Ravens Fan Commitment

**PurplePill** · 01-04-2018, 11:12 AM

I think fan apathy is the best way to describe it. Most of us here are still huge Ravens fans, but it just doesn't hold that place of importance for many of us that it used to. I know for me it started the last couple of years with the uninspired play and lack of star talent. Then this year the London protest happened and man that just took it to another level in my mind. I've been a season ticket holder since they got here and for close to 20 years I basically never missed a game. The last two years I've gone to 4 games each. Used to be if I missed a game and we won I would be kicking myself all week for not going. I just don't feel that way anymore. The four games I missed this year were two wins and two losses and I don't regret missing any of them. Sad I know. I will always be a Ravens fan but the NFL to me is just a casual entertainment option, no longer life and death. I'm just as happy to go to a Maryland basketball game or a race or an occasional Caps game. 3 or 4 Ravens home games per year along with maybe one away game suits me just fine now. Doesn't make me happy to say that but it is what it is...

**I Touchdown There** · 01-04-2018, 11:26 AM

going to ravens games is still a special event for me...BUT! my dad owns the PSLs, so he's paying, not me...i look at games now as quality time with my dad and brother. the tailgating aspect at times is the highlight of the day. I still do love being there when something good happens... and say what you will, but being there Sunday for Chris Moore's big run, and later, Collins' 4th down touchdown, high-fiving fans around you... such a great feeling. I don't disagree the team has issues with the fans they have to deal with, but just sharing my perspective. oh, and to save money, I usually just drink enough beer at the tailgate so I won't need to buy any at the stadium... and bring enough food to eat at the tailgate so I don't need any during the game

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

**stevez51** · 01-04-2018, 12:29 PM

I have been a PSL holder since the beginning. Going to games was an event. Tailgating then going in made the day. After 22 yrs it isn't as much. My son's have got older as have I ( 62 ), but I do like spending the day with them and we all like football.

Now the costs have gotten out of control as have the rules. $25. to park is now $40.. The restrictions put in are crazy. When you have parking security telling people they cannot play cornhole in an empty lot, that's enough. Maybe that is why the lots are no longer filled. Wouldn't it be better to have a full lot @ $30. then half empty at $40.

Since we tailgate with plenty of food & drink I am not effected by inside costs. The only lines inside I saw inside this year were for Shake Shack, but that will decrease in time. Maybe follow Blank's decision in Atlanta. Reasonable food prices, $2. hot dogs, $6. beers might increase sales. Can't really blame the Ravens on this, likely the MD Stadium Authority. Where many complaints should be directed at.

Can't wait for the escalators to come. But there sure will be long lines. My sister who had a knee replacement along with having asthma was turned away from using the elevators this year several times. Seems the elevators are no longer taking people to the upper deck level. Likely another Stadium Authority rule.

But I will still support the team because its still football and seeing the same people in your section every game and yelling and cheering right along with them still makes the whole day enjoyable.

**WrongBaldy** · 01-04-2018, 12:49 PM

so what yall think of the opresser?

**MyTurn** · 01-04-2018, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by stevez51

The restrictions put in are crazy. When you have parking security telling people they cannot play cornhole in an empty lot, that's enough. Maybe that is why the lots are no longer filled. Wouldn't it be better to have a full lot @ $30. then half empty at $40.

My group tailgates in a private lot. I just read the rules on the M&T lots and if we followed those rules we would not tailgate. No radios except from your car, no open fires, no lighter fluid, no pop-up tents, no generators. Park with your store bought sandwich and quietly wait for the game to begin seems to be the message. If it's raining or cold too bad. From the comments in this thread it seems clear that one of the most enjoyable parts of going to the stadium is the tailgating, I know it is the highlight of the gameday experience for me. It seems these rules are in place to remove that as an enjoyable experience in pursuit, I assume, for lower liability to the lot operators.

Whichever authoritative body is imposing these rules needs to understand how important tailgating is to the gameday experience and what makes it enjoyable.

**The Fanatic** · 01-04-2018, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by MyTurn

My group tailgates in a private lot. I just read the rules on the M&T lots and if we followed those rules we would not tailgate. No radios except from your car, no open fires, no lighter fluid, no pop-up tents, no generators. Park with your store bought sandwich and quietly wait for the game to begin seems to be the message. If it's raining or cold too bad. From the comments in this thread it seems clear that one of the most enjoyable parts of going to the stadium is the tailgating, I know it is the highlight of the gameday experience for me. It seems these rules are in place to remove that as an enjoyable experience in pursuit, I assume, for lower liability to the lot operators.

Whichever authoritative body is imposing these rules needs to understand how important tailgating is to the gameday experience and what makes it enjoyable.

The tailgating is absolutely the main reason I still go. My wife and I have made some great friends both from being on here and tailgating with the same people. As I have gotten older and undergone some health issues the past two years the long day has become far more difficult to endure. The cost for myself and wife just for our two tickets and parking for each game is nearly $400.00. It started out being about $150.00 which was much more manageable.
Fortunately I sit in a good desirable location for selling tickets on ticket exchange which I did a couple times this year to help offset the cost to me.
My PSLs have been on the marketplace for a couple years now waiting for the right offer.
There is no way I'm going to just forfeit over the PSLs by not buying the season tickets when I could take a lesser offer than I want if I got desperate.
At some point I'll lower the asking price for the PSLs but right now is not the time to be hoping to make money on the sale of PSLs.
I never entered into PSL ownership as a future investment but I'll be damned if I'm walking away without some $$ in my pocket when I relinquish ownership.
Once again next season I will put a few games tickets on the ticket exchange to help offset my increasing cost and possibly do them all as we may possibly move out of state this summer.

**Loco Ravens Fan** · 01-04-2018, 02:29 PM

I agree that especially winning the current Ravens way feels like the team lost the game and it is not fun! However, my spouse reminds me when I am mad at the lousy play calling that Baltimore has a team which took the place of the real Baltimore Colts when Irsay stole them away to Indianapolis! I endured too many years of missing going to NFL games and not even having a bad, losing Baltimore Colts team to cheer for because another city had my team. So I will continue to go to every home game because I don’t ever want to relive those late 80’s and early 90’s when Baltimore was without an NFL team! For those of us who remember having no team was way worse than winning ugly! Go Ravens!

**stevez51** · 01-04-2018, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by MyTurn

My group tailgates in a private lot. I just read the rules on the M&T lots and if we followed those rules we would not tailgate. No radios except from your car, no open fires, no lighter fluid, no pop-up tents, no generators. Park with your store bought sandwich and quietly wait for the game to begin seems to be the message. If it's raining or cold too bad. From the comments in this thread it seems clear that one of the most enjoyable parts of going to the stadium is the tailgating, I know it is the highlight of the gameday experience for me. It seems these rules are in place to remove that as an enjoyable experience in pursuit, I assume, for lower liability to the lot operators.

Whichever authoritative body is imposing these rules needs to understand how important tailgating is to the gameday experience and what makes it enjoyable.

I believe the main lots are under the stadium authority control. The Colt game in the rain we stretched a tarp between 2 vehicles to keep our food table dry. No no said the security people its in the rules. Explained the rules say poled tents but nope not buying it. We did the same a couple of years ago at the Viking snow game with no problems. Also at the time we tried there were about 6 cars in the whole row. Going into the game there were about 10 in the row. It was like we would start an epidemic of people using tarps.

Tailgating is a fun time to eat, drink and talk football. Then go enjoy a game.

**WrongBaldy** · 01-04-2018, 04:29 PM

yikes
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/2...regular-season

**Trackmaster** · 01-04-2018, 04:38 PM

I don't really see the huge problem with PSL's. Teams don't make that much money off of them. Back in the day before PSL's, people would just leave season tickets to their kids and grandkids, and the list would never move. This way if you know you want season tickets, you just go to the market exchange and get them. And then you have the possibility of recovering some of that investment back down the line later. I think that people had sold their season tickets illegally before PSL's anyway, so this just facilitates the process and makes it more legal and easier to manage.

Without licenses, I guess that the egalitarian way of doing it to make sure that new people can get a crack at tickets would be to not allow renewals, but I think that fans prefer to stay in the same seats, and they start to enjoy their community around them.

**Trackmaster** · 01-04-2018, 04:44 PM

I think its to be expected. We had one of the most successful franchises in the league from 2000-2012, and had a very strong run from 2008-2012, and this was all capped off with a second Super Bowl win. I remember the feeling when I was on Fed Hill knowing that it was probably the pinnacle I'd feel as a Baltimore sports fan. When you're on top, there's only one place to go, and that's down. I think that for years, getting close to the promised land, but never getting there kept the fan passion alive, but once the fans got it, they lost interest. They would have kept a strong interest, but we went into a mediocre period afterwards. That shock was enough to breed some apathy. You might be happy with getting to week 17 in a play-off race if you barely go to the play-offs, but when you expect deep play-off runs regularly, its tough to expect anything less.

**cvilleRaven** · 01-04-2018, 05:23 PM

Originally Posted by WrongBaldy

yikes
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/2...regular-season

The article goes on to show that NFL football is still the highest draw in any given time slot. So, football is still king.

But, losing nearly 10% of viewership? That's bad. And it has NOTHING to do with cord cutting. I cut cable TV 2 seasons ago, but I have not missed a game. If people aren't watching because they don't have cable (which, why that affects local broadcast, which is always carrying some game, is beyond me), then they weren't actually fans of football in general (or a particular team) to begin with - it was background noise. Or, they're confused as to the current rule interpretations and no longer understand the product. Either way, the league needs to remedy that problem.