What's the story of why you're a Baltimore Ravens fan?

[camdenyard]

Baltimore-area born and raised. Started following the Colts around 1974. Had a girlfriend whose family was Redskins fans, and they gave me a lot of shit in the early 80s as the Redskins were in top and the Colts sucked.

Fast forward to 1984. Colts left, and no way in hell was I going to root for the slurs down the Parkway. My NFL teams from 1984-1995 were anyone playing the Irsays or Slurs.

In 1996 picked up the purple right way. Started going to games in 1998, and regularly in 2000. Got my PSLs in 2003. I've missed 2 (non-preseason) home games since. I've attended 6 road playoff games including the recent Super Bowl and am 5-1. You could say that I am "all in" and am totally invested. Which makes a season like we just had that much more special.

[pslholder96]

I was raised in Baltimore and started watching football during the 79 season and of course America's team became my team from day 1 up until 1996. There was something about that star that drew me in. Didn't have much affection or exposure to the Colts since they were hardly ever on TV. I was 14 when they left. It didn't affect me that much. However sometime during that 12 year stretch when Baltimore didn't have a football team to call its own I started longing for a home team to call my own. The tipping point for me is when the Ravens were denied a team during the 1993 expansion era. I guess it's the way everything went down. All the anticipation and then to be told that your city wasn't good enough. I took issue with that. I think that's the chip on the shoulder Steve B was talked about because I know that's where mine came in. When the ravens arrived I became a PSL holder from day 1. I didn't care what kind of team they were going to be. I gradually phased out my interest in the cowboys shortly thereafter.

[Navy Raven]

There was no football from 1984 after Colts left until 1996 when the RAVENS arrived.

[pslholder96]

There was no football from 1984 after Colts left until 1996 when the RAVENS arrived.

Who said there was?

[Purpleguy]

Born and raised in and around Baltimore. The Colts left when I was 12 and were a laughing stock for years before they left. My father was never into football, so I never really paid much attention to it. I was a huge Orioles fan. I got into football in 7th or 8th grade and was a 49er fan since they were the top team at the time. I never really felt a connection to them though, but I did enjoy watching games. In the early 90s I started betting on games, and you always feel a real connection to whatever team you have money on. I started to really love the game of football and really wanted to have a home team. When the Ravens came, I immediately signed up for season tickets. The only NFL games I had been to before that were Niners games in DC and Pittsburgh. There was nothing like having a home team to pull for. It was better than betting.

[RavensNest]

Grew up in Dayton,Ohio and was actually a Cleveland Browns fan (dad was Browns Fan). When Browns left, I had a choice to make: root for another team (next local team was the Bengals) or just stay with the same team, Ravens. I knew I could never root for the Bengals couldn't stand their fans (sans CincyCat) and that stupid "Who Dey" chant so I just followed the Ravens. It sucked b/c I was living with my parents and couldn't watch them on tv so I had to follow them on the computer.

I went to college at Bowling Green State University, northwest Ohio. Most of my friends were from Cleveland and couldn't understand why I would root for the Ravens and called me a traitor. My reasoning was: I live 3.5 hrs away from Cleveland, never went to a game in Cleveland. The only allegiance I had to Cleveland was that my dad was a fan.

Why should I be considered a traitor? Screw em

Ironically, I now live in Cincinnati and STILL hate their football fans. Everyday I'm reminded that I made the correct choice. I do LOVE THE CINCINNATI REDS THOUGH.

[JohnBKistler]

Born and raised in Baltimore.
1966-1983: Colts fan.
1984-1995: Watched maybe a total of 5 NFL games on TV, per year.
1996-present: Ravens fan.

[alien bird]

I grew up elsewhere and somehow latched onto the Colts and Orioles at an early age (who knows what goes on in a little boy's mind, and why the randomness of Baltimore?). Coincidentally moved later to Baltimore for a job, and when the Ravens arrived in 1996, jumped on the bandwagon (I let go of the Colts when they left on the Mayflower trucks).

And now you know the origin of my screen name: not a native, but a fan of the bird teams.

[JustaslowZ06]

Im 33. I grew up a Miami Dolphins fan, my parents we're Bills fans being from Buffalo so fo course I rooted for their rival and Dan the Man. I was a QB in PeeWee and up through HS. I always hated the Skins and their stupid "Hail to the redskins" chant and their cross dressing fat guys as fans. Just seemed rediculous.

Anyways 1996 I didn't watch much, was still a Miami fan. 97 and 98 I was deployed for most of the football season so didn't really follow either. Than comes 1999 we wound up 8-8 that year, but my first EVER football game was the home gme against the Squeelers, and even though we lost just that excitement and rivalry was already going and I was hooked. Than that year also went to the game against the Titans, another rivalry. And the rest is history. The next season I bought tickets to almost all the games, than by 2003 I as going to every game. 2006 I'm pretty sure I bought my first PSL's.

[saintmatthew]

I know I've put my story up before but for the official thread....I grew up in Buffalo and although the Bills were mostly bad when I was in grade school, everyone including my family still rooted for them. I remember one year where I think the only game they won was a shutout of the Oilers. We moved to Syracuse which seemed like a massive move at that age but wasn't that far and we were still in the Bills market and pro-football fans in the area were pretty much Bills fans too. They made their 4 Superbowls and it was damn agonizing to watch all four go down the tubes. I moved to Tampa the year after the last one and caught Bills games when they were on but never adopted the Bucs. Hugh Culverhouse died right after I moved there and there was a big deal about finding a new owner before the Glazers picked em up and then held'em hostage for a new stadium. I just kept watching the Bills here and there but was a lot more interested in playing music, drinking and chasing tail. After about 6-7 years in Tampa I moved here, was somewhat bemused by a high profile murder trial of a local celebrity but didn't even watch the Bills much and didn't care much for football at the time. I caught some Raven's games that year at the laundromat including the Tennesee playoff game. I had to work the night of the Superbowl and depsite bringing my little TV, got no signal and had to listen to it on the radio. My girlfriends' cousin invited us over games next season and I saw Ray Lewis play and was hooked. Rest is history and so is the chick who I was dating then. My current wife always says we're gonna lose but it always mean we end up winning and now our kids are Raven's rookies.

[EdReedDaGawd]

I remember when I was like 6 or 7 years old I (for some reason) really wanted the Ravens to win the Super Bowl. Ended up falling asleep early in the game, woke up to find out they won, and went crazy.

Been a die hard fan ever since, going on 13 years now.

[helloharv]

Had Season Tickets since Day 1 of them moving to Baltimore with my Father and Brother (would be curious how many others on here have had them since then)

Lived in York PA my entire 41 years --- Huge Orioles Fan and had mini season ticket plan to Camden Yards. I was a Earl Campbell/Run and Shoot Houston Fan until the Ravens moved here.

[Mista T]

Had Season Tickets since Day 1 of them moving to Baltimore with my Father and Brother (would be curious how many others on here have had them since then).

Were you on the side of Memorial Stadium which was in the sunlight (open end of horseshoe) or in the closed end, where we were inundated by the freak rainstorm, just prior to the start of the first Ravens exhibition game in August 1996? I believe the opponent was Green Bay.

Started with two end zone upper deck seats, peaked at 6 uppers and two clubs, but we are reducing our participation in Baltimore this upcoming season - maybe just 4-6 home games. If healthy, we do intend to step up our road trips, inasmuch as Detroit & Chicago are two of the five NFL stadiums we have not visited.

[helloharv]

Were you on the side of Memorial Stadium which was in the sunlight (open end of horseshoe) or in the closed end, where we were inundated by the freak rainstorm, just prior to the start of the first Ravens exhibition game in August 1996? I believe the opponent was Green Bay.

Started with two end zone upper deck seats, peaked at 6 uppers and two clubs, but we are reducing our participation in Baltimore this upcoming season - maybe just 4-6 home games. If healthy, we do intend to step up our road trips, inasmuch as Detroit & Chicago are two of the five NFL stadiums we have not visited.

We were in the closed end zone --- the best Sports Day for me back them was attending the 1st half of the steelers game when we were up big at halftime --- I then left to attend an Orioles playoff when I think we beat R.Johnson

When we moved to M & T we upgraded to lower Level Section 129 in addition to 504

[Gabrosin]

I was born in 1983, so the Colts while they were in Baltimore didn't even register to me. My parents...I never got a great read on what kind of football fans they were during the Colts era, I'd probably say casual fans. My dad told us about the Colts leaving, but it never seemed to affect him as much as diehard fans. So my childhood, I casually followed the teams who were doing well. Namely, probably the Cowboys and Redskins mostly. When the CFL Stallions came to town, my Dad took us to a game or two, and I know I really liked them and was sad when they had to leave after the NFL came to town.

I casually followed the Ravens from 96-2000. In 2000, with the Super Bowl run, obviously my interest started to perk up a bit more. I'd say the turning point was between the 2002 and 2003 season, that was about the time I joined the Scout message board and started being as obsessed as I am today. I still recall mock drafting and dreaming about what team we'd build, debating between Byron Leftwich and this kid who could chuck a ball through the goalposts from midfield, on his knees no less!

I still regret that I never picked up Ravens football as much between 1996-2001 as I have by today, but that could also be somewhat due to my high school experiences. I still recall when we opened the season vs the Panthers in 2002 and got beaten by 36 year old Rodney Peete at QB, to a team with a rookie HC who hadn't won but one game the year before.

My story is a lot like this one, though my parents were diehard Colts fans who couldn't stomach football while it was gone from the city. I never got into football growing up, and even when the team first moved here I was happy but somewhat apathetic. But I started watching casually, then intently, then fervently, and as my understanding of the game grew, so did my love for the Ravens. I will never forget watching us win our first title in the basement of my parents' house, during my freshman year of college.

And I'll never forget watching us win our second title from my very own house, with my whole extended family in attendance, just as we were that night in 2001.

Football really brings my family together, and so I'm forever grateful to Art Modell for bringing us the team that Paul Tagliabue wouldn't. To have us win the title this year in his memory, and as a sendoff of one of the greatest players in NFL history, one of the original lifetime Ravens, is something that very few other people are lucky enough to experience.

The outside football world will probably write it off, but this title is as precious to Raven fans as any other championship to any other team that I can possibly think of.

[RavenScallywag]

My story is a lot like this one, though my parents were diehard Colts fans who couldn't stomach football while it was gone from the city. I never got into football growing up, and even when the team first moved here I was happy but somewhat apathetic. But I started watching casually, then intently, then fervently, and as my understanding of the game grew, so did my love for the Ravens. I will never forget watching us win our first title in the basement of my parents' house, during my freshman year of college.

And I'll never forget watching us win our second title from my very own house, with my whole extended family in attendance, just as we were that night in 2001.

Football really brings my family together, and so I'm forever grateful to Art Modell for bringing us the team that Paul Tagliabue wouldn't. To have us win the title this year in his memory, and as a sendoff of one of the greatest players in NFL history, one of the original lifetime Ravens, is something that very few other people are lucky enough to experience.

The outside football world will probably write it off, but this title is as precious to Raven fans as any other championship to any other team that I can possibly think of.

here here...one really needs to look no further than our SB celebration rally. While some of the crowd issues were a bit scary...the fans mobbing the street, the people trying to climb the gate, filling the stadium past capacity, the SWARM of light rail traffic....there's no denying how passionate our fanbase is. I nearly got into an argument with my wife/mother in law about it, as they were saying that the Ravens have more bandwagon fans than the Redskins, which may be true, but only because the Redskins have sucked so long and the Ravens have been great for the past couple years. In any case, I still think the number of devoted, passionate fans to this team has grown exponentially from the SB 35 title until now, and with the SB 47 title, it's only going to keep going up.

I think SB 35 was karmic retribution to the city of Baltimore for losing the Colts and waiting so long to get a team back. SB 47 was one we proved we could win based on our own plan. In 2000, we used a good deal of veteran FAs to help us get there and the team was blown up 2 years later. This year, many of the big plays were made by our own draft picks. Flacco, Rice, Torrey, Pitta, Dickson, Yanda, KO, Art Jones, Ngata, Kruger, Ellerbe (UDFA), Suggs, Upshaw, Cary Williams (sort've UDFA), Jimmy Smith, Josh Bynes (UDFA), and that's not even mentioning Ray and Reed! Sure, we still needed some vets like Boldin, Jacoby, BMac, Corey Graham, Bernard Pollard...but the core of this team was built through drafting and signing guys out of college.

[bacchys]

I was born and raised a Colts fan. Johnny U. was a god and Bert Jones was the Second Coming.

They snuck out of town on my sixteenth birthday. I've hated them ever since.

I'm one of the few old Colts fans who rooted for the Redskins afterwards. My mother's from the D.C. area, and her family is all 'Skins fans, so it wasn't as hard a switch for me as it was for most. I remained a 'Skins fan even after the Ravens moved to B'more, though I certainly wished the new B'more team well. Dan Snyder is such an asshole weasel, however, that it didn't take long for me to prefer the Ravens over the Redskins after he bought the team. I think it was about two weeks...

[TheOrioleWay]

[QUOTE=RavensNest;589266]Ironically, I now live in Cincinnati and STILL hate their football fans. Everyday I'm reminded that I made the correct choice. QUOTE]

Ravens Nest: What part of Cincitucky do you live in?? I'm in White Oak. We should hook up with CincyCat for a game or at least a tailgate.

I'm from DC area and should be a 'Skins fan, but always rooted for the Colts and O's and took a lot of shit for it. Still hurts to think about the horror of 1969 and then the glory 2 championships the next year.

Will never forget my first O's game against the Senators at RFK stadium; Frank Robinson hit TWO Grand Slams, both balls traveling right over my head.

Moved to Cincinnati for college in '74 and suffered there when the Colts left. Got Bengals season tickets in the meantime, more for a social thing than anything else, I almost never sat in them. Joyfully cancelled them when the Ravens arrived.

Don't get to many Ravens games, but I retire June 1 and hope I can get east and snag a ticket at least a couple of times a year. We have a beachfront condo in OC on 29th St. and try to get a few O's games in while we're there for the summer.

For 10 years, I would drag my kids to Training Camp, which used to be 20 minutes from my Mom's house, and bribe them with candy, etc. for autographs. My wife worked with Harbaugh when he was an Asst. coach at UC and a friend of mine was his next door neighbor and they're still close friends. Between these 2 connections, they got me & the kids a Family/Friends pass and we were on the field for practice, got some great autographs (I accidentally walked in on the team breakfast when I was picking the passes up at the hotel!).

It's rough rooting from out of town, but am currently getting a lot of jealous looks as I parade around in SB champs gear!

So the year pretty much revolves around following Ravens, O's Terps and also DeMatha Stags!!!!!!!

[Raven Rick]

I grew up in Baltimore County. My parents are from Canada, so they were hockey fans. I got hockey sticks and hockey skates at Christmas. Kids in my neighborhood were signing up to play football, but I was a year too young (3rd or 4th grade). One of my friends told me the rec council needed more players and were taking kids a year younger. So I bugged my parents until they brought me up to the preseason athletic training at the school field. I ended up being one of the smallest kids on any of the teams. I already had learned about football from watching the Colts on TV and listening to their games on the radio. I loved tackling kids that were bigger than me after I was told that my pads and helmet would protect me from any serious injury. I still have pictures of Johnny Unitas and other Colts that the players autographed at our annual football banquets. I remember Ameche's burger joint drive-in at the southwest corner of Taylor Avenue and Loch Raven Blvd. Football is the greatest game. Jump forward, I mourned the loss of the Colts even though they were no longer the great team of my youth. When the mourning ended with a new team called the Ravens, it never occurred to me that their was a choice to make. I had buried the Colts on that fateful morning when everyone learned the team had been snuck out of town in Mayflowers moving trucks. I was automatically one of the biggest fans of the Ravens. Art Modell, what a class act? I love that guy! He did the right thing and left the Brown's name and memorabilia in Cleveland where it belongs. If was painful when we lost to the Patriots at the last minute last season, but somehow I knew the 2012-13 season was going to be our year. I went to watch the Ravens' preseason practice at M&T Stadium. I saw this young kicker who was booting field goals from ten yards further back than Cundiff. WOW There was this lanky guy catching punts named Jacoby Jones. He ran like a gazelle. OMG Then I saw Jacoby catching passes from our boy Joe Flacco. Our receiving core would be unbeatable. Flacco looked really good! I told my friend Richard while we watched the practice that the Ravens were definitely winning the Super Bowl this year. The only thing I kept complaining about all year was Cam Cameron. Thank you whoever forced the change in offensive coordinators (hint, Steve Biscotti, a great owner). I have coached girls lacrosse for 15 years and could easily see how discouraged the Ravens players would get with Cam's play calling. It was ridiculous. I anxiously watched every game this season. The only thing I missed was the public practice in Annapolis. I love football, and I love the Ravens. Football has been in my blood since I was a kid. My mother is a great Ravens Fan, also. She always has questions for me after their games. She called me at work to tell me that Cameron was being replaced when the news broke!!

[Purpleguy]

This is kind of cool to see the development of the fan base. A lot of us on this forum are true die hards and had season tix out of the gate. The most fun I've ever had at a game was sitting in Memorial Stadium in the freezing rain and watching the Testeverde led Ravens beat the Steelers when their fans outnumbered us by about 4-1. It's cool to see that some of you were just kids when we won that first Superbowl and that made you die-hard fans. Think of all of the kids that are going to jump on after this Superbowl. Nothing builds a fan base like winning Championships.