all over the fan base in the coming years as the mistrust continues to build and the injuries and jurisprudence issues and suspensions continue to mount.
And of course Vince McMahon will be glad to come in behind his buddy Trump and offer the hungry football nation the eternal promise of the XFL and more He Hate Me. Maybe they can put a team in Moscow?
The National Basketball Association was flawless at change, strategy, vision and leadership from David Stern to Adam Silver. Major League Baseball has hit its financial nadir by bilking local cable television and advanced media dollars.
The National Football League was built on the back of Pete Rozelle and a bunch of smart men in the 1960s and 1970s. It remains to be seen who is going to be the smartest person in the room moving forward. The past few months of Jerry Jones going to war with 31 other clubs and Goodell was certainly the first sign that his days of control are suddenly waning.
Owners own. Coaches coach. Players play. And fans and local businesses and tax payers hold the credit cards to pay for it all.
Make no mistake about it, it is a changing sports marketplace and younger people don’t think like I did when was in my 20s and certainly not the way I thought about the NFL in Baltimore. The Ravens will have to work harder to get to the attention of the millennials and beyond and at what price point? Kids today want “experiences” not seats or tickets. They want to be where their friends are. They also want cheap beer and better food.
The Ravens are no longer new. The Ravens are no longer special. The Ravens are no longer a local concern that must be supported because it says “Baltimore” on it.
Either way, some new people have to start coming to games because the old people are fatigued, coming less and are closer to being gone for good than to coming back to the stadium regularly.
What is bad for the Ravens is bad for me. What is bad for the Ravens is bad for the city and the state and the community. So many of these people have gone from strong supporters to mortal enemies on behalf of a President who dodged the war in Vietnam and now wages war with whomever he chooses, whenever he chooses on the issue of patriotism.
One loose cannon set of words and tweets and insults to all men of color in the NFL – two minutes of The Wembley Knee later and, voila – devastation to the Ravens now and into the stands in the future. That’s a lotta power.
But that’s the way it went down.
And those who are pissed for life are gone.
But I remind you again – we lost one football team around here and it all began when the fans went to war with the owner and the franchise.
I’m familiar with battling sports franchises. I had my press pass illegitimately taken from me after 21 years of covering the Baltimore Orioles for simply telling the truth about the ownership and their commitment and competence. A wealthy serial liar once called me “fake news” as well.
Here’s some pro advice after 34 years of performing the act of journalism locally: you might want to hold these wealthy men “accountable” but that’s impossible to do when they are dishonest and ban the media from asking legitimate questions about their vision for what was once inaccurately believed to be a “public trust.”
The guys who own these teams answer to no one. That’s simply a fact.
These stadia were built as a public come on and a bullshit loss leader to bring people, attention and ultimately money and tax dollars to downtown Baltimore. The Camden Yards complex was paid for with YOUR parents and grandparents money to benefit OUR collective community so that we were a “big league” town and could allegedly attract more business and a better citizenry and quality of life in the Land of Pleasant Living.
Certainly, the forefathers like William Donald Schaefer could not have seen the circumstances of today’s world back in the 1980s when all of this was organized and budgeted for so that in 2018 we could have the Orioles and the Ravens and be a “big league” city.
Our citizens and forefathers endured a lot of pain – spiritual, emotional and financial and a boatload of politics in a world of local sports – to make sure that the Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Ravens represented our city to the world.
To my eyes, both franchises are now “on watch” heading into a future where Baltimore might not be able to support these sports teams with another round of stadiums for free on the back of the public dime. Those days are long gone.
Now, the question for any sports franchise will be:
“What can we do to earn your business and trust?”
Time will not dim the glory of their deeds on the field.
But as I’ve learned in my journey as a Baltimore sports fan, franchises are fickle creatures. Their loyalty is tied to your wallet. And your wallet is tied to your heart. And your heart is fickle, too.
Ultimately, you are The Ghost of Baltimore Football Future.
You will decide the fate and the success of the Ravens – and the Orioles – moving forward.
