Baltimore City Leaders Should Have Stepped Up for the Ravens

Rex Ryan is pissed. Not really news, is it? Well, for once, I can support Rex's outrage. When I looked at the NFL schedule released last night, I, too, felt Ryan's pain. The Super Bowl champ Baltimore Ravens will not have the opportunity to play at home on opening night (an NFL tradition) because the Orioles have a game that same afternoon and, although the two teams don't share a stadium, they do share a parking lot. CBS reports that the Orioles offered an olive branch of sorts: they invited the Ravens to the Orioles opening day game to honor the NFL champions. The Ravens response: sorry, we're busy. Leaders in Baltimore should be ashamed of themselves. The mayor and others should have pressured the Orioles to reschedule their game, if anything, for economic reasons. According to ESPN, the Orioles only fill about 60% of the seating available (almost 46,000) in their stadium (Oriole Park at Camden Yards), and rank 19th in attendance in MLB. The Ravens, however, fill 100% of seating capacity (71,000+) at M & T Bank Stadium and rank 9th in attendance in the NFL. Additionally, Orioles fans have 82 opportunities to watch their team play at home during a regular season; Ravens fans have 8 opportunities (10 if you count pre-season). The Baltimore Ravens have made the playoffs every year since 2008, and have brought home 2 Lombardi trophies to Charm City. When was the last time the Orioles won the World Series? The 1980's?