October 1, 2017
M&T Bank Stadium (Capacity: 71,008)
Baltimore, MD
Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Final Score: 9 – 26
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NFL games have been good to me weather-wise and it was a beautiful Sunday to check out the Baltimore Ravens. The Charm City is the 24th largest in the country with a population of 621,000 and is located in Northeast Maryland on the Patapsco River (which leads into the Chesapeake Bay). This section of the river forms a harbor around Baltimore and it is this Inner Harbor that defines the city. One of the first urban revitalizations in the 1970s and 80s turned the former abandoned industrial site into a bustling attraction. Football has a deep history in the city and it was home to the beloved Baltimore Colts for 30 years. Then in 1983, a crazy owner and a public-private stadium fight led to the bizarre relocation to Indianapolis as the team snuck out of Maryland in the middle of the night. It would take 13 years for Baltimore to get a team back as a similarly emotional (but less dramatic) move brought in the Cleveland franchise. The newly named “Ravens” became an elite team with two Super Bowls and playoff appearances in 10 of their last 17 years. After a few seasons at old Memorial Stadium, the team moved downtown to M&T Bank Stadium in 1998.
Prestige Ranking: 4 out of 5
Location
The stadium is a bit southwest of downtown, in more of an industrialized section of the city. While there is a lack of immediate nearby restaurant/entertainment options, you are relatively close to some great parts of the city, including the Inner Harbor. This area along the waterfront is a long, but doable walk a mile away and along with being a great place to go for a stroll, there are plenty of attractions and restaurants. The National Aquarium and Historic Ships of Baltimore are a couple recommended stops. Also a walking distance of 10-20 minutes is the Federal Hill neighborhood, a hip, trendy spot to go post-game. Camden Yards is a few blocks to the north and the famed Eutaw Street walkway is open for attendees. This leads into RavensWalk, a team-sponsored tailgate that runs down a lengthy, tree-lined section and leads to the stadium. This is a really awesome area as fans not tailgating can enjoy music, swag and food.
Location Ranking: 7.5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Baltimore has an abundance of Interstates that lead into the city and the two that offer the most direct downtown/stadium access are I-395 and I-83. It is also a high traffic area and any early Sunday or Monday Night game is likely going to have a good deal of congestion. Parking is not great because most of the stadium lots are only for permit holders. For tailgaters, it will take some research to find (and reserve online) a suitable lot. For us, we went with a downtown garage that was a 15-minute walk away. It worked very well because it was inexpensive ($10) and the outgoing city traffic wasn’t horrendous as we looked to reach I-83. Definitely do some legwork as it can save you a lot of time and money. Another option is the city’s light rail as the Hamburg Street station is nearby. The often criticized service only has one North-South line and they don’t run extra trains after games, so expect a healthy wait. Longer-distance regional riders (MARC) are out of luck as those trains are off on weekends.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 5 out of 8
Exterior
The outside of the oval stadium is a conglomeration of brick, glass, concrete, stairway ramp and seating underside. As fans get closer, most of their eye-level look is on the brick, which is a nice complement to the city’s architecture and nearby Camden Yards. Each side has a green “M&T Bank Stadium” sign.
Exterior Ranking: 6.5 out of 10
Concourse
A ground-level entrance brings fans into a generous lower deck concourse where I had an easy time walking around well before kickoff. The area is quite nice with brick outlines, purple mood lighting, periodic team logos and large, plentiful signage. There is at least one hangout bar as well. Getting upstairs to the 500-level is a hike up never-ending ramps or stairs, but a renovation next year will include a much-welcomed install of escalators and elevators. I wasn’t as much of a fan of the upper concourse because the ends and sides are oddly uneven, so you have to go up/down a set of stairs to continue on your way. It is of course a tighter area, but the partial outdoor exposure makes it feel less cluttered. The seating overhang should keep many dry in those kinds of circumstances.
Concourse Ranking: 4 out of 5
Food
When coming to Baltimore, a crab cake is a necessity (unless you are me…darn shellfish allergy!). These weren’t exactly in abundance as I struggled to find one, but there are a couple stands that offer both crab cakes and another city delicacy in the Pit Beef Sandwich. While I would like to see more focus on the local products, the other options were varied and decent. The ones I wanted to try included: Turkey Burger with Mango Chutney, Portabella Sandwich and a Chili Bowl. Local favorite Attman’s brought several of their traditional Jewish-style sandwiches. Beer options were plentiful too and while Flying Dog was a nice option, I was really disappointed not to see any Natty Boh.
Food Ranking: 7 out of 8
Interior
M&T Bank Stadium features all purple seats, making for a colorful and appropriate visual. The layout is traditional and it begins with a ring of 100-level seats, split by a walkway. These comfortable seats have a low slope, but still retain decent sightlines. Further back in the bowl, awnings cover a handful of rows. Then we have the middle levels only on the sidelines and it consists of club seating and a double-decker of luxury suites. That unfortunately forces 500 deck to be high up and designers tried to offset that with steepness. Additionally, an initial row or two of seats in front of a ten-foot wall before the real seating begins makes this area even higher than necessary. I did not like the odd corner gaps that don’t seem to serve a purpose. Those corners will be filled with “super-suites” after a renovation at the end of this season. More impactful are the tall and distracting railings in front of the lowest rows in each section and I experimented in a number of seats and many of these low-numbered rows had an inexcusable obstructed view. Otherwise, the overall stadium shape does round the field nicely with a gentle curvature.
Interior Ranking: 9 out of 14
Scoreboard
Changes both this year and next year mean bigger and better for the Ravens. Currently, two huge horizontal boards take up the middle deck in each end zone and sections are created to show a plethora of information. It still leaves a decent amount of room for video and operators do have the ability to turn the whole thing into video if needed. They have it down to a science as the alternating video size was always right for the situation and the game info needed was good too. Things get better next season with the addition of four corner boards for out-of-town scores and more substantially, fantasy stats.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4
Displays
In front of Gate A are statues for two Baltimore football legends; from the Colts era: Johnny Unitas and from the Ravens: Ray Lewis. Each are in trademark poses that define them. Inside, there are several concourse banners and lightpost signs that display the Ravens as World Champions (’00 and ’12). I also liked the many purple touches seen around the building. The interior features a Ring of Honor on the Mezzanine façade as the team does not retire jerseys, though there are four famous numbers that have yet to be re-worn. With such a deep football history, the Ravens certainly could do more to display that or have a defining section. A bonus point to the “Gwynns Falls Trail” info marker on the outside of the stadium, which gives a history of the stadium site.
Displays Ranking: 4 out of 6
Cost
The Ravens rank as the 8th most expensive NFL team in the latest Fan Cost Index rankings and that is in line with prices that I saw. Parking is a steep $40 – $50 for non-stadium, relatively close lots. Thankfully, this can be avoided by walking a good distance as lots can get as cheap as $10 (use Parking Panda) in the Inner Harbor. For tickets, the upper-deck ranges from $80 to $119 while the lower deck is $124 – $175. The secondary market is a good option for most games and the day before our rivalry game against Pittsburgh, I saw many available for less than $100. I wouldn’t expect anything but steep concession prices and while that is the case here, they did offer smaller options (small hot dog for $3, 12oz water for $3). A beer averaged $9.
Cost Ranking: 4.5 out of 8
Fan Support
It was “Steelers” week as Baltimore’s chief rival came to town. As always, there were many Pittsburgh fans that made the trip and despite the hyped rivalry, it was peaceful both in and out of the stadium. People were courteous and I never really encountered anyone acting like an idiot to one another (though I’m sure it happens). During the game, I was disappointed to see how many gave up on their team with the outcome still in doubt. Even worse was the scores of empty seats, especially in the upper deck. I know this is an increasing problem league-wide, but you would not expect to see that for a game like this on a beautiful day. My guess was an 85% fill of capacity. (editors note: later in the season, there were plenty of empty seats for a game the Ravens needed to make the playoffs). The Ravens have carved a nice niche fan base in a sandwiched area between Philly to the north and Washington the south.
Fan Support Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Atmosphere
Home support was hard to judge because of the awful Ravens showing, but I thought fans did a decent job making noise and they are certainly trained to get up and be loud on 3rd down. A historically good defense will do that. It is a noisier building than most, but not in the league’s Top 5. A couple things they do have going for them: Awesome tailgating and dedication, which dates back to their loss of the Colts and the deep desire for a team in the city again. As for traditions, make sure to listen to “The Baltimore Fight Song” as it is awesome. Fans join in after touchdowns, though it was not at the passionate fervor that I heard Eagles fans with “Fly Eagles Fly” during my last NFL stadium visit.
Atmosphere Ranking: 11 out of 14
Other Stuff
Baltimore is one of only two NFL teams that has a band and the story behind these Marching Ravens is phenomenal. A 30 for 30 documentary was made to tell the world of the perseverance that the original Baltimore Colts Marching Band had and how they kept playing during the city’s football absence. In the process, they turned into the symbol of the city’s desire to return to the league…..Speaking of the Colts, during their time in Baltimore, they won the 1958 and 1959 titles, the first coming against the Giants in the “Greatest Game Ever Played”. They were also upset in Super Bowl III by the Jets, but came back two years later to win the 1970 game….When the new franchise arrived, they were named after the poem “The Raven”, by Edgar Allan Poe, somebody who had an interesting tie to the city. It is a great name and color pallette, plus it fits the bird theme from the other local team (Orioles)…..Ozzie Newsome has been the GM since the team’s inception…..The game I attended came a week after the Trump/Anthem controversy. Before the start, the PA said that the team would like a moment of reflection for equality. Fans cheered. Baltimore then took a knee to reflect and the fans booed, loudly. The team then stood up and respected the anthem. I hope that the fans felt mistaken in their misguided boos.
Game
The Ravens’ horrible offense was the story as they managed a meager 62 yards in the first half. It was ugly as we watched Joe Flacco miss several throws and the running game get stuffed frequently. Pittsburgh built a 19-0 lead, though the Ravens had a chance as a recovered fumble deep in their opponents end only led to a field goal. They eventually did get on the board and it was 19-9 midway through the 4th quarter, when a Flacco interception ended any chance of a comeback. Pittsburgh finished the game to win 26-9 with Le’veon Bell leading the way, running for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns. Baltimore’s offense only had the ball for 24:31.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
