Fans Can Report Problems via Text Messaging

http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/60351

This article dicusses the new implentation of text messaging as a method of communication in allowing fans to alert stadium officials to an issue in the stands without having to leave their seats to find an usher, guest services, or security employee. This season, the Baltimore Ravens started using Qtags, a technology company whose name is short for quick-tags, to connect Ravens fans to an operator at a laptop computer who receives the messages and contacts the appropriate personnel to resolve the issue. For the bargain price of only $5,000, Baltimore invested into this software and employed the operator. Now Baltimore fans are encouraged to and have the benefit of anonymously texting to file a complaint without the worry or fear of reprisal from the offender. One month into the regular season, texting was minimal, and the Ravens had been making adjustments inside M&T Bank Stadium to better inform fans of the technology.


After reading about the disruptive behavior of fans in sports and watching the ridiculous alcohol consumption and antics in the class video, I thought this article would be interesting so fans can find out what teams are implementing in hopes of controlling the issue. Some common tactics among teams to deal with problem fans are to have in-venue announcements of fan behavior policies, early cutoffs of alcohol consumption, season-ticket revocation, and increased use of security cameras, just to name a few. However, these are still not enough to ensure a pleasant game experience for the vast majority of game-goers. Luckily, the Baltimore Ravens are one of the 26 out of 32 teams in the NFL taking action with the incorporation of a text messaging system.

It's exhausting to read about all the new initiatives leagues are taking to effectively improve fan behavior at sporting events. What happened to the days of "boo-ing" and yelling and cheering? It disgusts me to know that the real bad apples are Middle-class, white-collar suburbanite males. GROW UP! Tailgate, get loose, mingle, cheer, and keep it classy. How old are you? Specifically, I remember a NFL game I attended where I was showered with beer, taunted relentlessly, then made to feel super awkward in front of my dad when a drunk fan wouldn't stop making sexual gestures. I wish that guy had been tossed out and had his ticket privelages revoked.

Maryland's State Sport

http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/56244

The official state sport of Maryland, since 1962, had been jousting. Recently, since 2004, the official team sport is lacrosse.

With top DI college programs like Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland, Loyola, Towson, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Mount Saint Mary's, and an array of D3 programs, Maryland is rich with lacrosse Dynasty. The article states that Lacrosse has been the fastest-growing NCAA sport over the past five years. Female and male participation has grown rapidly and in 1981-1982 there were only 930 in Division I. By 2005-2006, the numbers had increase to about 6,000 players playing at all divisions. Consequently, with more players comes more need for larger capacity.


The Big Ten Conference has started its own cable network, and the NCAA is adding thousands of new seats for March Madness. But if you wanted to see the real future of college athletics, then you needed to be in a dusty alley behind M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore over Memorial Day weekend. Gathered there was a small band of former college players who are quietly turning lacrosse into the next revenue-generating sport for the NCAA.

Lacrosse is still a relatively bottleneck sport, primarily played in the Mid-Atlantic east coast. But it is growing fast! In the Fall of 2009, Florida, South Carolina, and California will be introducing three more fully-funded woman's programs. I would give anything to be a junior in high school right now because new programs means lots of recruiting and athletic scholarships. This article touched on Baltimore and listed former players from Johns Hopkins that are trying to organize lacrosse events for the local youth in hopes of expanding on programs in order to build more interest in the sport which will in turn, form more programs that have the potential of being revenue-generating sports for the NCAA. As much as it is an enjoyable sport, it is a business-world, and I am very excited to see it grow.

Baltimore's Geographical Appeal

As I had mentioned in my initial entry, I also wanted to address Baltimore’s vicinity with regards to other major cities and sports teams. With two major metropolitan areas, Maryland has a number of major and minor professional sports franchises. Two National Football League (NFL) teams play in Maryland, the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore and the Washington Redskins in Prince George’s County. The Baltimore Orioles, as mentioned before, are a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise, and the Washington Nationals are located nearby in Washington, D.C.. In addition, NHL’s the Washington Capitals and the NBA’s Washington Wizards formerly played in Maryland until the construction of a Washington arena in 1997.

Other professional sports franchises in Maryland include five affiliated minor league baseball teams, one independent league baseball team, the Baltimore Blast indoor soccer team, two indoor football teams, and three low-level outdoor soccer teams.

GAMBLING-a blessing or a curse?

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.md.poll16jan16,0,3241445.story

Written in mid-January of 2008, the 5 year-long issue continues: Should Maryland allow slots? Governor Martin O’Malley, who professes a personal ambivalence about state-sanctioned gambling, has persuaded the General Assembly to let voters settle the issue. Rising taxes and food costs have strained local incomes, driving many to support gambling and slots rather than higher taxes. As a Maryland resident, I also do not like seeing money leave the state and head north to Delaware, West Virginia, and Atlantic City. Those states are benefitting immensely and bringing in millions a year which go towards public schools, healthcare, and infrastructure throughout the state.
While slots supporters outnumbered opponents in all regions except Western Maryland, only 32 percent of poll respondents said they favor spending state money on the horseracing industry; 56 percent were opposed. Horseracing is a Maryland tradition and slots would help preserve the state’s equestrian culture by giving as much as $100 million a year to the struggling horse industry.
On the other hand, there are valid concerns of the disadvantages and worries to state-sanctioned slots. One woman preferred higher taxes to slot machines, out of concern that some people might become addicted to slots and neglect their families. In high school, I did a whole project on the effects of gambling. Compulsive gambling, addiction, neglect of responsibilities, insurance fraud, an increase in drug use and violence, spousal abuse, increased rate of theft, and many others were correlated with the legalization of gambling. Problem gambling can strain one’s relationships; interfere with responsibilities at home and work, and lead to financial catastrophe.

Please see video for Pro-Gambling Propaganda:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNHkX-yoc-M

To give you some background information about how the Ravens came about, seeing that it is the height of the football season, there are a few things you should know...

The team was named Colts in honor of Baltimore's rich history with racing, and breeding of horses. The Colts would incur moderate success in the rival league before becoming one of 4 teams to join the NFL in 1950.

In the 1957 season, Johnny Unitas' first full season as starting QB, the Colts got off to a 3-0 start, and were a factor all year in the race for the Western Division Title. After losing 3 in a row, the Colts responded by winning 4 in a row, and sat at 7-3 with the Western Title with in their grasp. However, the Colts would lose their final 2 games of the season and at 7-5, 1 game out of a 2-way tie for the title.

For more highlights and historical moments, check out http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/balticolts/baltcolts.html

Skipping ahead many years, no one could have imagined such a surprise...

On December 18th 1983 the Colts had played their final game in Baltimore. Almost after the season ending win at Memorial Stadium, Colts owner Robert Irsay began talking to other cities about moving the club. On February 13th he toured the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis. The Colts also spoke to officials in Phoenix, as the Maryland legislature tried to use eminent domain laws to force the franchise to remain in Maryland. On March 28th Phoenix dropped out of the bidding, at Irsay called up officials in Indiana saying he was on the way. However, he kept the move secret until just after midnight when by cover of darkness on a cold snowy night he used Mayflower moving trucks to pack up the Colts offices, and relocate them in Indianapolis.

By the time anyone realized what had happened it was too late to stop. The NFL feeling they could not win in court did not fight the move, as Maryland put up a futile fight before the Colts agreed to support Baltimore getting an expansion team. The city of Baltimore would fail in several attempts at landing a NFL franchise, and even entered the CFL, before landing a new NFL franchise named the Ravens in 1996. However, the Irsay family would not relinquish the name Colts, as they once promised. Many Colt legends were angered by the move including legendary QB Johnny Unitas who refused to acknowledge the franchise for the rest of his life.

Football can give you memorable moments, but not all of them are good. Fans can recall the thrill of Superbowl victory, but they can also remember and maybe never forget the broken-hearted, angry, and sad moments in that happened to their hometown team.

That being said, this article explains the reasoning behind why the Colts left Baltimore for Indianapolis

{ENTER WEBSITE AND SUMMARIZE/REFLECT}

A moving van carrying the Baltimore Colts' equipment leaves Baltimore for Indianapolis in the middle of the night March 19, 1984. Robert Irsay, who was forever scorned in Baltimore for sneaking his team out of town, died Tuesday Jan. 14, 1997 , a year after having a stroke. He was 73. Lloyd Pearson/The Baltimore Sun

INITIAL ENTRY

Baltimore, Maryland. A modest and diverse city of about 650,000 people. Home to the MLB team, the Baltimore Orioles, NFL team Baltimore Ravens, UnderArmour, and much more. I have lived here my whole life (21 years) and been thankful everyday. Growing up on the city/county line, I am two miles from 695 (the beltway loop that connects to 95) which is a hop, skip, and a jump away from Baltimore City. From the time I was young, I've attended Oriole baseball games, Blast soccer camps, and soaked up all sporting events the city has to offer. Coming to Hofstra and the New York area, I've noticed we (Marylanders) don't get as much credit and attention that we deserve. Maybe I'm bias? Maybe I have too much state pride? But I'm hoping that with the articles I will include in this blog, you too will understand Baltimore's place in sports and the athletic appeal we have to offer. Our city has projected some of the best athletes professional sports has ever seen: Cal Ripken Jr.*** In what's to come, I'll be focusing on:

• The Baltimore Ravens somewhat novel establishment and its effects on the city
• Camden Yards' uniqueness and revenue streams
• How Under Armour revolutionized the apparel industry and marketing mix
• Baltimore's vicinity with regards to other major cities and sports marketing appeals

Those four are my main focuses, but of course, if I see anything else interesting that pertains to the overall theme, I'll be sure to include it in my blog.