Final Entry

When we first received this assignment, I knew right away that I wanted my topic to be about Baltimore's place in sports and its athletic appeal. However, I'm pretty computer-illiterate and the thought of blogging and reading articles on the internet did not seem appealing. I get most of my information from media like newspapers, radio, and magazines. Throughout this project, I learned even more great news, facts, and stories about Baltimore then when I had started. As you can see from my blogs, I even had so much to add up until the due date because Baltimore had been in the news recently. I began my blog with some background information on how the Baltimore Ravens came about and But I didn’t want the blog to be centered on just football because Baltimore has so much more to offer- hence the reason for my topic.

To start, Baltimore and Maryland at large, is very diverse and presents people with athletics, teams for all sports, horse racing, great transportation infrastructure, amazing athletes, a revolutionary apparel industry, and much more. The first post of my blog increased my knowledge regarding the reason why we are now the Baltimore Ravens. Previously, all I had known was that we used to have another mascot-that’s it. I had no idea that it was such a secretive and devious scheme. While watching the Brooklyn Dodgers video in class, I begun to compare the way Brooklyn fans felt when they found out the owner had re-located in California with how Colts fans probably felt the morning they found out the team had been taken to Indianapolis. Next, I address the issue of gambling in Maryland because we are home to one of the biggest horse races, the Preakness stakes, and we do not have slot machines. Due to our short distance and easy commute to places like Delaware, West Virginia, and Atlantic City, revenues are in a sense being taken from the state itself. Horseracing is a Maryland tradition and implementing slots would save the industry and bring in lucrative money for the state. In addition, I blogged about the Baltimore Orioles. Not many cities can attest to having a professional baseball stadium and professional football stadium so close to each other that they share parking lots. The team did not have a great season last year, but they are still very appealing and noteworthy for Baltimore. Some other articles I included mention successes from people who are from the area; thus, bringing attention and notoriety to the city. The story of Under Armour, for example, is very interesting and truly shows a success story- sewing shirts in Grandma’s basement to a multi-million dollar corporation. Last but not least, Olympic Gold medalist Michael Phelps is a product of the Baltimore area and is a new breed of sportsmen. Referred to as “athlete corporations,” Phelps is a master in his field and an extremely marketable individual.

As I conclude, I just wanted to share that blogging not only reinforced my belief that Baltimore has great athletic appeal but made it even stronger. Through this project, I’ve come to realize that Baltimore not only has amazing athletic appeal but it also fosters the talents and abilities of not only Michael Phelps but the youngest of child that could one day become an athletic great. While the project initially felt like a lot of work, towards the end, I felt I had so many articles I could post and tons of information to strengthen my argument. With over 12 posts, I still hadn’t mentioned Carmelo Anthony, a Baltimore native, University of Maryland Terrapin recruiting, NBA player Rudy Gay, the emergence of woman’s golf programs…you get the idea.