#RavensNation

3 Artifacts

I have chosen to focus my community around The Baltimore Ravens and more specifically Ravens Nation. There are 3 main aspects of the Baltimore Ravens that come to mind, those include, the team itself and their performance each Sunday, fan support, and the team’s involvement in the Baltimore community. “Ravens Nation” is a large community that includes, the players, coaches, and fans.

For my first artifact I have chosen the front page of The Baltimore Sun, once the Ravens won Super bowl XLVII. On February 3^rd, 2013 The Baltimore Ravens captured their second Lombardi trophy in franchise history. This was a defining moment for not just the team but also the city. This is clear from the send off parade before the Super Bowl, fans meeting the team at the airport, and the parade after the victory. There is no debating what an impact this victory had on the city especially the way it was celebrated throughout the city. Baltimore is a city very passionate about their sport teams and after coming so close in years past, to finally reach the top was great for the city. This was also a big deal for the team and city because this was the final game for Ray Lewis. Ray Lewis had adopted Baltimore as his own, and always did whatever he could for the city. Ray Lewis was an incredible football player on the field but his impact was just as important off of it.

The Ravens do a great job of getting involved with the community. Whether it may be through meet and greets, player hosted camps or attending various charities events and auctions, players and coaches have embraced the community. There are so many instances that players go to hospitals to visit sick kids or serve food at a soup kitchen.  My second artifact I have chosen is an article written about the Ravens coming into the Baltimore community after the aftermath of the Freddie Gray tragedy. Twenty-five players walked up and down the streets in Baltimore city, talking to people and going into elementary schools to speak to students and staff members. It should come as no surprise that retired player Ray Lewis was at the helm of this outreach, even though he no longer lives in Baltimore year round, he flew back to give back to the community one more time. This was obviously a tragic time in the community and even though the team did not solve any major issues, the way they showed up and took time out of their day, not only showed fans that they acknowledge their lives are bigger then football but it served as a “distraction” for many people in the community who had been surrounded by all the violence and riots.

My final artifact is a shirt that says “The only thing I hate more than Pittsburgh is obnoxious Pittsburgh fans. This shirt highlights the rivalry between Baltimore and Pittsburgh and illustrates that this rivalry is not taken lightly. During Steelers week the city is all in and it is a way for the whole community to be “apart of the team.” The team knows how much it means to the city and they rely on the fans in the stadium each game day. You wont walk through Baltimore without seeing any sort of purple apparel and this is just a prime example of the passion the city has for the team.