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  1. #13

    Re: When the Ravens moved to Baltimore (Maryland born residents).

    Quote Originally Posted by Desert Raven View Post
    You make a fair point, and I don’t think that it can be overlooked as to why the Ravens even after last season couldn’t get much of a national bandwagon going. The Ravens are a difficult team to merchandise because stylistically they’re a tough team to market as “cool”. Especially to kids. Even when I do see the occasional Lamar jersey it’s almost always the black jersey. You either love the purple, or you hate it. I stopped wearing jerseys with the names of other men on them years ago, but when I did wear them I always bought the white jersey. Purple wasn’t my thing, still isn’t. I still wear my black Ravens cap around town here to show my allegiance, but I’ve never bought or worn purple anything because I don’t like a lot of their merchandise, and the Ravens are my team. I don’t disagree that an update of their branding might be a good move.
    Personally I love our colors/branding but that's just me!

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk





  2. #14

    Re: When the Ravens moved to Baltimore (Maryland born residents).

    The ravens need all the fans they can get due to their limited geography. The game day experience has really gone down hill as the younger crowd seems to have left. There used to be bands and large gatherings before the games that have disappeared the last 2 years.





  3. #15

    Re: When the Ravens moved to Baltimore (Maryland born residents).

    I have season tix since year 1 and also went with my dad to Colts games from ‘73 - ‘83.

    For starters, I think it took a season or two for fans just to warm up to the idea of Baltimore taking another city’s team after losing the Colts in similar fashion. I remember going to the Hard Rock Cafe to a funk/jazz concert with Eric Burdon from War. May 1997 time frame.. The Ravens had been here a year. Michael McCrary had just signed and the flagship station at the time set up outside to welcome McCrary to town. I remember this like it was yesterday - less than 20 people even stood around to watch the McCrary interview and after he was done I swear maybe 3-4 people actually stopped to say hi and ask for an autograph. Can you imagine that happening 3 years later following the 2000 SB? So.. I think we started off slow. By 2001 we were the hottest ticket in town and would remain that way for another 15 years.

    Fast forward to now.. The core group of original season ticket holders are getting older. The next generation.. Millenials, Gen whatever, etc. don’t seem like they are going to spend their money on season tickets/PSLs. I think even without the flag flap, or other social justice stuff that rubs certain fans the wrong way, and now with Covid in the mix, you’d be hard pressed to find a replacement for 2000-2015. So... I don’t think there’s a bandwagon. There was but it’s emptied a good bit.





  4. #16

    Re: When the Ravens moved to Baltimore (Maryland born residents).

    Quote Originally Posted by balbomb View Post
    So many combinations have led to the decline of the diehard fans. Think winning two superbowls has led to less bitterness over the colts (always sort of enjoyed the bitter edge which in turn I believe led to fans being more diehard). I think the changing of the rules and the deemphasis on hard hitting defenses has at least in my case made me less passionate about the game than I used to be. I think not having a game changing qb/rb/wr until last year makes us less desirable nationally. Also it's hard to replace a generational talent and personality like Ray Lewis. Beyond anything else, the kneeling in London has turned off a huge percentage of the fanbase, I know I sold my season tickets after buying them from my dad and grandfather who were Colts season ticket holders and original ravens PSL owners, and still traveling back 6 games a year from Las Vegas.

    Football and the Ravens have definitely changed a lot in 25 years, I just feel strongly that in order to achieve the economic success the NFL has turned its back on the fans that got them there in the first place.
    From the media perspective, I still think that once they got pretty much blacklisted after the Ray Lewis incident, that thug label stuck. Then Jamal happened and it was another black eye. They’ve definitely come around more than they used to, but they’ll never embrace the Ravens as one of their darlings. Some even still bring up the old Browns stuff, I mean it’s been 25 years. They cozy up to certain team that are mostly offensive driven. Aside from last year the Ravens never really fit the mold.

    From the fan perspective, once you’ve seen Ray and Ed play and some of those defenses, you’ve reached the pinnacle for as good as you’re going to see it for at least for a little while. Those games from 2008-2012 were so awesomely intense, that’s about as high of a level that there was, and it culminated with a SB win. A lot of fans I think felt satisfaction for a while, especially after coming back from the 2011 heartbreak to the same situation again the very next season and getting it done.

    The generational aspect also makes a lot of sense, the game just isn’t being handed down like it used to, and that probably has something to do with the NFL watering it down along with the entertainment preferences of younger people. It’s not the same game as it was when I first started watching, and I don’t know how attractive this version is to gain new viewers. It’s slowly but surely moving towards more of a scripted sports entertainment league it seems, but I hope they don’t take that too far. They try and position outcomes way too much.

    Going back from LV 6 times a year for games is pretty hardcore though. Hats off.





  5. #17

    Re: When the Ravens moved to Baltimore (Maryland born residents).

    Quote Originally Posted by Desert Raven View Post
    You make a fair point, and I don’t think that it can be overlooked as to why the Ravens even after last season couldn’t get much of a national bandwagon going. The Ravens are a difficult team to merchandise because stylistically they’re a tough team to market as “cool”. Especially to kids. Even when I do see the occasional Lamar jersey it’s almost always the black jersey. You either love the purple, or you hate it. I stopped wearing jerseys with the names of other men on them years ago, but when I did wear them I always bought the white jersey. Purple wasn’t my thing, still isn’t. I still wear my black Ravens cap around town here to show my allegiance, but I’ve never bought or worn purple anything because I don’t like a lot of their merchandise, and the Ravens are my team. I don’t disagree that an update of their branding might be a good move.
    That is hilarious about the "names of other men". As an adult, I would never wear a jersey for the same reason, I was making myself less than somebody else. I had a similar thing with going to bars in my 20s, we'd never go where a live band was playing and other men were "elevated"...figuratively, physically...:)

    I have to admit, after a couple of years post-Colts (I don't blame Irsay by the way, he had valid points, I blame John Steadman for driving them out), I started following the Redskins cuz of Joe Gibbs (he was a fun coach to follow) and I loved the rivalry with the NYG. But when the Ravens took the field in that first preseason game vs Philly in 96 or whenever it was, I couldn't come back right away. I was nauseated, I remember me and my gf were at a sports bar/restaurant. I don't know how anybody could. I am convinced, and still am, that our unis are/were a deliberate "uglification".

    My kid has/had all three color jerseys which he wore to Va elem/middle/high school on Fridays and as you pointed out, he was razzed but was told the white was "ok". He was the only Ravens fan in the middle/high school...even after the Bowl win. There was no "bandwagon". Washington still has a following with younger kids despite Snyder and the past 30 years of blah. By the way, I love what NFL/WFT did with their style. That's classic.

    You just look at that playoff game last year... the Titans look like a football team... our team, and the stadium, was a bright glistening purple cabaret... everybody knew deep down the football team would prevail.

    I thought the 5 million Jimmy asked for the Colts name wasn't exorbitant at all...although I do find the Colts look kind of plain these days, it would be so much better... then I don't know what Modell and now Bisciotti are thinking with these get-ups. Looks, appearance, perception, visual appeal matters, it's 90% of it.

    You know what it's like... Revenge of the Nerds when they win the Greek Games but as Gilbert or the other nerd said, it still doesn't matter...their house still gets trashed...logos stood upon...etc...





  6. #18

    Re: When the Ravens moved to Baltimore (Maryland born residents).

    Quote Originally Posted by 52N19 View Post
    The ravens need all the fans they can get due to their limited geography. The game day experience has really gone down hill as the younger crowd seems to have left. There used to be bands and large gatherings before the games that have disappeared the last 2 years.
    Going to games is significantly more expensive now.





  7. #19

    Re: When the Ravens moved to Baltimore (Maryland born residents).

    Quote Originally Posted by wecoxepa View Post
    this...we could only wish for bandwagon fans...the Ravens are not marketable and have zero following sans a familial Baltimore connection. The uniforms are busy, garish, gaudy and ugly. That's why the ugly shield is danced on, it just invites it. Nobody would dance on the Steeler logo. As an extension of the Carolina/Jax expansion, it's basically punishment by NFL properties, in my opinion. Maybe for the Speros lawsuit or for carting that weird Boogie guy in front of them. Loud purple sux (U of Wash matted purple would work well from a traditional, simpler, streamlined approach to our appearance)....the Vikings could never generate the national interest the Cowboys, Steelers and Raiders...and Colts...could in the 70s, and it didn't have anything to do with losing the Bowls. It was the Easter egg purple and yellow and outdated black shoes. Despite the purple people eaters, they were goofy and not one SB opponent had fear. Stram had a field day hamming it up.

    Like Bud Grant, Bisciotti or whomever is stuck in the previous decades of the times.The number font is awful, too. Wake up Bisciotti. Less is more, people want traditional. It could work with toned down purple, gold trim and nothing else (Warren Moon Rose Bowl, for example). The Cowboys are still the most popular jersey, by far, despite doing nothing on the field. They get respect. What happened when TO danced on the star?

    It's about appearances..i.e. the merch people wear. You walk around with a Ravens jersey, not around Baltimore, you're kinda laughed at. Even after a Bowl win. It's what the product looks like.

    Why do ex-Ravens who had success with the Ravens but also some other team kind of keep the Ravens stuff on the down low? You'd never think Shannon Sharpe played for the Ravens and was a vital contributor to a Bowl. Broncos, Broncos, Broncos... others, too.

    As Desert said, Lamar picked up some fans, kids, really, but that's all gone and was about him.
    Not all ex ravens keep the ravens stuff on thr down low. Sharpe does for sure but guys like Mason and Boldin and Smith Sr have a lot of love for the Ravens. As does Ricky Williams who was only here one year. Some guys like Sharpe and Woodson had hall of fame careers mostly elsewhere and they prefer the elsewhere. Boldin had hia best years with the Cards but still talks highly of the Ravens and may havr even said if he goes into the hall he wants to be a raven.





  8. #20

    Re: When the Ravens moved to Baltimore (Maryland born residents).

    Quote Originally Posted by wecoxepa View Post
    That is hilarious about the "names of other men". As an adult, I would never wear a jersey for the same reason, I was making myself less than somebody else. I had a similar thing with going to bars in my 20s, we'd never go where a live band was playing and other men were "elevated"...figuratively, physically...:)

    I have to admit, after a couple of years post-Colts (I don't blame Irsay by the way, he had valid points, I blame John Steadman for driving them out), I started following the Redskins cuz of Joe Gibbs (he was a fun coach to follow) and I loved the rivalry with the NYG. But when the Ravens took the field in that first preseason game vs Philly in 96 or whenever it was, I couldn't come back right away. I was nauseated, I remember me and my gf were at a sports bar/restaurant. I don't know how anybody could. I am convinced, and still am, that our unis are/were a deliberate "uglification".

    My kid has/had all three color jerseys which he wore to Va elem/middle/high school on Fridays and as you pointed out, he was razzed but was told the white was "ok". He was the only Ravens fan in the middle/high school...even after the Bowl win. There was no "bandwagon". Washington still has a following with younger kids despite Snyder and the past 30 years of blah. By the way, I love what NFL/WFT did with their style. That's classic.

    You just look at that playoff game last year... the Titans look like a football team... our team, and the stadium, was a bright glistening purple cabaret... everybody knew deep down the football team would prevail.

    I thought the 5 million Jimmy asked for the Colts name wasn't exorbitant at all...although I do find the Colts look kind of plain these days, it would be so much better... then I don't know what Modell and now Bisciotti are thinking with these get-ups. Looks, appearance, perception, visual appeal matters, it's 90% of it.

    You know what it's like... Revenge of the Nerds when they win the Greek Games but as Gilbert or the other nerd said, it still doesn't matter...their house still gets trashed...logos stood upon...etc...
    I thought Irsay asked for 25 million





  9. Re: When the Ravens moved to Baltimore (Maryland born residents).

    I never knew the Baltimore Colts. But I’ve been a ravens fan since they came, as I would be for any Baltimore sport. It’s why I can’t find the point in bandwagoning for dc sports that Baltimore doesn’t have, like basketball and hockey. Give us a team, I’ll root the hell out for them.

    For me it’s more about hometown than it is about success. Which is why I always get upset when I’m reminded every year that Steelers fans live in Baltimore.





  10. #22
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    Re: When the Ravens moved to Baltimore (Maryland born residents).

    Quote Originally Posted by Upper Deck John View Post
    I thought Irsay asked for 25 million
    That's my recollection, and it was framed as just to get him to consider sending the name and colours back.

    On the OP: Born in Maryland, I was raised a Baltimore Colts fan, like all good and decent people. My first shirt had a 19 on it, though the hero of my childhood wore a 7. The Irsays snuck out of town on my sixteenth birthday.

    My mother is from the D.C. area, so I gradually became a Redskins fan. I was a Skins fan when they beat Elway and the Broncos in the Super Bowl, and when they beat down the Bills. I was still a Skins fan when the Modell franchise came to Baltimore, and I was happy he left the name, history, and colours in Cleveland. I never would have rooted for a Baltimore Browns. When they became the Ravens, they became my second favourite team. Dan Snyder ended my time as a Skins fan, however, and soon after he bought the team. He's a weasel. I haven't looked back from being a Ravens fan since.

    I don't have the scratch to be a PSL holder, though I've bought tickets from friends who are from time to time over the years. Tbh, I prefer watching on a big screen TV with beer, snacks, and a bathroom close at hand. Being at the game is a fun experience not matched at home, but still.





  11. #23
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    Re: When the Ravens moved to Baltimore (Maryland born residents).

    Quote Originally Posted by Ravenboy2003 View Post
    I have season tix since year 1 and also went with my dad to Colts games from ‘73 - ‘83.
    Very similar to me. I sporadically could attend Colts games as a young boy, then became a season ticket holder during the Bert Jones era before moving South, then returning to an empty Memorial Stadium. Two years attending most Stallions game (wtf is a "rouge, anyway?). Then bought season tickets in 1996, and never looked back until now. Even though I have fantastic, rain-protected sideline seats, my inclination is to give them up after 25 years of support, due the the Ravens unnecessary foray into matters which are not football related. Most other season ticket holders I know have either already bailed, after London, or are on the same fence as me: leaning towards quitting (live attendance).


    Quote Originally Posted by 52N19 View Post
    The ravens need all the fans they can get due to their limited geography. The game day experience has really gone down hill as the younger crowd seems to have left. There used to be bands and large gatherings before the games that have disappeared the last 2 years.
    and

    Quote Originally Posted by Ravenboy2003 View Post
    The core group of original season ticket holders are getting older. The next generation: Millenials, Gen whatever, etc. don’t seem like they are going to spend their money on season tickets/PSLs. I think even without the flag flap, or other social justice stuff that rubs certain fans the wrong way, and now with Covid in the mix, you’d be hard pressed to find a replacement for 2000-2015. So... I don’t think there’s a bandwagon. There was but it’s emptied a good bit.

    A part of the problem is that the old Colts fans are dying off or quitting in disgust due to the new NFL's policy of medding in non-football issues. Colts fans who were ravenous Baltimore supporters who identified closely with the players, many of whom worked in Baltimore in off-seasons instead of moving out to income tax-free Nevada and Florida to evade Maryland's high income tax rates.

    The millenials and Xers etc have too many other alternatives. Fascination with their cellphones and other distractions And its getting worse. I took my 9 y/o grandson to Redskins club seats last season when these face value $400 seats were going for $21. As soon as it got chilly, young grandson and buddy went into the section of that club lounge to play "Madden" video games for the entire 2nd half.

    I don't think that it's a Ravens bandwagon fan problem. It's NFL-wide.
    In a 2003 BBC poll that asked Brits to name the "Greatest American Ever", Mr. T came in fourth, behind ML King (3rd), Abe Lincoln (2nd) and Homer Simpson (1st).





  12. #24

    Re: When the Ravens moved to Baltimore (Maryland born residents).

    Quote Originally Posted by charmcityraven View Post
    Quick question for those Ravens fans who were born in Maryland, and were here when the Ravens moved here. Do you feel the Ravens fanbase has gotten more bandwagon over the years vs when they moved here? Remember Tracey Ham and the Stallions at memorial? I've been a fan when they weren't that good. I feel like many users who aren't from here had a team and switched over. Does that bother you? I can tell by the switching up every week by certain people on here when they lose.

    I feel the Ravens have gotten more bandwagon fans because of the Ravens winning tradition, world class organization, the drafting, superstar players (reid/lewis). Thoughts?
    I still have a CFL Colts tshirt. I was there for that weird CFL football...loving being in the stadium and seeing Big Wheel do his thing like he did when I was a young guy at Memorial. This fanbase has high standards and I dont think that's a bad thing. Being a Moco guy I get accused of being bandwagon guy, many times by bitter skins fans, and laugh in there faces and tell them I was a Colts fan and had season tickets for the Ravens since 1996. Ravens fans have high standards and that's fine.
    Lamar has won over a lot.of St Louis people and kids. I'm fine with that.

    I was there booing Eway with my Dad... ELWAY SUCKS!!! ELWAY SUCKS!!!! ... it was deafening.





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