On Friday afternoon, the Ravens announced that they have
joined forces with Baltimore-based sports apparel company Under Armour in a
ten-year agreement that will feature “multiple community-based initiatives.”
Now I’m sure many of you are having dreams/nightmares
imagining the Ravens running around M&T Bank Stadium in some crazy purple
uniforms like the ones Under Armour put the Maryland Terrapins football team in
last fall.
Well, whether or not you’ll be disappointed or relieved to
hear it, that assuredly will not be the case. NFL uniforms are made by Nike,
and that’s that.
So while they won’t be designing the Ravens’ uniforms any
time soon, Under Armour will however have naming rights to the team’s Owings
Mills practice facility. As of today, the complex is called the Under Armour
Performance Center.
In addition to that, the main focus of the partnership is
youth football. According to the
press release from the team, grants, clinics, and statewide competitions will
all be included, and John Harbaugh and other members of the Ravens’ staff will
participate.
First up is a free Under Armour-sponsored clinic for over
400 Carroll County youth on June 16 at McDaniel College.
Other events include the creation of an annual 7-on-7 high
school flag-football tournament, which already has attracted registration from
72 schools and more than 1,400 students for 2012.
Under Armour and the Ravens – a match made in B’More that
promises to do big things in the future.
