Ravens send letter to fans about 'noticeable' no-shows at home games
OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Baltimore Ravens sent a letter this week to season-ticket holders, suite holders and sponsors about the number of no-shows at M&T Bank Stadium this season, citing a protest during the national anthem as one potential reason.
The letter, which was signed by team president Dick Cass, mentions that there have been empty seats in the past when the Ravens have struggled on the field. But this year is different, with Baltimore in the midst of a playoff race.
"The numbers [of no-shows] are higher, and it is noticeable," Cass wrote in the 656-word letter. "There are a number of reasons for the no-shows, but surely the one-time protest in London has been a factor."
The Ravens' first protest as a team occurred in London on Sept. 24, when more than a dozen players knelt during the national anthem before the first NFL game of the day. That began a daylong chain of protests in the wake of President Donald Trump's critical comments and tweets about protests during the anthem.
The following week in Baltimore, the Ravens knelt in prayer before standing for the anthem. Fans at M&T Bank Stadium booed the players when they took a knee.
The team has not protested since.
Wait, what? Ravens AFC's highest-scoring team in second half of season
The Ravens' offense has gone from anemic to explosive in the second half of the season and could make Baltimore a sleeper in the AFC playoffs.
"We have responded to your concerns about the protest by re-doubling the efforts of both the organization and our players to make the Baltimore area a better community," Cass wrote.
According to Cass, the Ravens reached out to a number of fans who wrote to the team or called about the protest. Cass also personally made a number of phone calls and met with some fans, the letter stated.
"We want the Ravens to continue to be a strong, unifying force and source of pride in our community," Cass wrote. "When the Ravens win, we can bring families and the community together. We've done that before, and we can do it again.
"In light of recent events, we are also reminded that winning alone is not always enough to make the Ravens the unifying force we want to be. We don't take your support for granted, and we know that we must continue to earn your respect and investment in us."
In the letter, Cass underscored the history of success, including two Super Bowl championships, and the team's commitment to the community.
The letter was sent before Baltimore finishes out the regular season with home games against the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals. If the Ravens win out, they will clinch their first playoff berth since 2014.
"I think they're starting to get excited about this football team," coach John Harbaugh said after last Sunday's win over the Cleveland Browns. "So it should be fun in our stadium against the Colts next Saturday night."
nah attendance is UP according to xj...
mach es sehr schnell
'exponential reciprocation'- The practice of always giving back more than you take....
madhatter wrote:nah attendance is UP according to xj...
There are 32 teams in the NFL ... is there data to support the same thing is happening at other stadiums or just random photos? To my knowledge, we don't have data to assert whether this is a theme or just another aberration.
madhatter wrote:nah attendance is UP according to xj...
There are 32 teams in the NFL ... is there data to support the same thing is happening at other stadiums or just random photos? To my knowledge, we don't have data to assert whether this is a theme or just another aberration.
I don;t really agree with the whole idea of this but here's another football city affected by the kapernik epidemic...
I'm guessing the NFL would prefer that not a single seat go unoccupied, ever...and without a doubt they aren't much interested in empty seats caused by player misconduct of any type...
mach es sehr schnell
'exponential reciprocation'- The practice of always giving back more than you take....
1. The NFL had a disastrous weekend when it came to ratings. Numbers have been down all season and it was more of the same for the wild-card games. The biggest surprise was that the best game (Panthers-Falcons) had the biggest decrease year over year. Yes, markets were a big factor, but that was a competitive and entertaining game. Here's the breakdown:
Titans-Chiefs (14.7) was down 11 percent versus last year's Raiders-Texans game.
Falcons-Rams (14.9) was down 10 percent versus last year's Lions-Seahawks game.
Bills-Jaguars (17.2) was down 10 percent versus last year's Dolphins-Steelers game.
Panthers-Saints (20.4) was down 21 percent versus last year's Giants-Packers game.
fake news...
mach es sehr schnell
'exponential reciprocation'- The practice of always giving back more than you take....
Super Bowl LII: Ratings for football's biggest game lowest since 2009
An estimated 103.4 million people watched the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, the smallest audience for television's biggest yearly event since 2009. Eagles pulled off a stunning win over the Patriots, 41-33, for their first championship in history.
The Nielsen company says viewership was down from last year's audience of 111.3 million. The all-time record for Super Bowl viewing was 114.4 million for the Seattle-New England game in 2015.
"If this past NFL regular season and playoffs serve as a guide, odds are that more Americans will tune the game out than last year," Michael Nathanson, an analyst at MoffettNathanson Research, said.
mach es sehr schnell
'exponential reciprocation'- The practice of always giving back more than you take....
I lost almost all interest in the NFL a long time ago but still a rabid college football fan and binge watch it Saturdays with about 20-30 games to choose from. College football is so much more fun. Especially love the SEC and try to go to at least one game a year. So far the best has been at Ole Miss, Friday night on the Town Square is like a mardi gras and Saturday in the grove is amazing. Have never seen more beautiful women in one place in my entire life than in Oxford, MS on a football weekend.
Don't fly Mr. Bluebird, I'm just walking down the road......
KingsFourMan wrote:I lost almost all interest in the NFL a long time ago but still a rabid college football fan and binge watch it Saturdays with about 20-30 games to choose from. College football is so much more fun. Especially love the SEC and try to go to at least one game a year. So far the best has been at Ole Miss, Friday night on the Town Square is like a mardi gras and Saturday in the grove is amazing. Have never seen more beautiful women in one place in my entire life than in Oxford, MS on a football weekend.
And I could care less about college football or basketball.
Just never been a fan, no idea why.
Beware of fools & trolls here, they lurk everywhere.
KingsFourMan wrote:I lost almost all interest in the NFL a long time ago but still a rabid college football fan and binge watch it Saturdays with about 20-30 games to choose from. College football is so much more fun. Especially love the SEC and try to go to at least one game a year. So far the best has been at Ole Miss, Friday night on the Town Square is like a mardi gras and Saturday in the grove is amazing. Have never seen more beautiful women in one place in my entire life than in Oxford, MS on a football weekend.
And I could care less about college football or basketball.
Just never been a fan, no idea why.
You absolutely know why
When your Pro Teams rule, one could give a crap about BC.
Alabama could beat some Pro football teams .. every single year !
Only college sport that matters in Boston is hockey.
KingsFourMan wrote:I lost almost all interest in the NFL a long time ago but still a rabid college football fan and binge watch it Saturdays with about 20-30 games to choose from. College football is so much more fun. Especially love the SEC and try to go to at least one game a year. So far the best has been at Ole Miss, Friday night on the Town Square is like a mardi gras and Saturday in the grove is amazing. Have never seen more beautiful women in one place in my entire life than in Oxford, MS on a football weekend.
And I could care less about college football or basketball.
Just never been a fan, no idea why.
You absolutely know why
When your Pro Teams rule, one could give a crap about BC.
Alabama could beat some Pro football teams .. every single year !
Only college sport that matters in Boston is hockey.
Actually, I believe PC is the last NE team to win a hockey championship.
Beware of fools & trolls here, they lurk everywhere.
