How Did You Become a Baltimore Ravens Fan?

[Militant X 1]

Please don't just say because you live in or are from Baltimore cause I know a few cats from there that are Redskins fans. Yuck!

Way back in the day, I was actually a Cowboys fan when I was in the military and stationed and living in Texas for nearly 9 years. I was with them during their 1-15 season up until their 3 Super Bowl victories and their last in the 95'-96' season. During that time, I moved to Germany and began to search for a new team to cheer for. I'm originally from New York but never really got behind the Giants or the Jets. But I am...yes; a YANKEES fan! That region also cheered for the Patriots, Eagles and the Steelers but I couldn't roll with them either.

In my search, watching college ball I always had my eyes on a young LB named Raymond Anthony Lewis from The "U". Loved his tenacious game play. Watching Ray, I thought; "Whoever drafts this kid is going to be my new team....because of him!" Well, that was the BALTIMORE RAVENS in 96'. While the Ravens had other notable stars on the squad back then it was because of RAY LEWIS that I became a fan! When Ed Reed joined the squad I was in Heaven. Even though both Ray and Ed are gone now; the RAVENS are my team for life! I'm more partial to the defensive side of the ball than the offense....always have been and probably always will be but the RAVENS have my full support!

GO RAVENS!!!

 

[RavensMania]

I'm a former Washington Redskins fan. I grew up in the DC area and rooted for the Skins growing up through the Gibbs I years and until 2014. This is when I found out thata friend I knew from the business worlds son was bullied by none other than Mr. Dan Snyder.

Well that broke the camels back. I was a season ticket holder and spent a lot of money on my team. I didn't want to spend money on an owner who had completely different values. He doesn't care about fans. All he cares about is making money.

Ever since the Ravens came to town, I respected them. I enjoyed watching them and seeing how Ozzie built the team. They reminded me of the 80s Redskins. Total respect. Switching to the Ravens wasn't easy because of how many years I rooted for the Redskins, but knowing that I was going to be rooting for a team that valued the draft and knew how to build a winner made it easy. I don't root against the Redskins, but I root against the owner. Losing wasn't the problem for me in Wasington, it was the owner.

Go Ravens!

 

[RavensPunkXVX]

I started to become a fan around 2005-2006. Boller/McNair era. I started to really get into football around this time. Growing up in Cincinnati, I got to watch them play the Ravens twice a season and they just started to really grow on me. Became a fan of Ray Lewis. Derrick Mason.

Living in Cincinnati, no Cincinnati team has ever really appealed to me. My dad is a die hard Skins fan so I grew up watching them, but made the transition. With him following the Skins, I never really cared about the Bengals.

 

[rossihunter2]

I have been a baltimore ravens fan since i started watching football - only problem is I've only been watching football for 5/6 years - the first game i ever watched was a highlights show of the 2011 divisional round and I was instantly intrigued by the intensity of Ray Lewis and the cool roving defence (well it looked cool to someone who's never seen and NFL defence before)

 

[RavensMania]

I started to become a fan around 2005-2006. Boller/McNair era. I started to really get into football around this time. Growing up in Cincinnati, I got to watch them play the Ravens twice a season and they just started to really grow on me. Became a fan of Ray Lewis. Derrick Mason.

Living in Cincinnati, no Cincinnati team has ever really appealed to me. My dad is a die hard Skins fan so I grew up watching them, but made the transition. With him following the Skins, I never really cared about the Bengals.

Has your dad ever been on extremeskins.com

 

[purplepittabread88]

My dad's side of the family is from Baltimore back in the day, and saw Unitas play as a kid. My mom's side is from Pitt and Cleveland, and watching the teams play I fell in love with the Ravens hard hitting D. Been butting heads till this day lol

 

[RavensPunkXVX]

Has your dad ever been on extremeskins.com

He has not. Not much of a computer/forum guy. Although, I convinced him to do fantasy football and he loves it. Lol

 

[K-Dog]

Simple as it sounds.
They came to Baltimore.

I watched the skins but wasn't really much of a fan. I hate their condiment colors. Locality was my only connection.

The Browns came here. They left the name. I LOVED the new name. Love the colors.
We had a home team at last.
I HAD to be on that bandwagon.

 

[SepticeyePoe]

I'll be honest, I'm from Maryland, so I've grown up a Ravens fan. But I was just a passive fan who wouldn't watch games a lot and I wasn't that interested in football. It didn't help that the Ravens were a losing team at the time.

I'm not sure what happened, but I began to watch a little football in 2008 or 2009. And then I became a more serious fan in 2010 and here I am today.

 

[mc_red23]

Copied from the thread about where people are from...

The first time I watched an NFL game was during the Steelers-Packers Super Bowl game but it was taking what seemed like forever (I'm used to watching 'soccer' where 15 means generally means 15 minutes) so gave up watching it. Then I started watching it casually during and after the Giants-Patriots Super Bowl game in 2008 (I won a fair bit of money on the Giants that night) and I started taking a serious interest - especially in the Ravens - after watching The Blind Side. Something so simple as watching a film got me hooked!

 

[gtalk12]

It was around 2006 bc of Madden. I was only 13 at the time and noticed Jamal Lewis was unstoppable, also noticed there was some guy on the defense by the name of Lewis and with him I managed to destroy many RB's. I do not remember what his first name was lol

 

[Arsène]

Mine also started with Madden. I think it was 2005, the year when Ray Lewis was at the cover, that I started playing it.

Though I became a fan of the Ravens because of their hard hitting style of play, I only started following them in 2008 during the "Flacco-Harbaugh" era. Since then, I try my best waking up before 1am/2am on mondays during some gamedays just to watch them (perks of being a football fan from Asia).

 

[Dom McRaven]

I guess I'm a late bloomer compared to most of you guys.

The 2010 playoff game against the Steelers was, unfortunately, the first Ravens I game I got to see. Before that, I wasn't a huge fan of watching sports in general. At that time, I was really into Monster Jam and cartoons (lol, I know). However after the playoff game, I grew a helluva lot more interested in the NFL. I became a Ravens fan because that was literally the only team that nobody I personally knew was a fan of. So yeah...

 

[mc_red23]

I guess I'm a late bloomer compared to most of you guys.

The 2010 playoff game against the Steelers was, unfortunately, the first Ravens I game I got to see. Before that, I wasn't a huge fan of watching sports in general. At that time, I was really into Monster Jam and cartoons (lol, I know). However after the playoff game, I grew a helluva lot more interested in the NFL. I became a Ravens fan because that was literally the only team that nobody I personally knew was a fan of. So yeah...

That's not the greatest result for a first game is it? I can't even remember what my first game was.

 

[RavensMania]

First Ravens game I went to was in 2015 game five. That was a back and forth game. Think we were down two tds and went ahead, only to be beaten on two bombs to AJ Green. Damn him

 

[balfan23]

Grew up in Baltimore and loved the Colts. I left town permanently in 1978, but never stopped rooting for the Colts. It broke my heart when they left. I half-halfheartedly rooted for the Raiders in the 80, then moved to Minnesota in the 90s and took the Vikes on as my team. I had been rooting for them for a few years when the Ravens came into being.

I have lived all over the world and have called many places home, but there will only be one place where I was born and raised. So I knew I would warm up to the Ravens in time, however, there was a transition. Had the Vikings and Ravens met in the Super Bowl (especially that magical 98 season that the Vikings went 15-1), I would have rooted for the Vikes. Since the Vikes never made it, I was excited to see the Ravens win the championship in 2000. I moved back east in 2005 (NC) and left the Vikes behind (though, I'll still root them in all games not involving the Ravens) and have been an increasingly rabid Ravens fan from then forward.

 

[Dom McRaven]

That's not the greatest result for a first game is it? I can't even remember what my first game was.

Lol no it wasn't. In fact, I was having a little birthday get-together and we were watching the game at our local bowling alley. Made me figuratively sick to my stomach.

 

[theFRANCHISE]

Before I ever became a Ravens fan, I was a Ray Lewis fan from the first time I'd seen him on TV in the early-2000s. However, I didn't become a fan of team until maybe 2004, with Week 2 vs. the Steelers as the first full Ravens game I sat down and watched. This was the game where Big Ben came in as a rookie after Tommy Maddox was knocked out. This is the same game where Joey Porter shoved a visibly-injured Todd Heap at the line of scrimmage.

Not only did that game cement my love of the Ravens, but also my undying hatred of the Steelers.

 

[Willbacker]

Really didn't become a football fan until my early 20's so I wasn't really into the Colts while they was here but I immediately adopted the Raiders as my team and also liked the Bills but you know when the Ravens came into town.........what ya gonna do.

 

[mc_red23]

Grew up in Baltimore and loved the Colts. I left town permanently in 1978, but never stopped rooting for the Colts. It broke my heart when they left. I half-halfheartedly rooted for the Raiders in the 80, then moved to Minnesota in the 90s and took the Vikes on as my team. I had been rooting for them for a few years when the Ravens came into being.

I have lived all over the world and have called many places home, but there will only be one place where I was born and raised. So I knew I would warm up to the Ravens in time, however, there was a transition. Had the Vikings and Ravens met in the Super Bowl (especially that magical 98 season that the Vikings went 15-1), I would have rooted for the Vikes. Since the Vikes never made it, I was excited to see the Ravens win the championship in 2000. I moved back east in 2005 (NC) and left the Vikes behind (though, I'll still root them in all games not involving the Ravens) and have been an increasingly rabid Ravens fan from then forward.

I'm always interested in the stories of those who were Colts fans back in the day. I can only imagine how the fans felt when the team moved to Indianapolis.