough; just for the experience. The Stadium events are OK but nothing like they used to be for fans.

For the last few years I have felt a watered-down experience at the stadium. There are a lot of people who come and seem disinterested - tied to their cell phone, more often than not. There are less fans who are into the game, as I have seen a lot more complaints to "sit down" - even on Defense's third down plays. The team has not been exciting, since I am finding myself feeling like the Offense will be three-and-out and/or the Defense will give up a score after the team has gone ahead. And the NFL has made it hard to cheer when you have to delay your "knee-jerk" reaction while you wait for the flag or the review. Frankly, at the end of the Colts' game I did not get excited because I was certain there was a flag for something.

I will be there next year and will be supportive of the team. But I will look forward to tailgating more than football; and the NFL/Ravens are shoving tailgating farther from the stadium with the "policy" that has been instituted at their lots. I want to have fun with friends, and the NFL used to be part of that plan. I want the sport and only the sport; and I want football to be football. Right now, I am not sure what they are putting out on the field. Hell, they can't even get a "catch" right.