How and when did you FIRST become a Baltimore Ravens fan?

[K-Dog]

I would love to see a photo of that tee shirt

[bMore Heathen]

I would love to see a photo of that tee shirt

I haven't seen it for a few years, I imagine it's at my parents house somewhere. We will be going there for thanksgiving, I'll see if I can dig it up.

[usmccharles]

I went to a game at MT Bank when i was very young, believe it was a preseason game.  I havent lived in Baltimore since i was 3 and i was around 11-13 at the time.  When i went back home to Northern Arkansas i started getting into football.  Then i remember the superbowl year, as a young kid they had this hangout we could go to and they were playing the game.  I was literally the only Ravens fan in a room of about 40 kids, talk about being hated: i loved it.  I loved the way our team was feared and disliked from everyone, just something stuck with me...so ever since then i have been a huge follower, obviously.

 

Since that game i havent been back.  My girl wants to take me to a game next year for my Birthday present, shes a Bengals fan sadly, but i really would want to go to a Steelers game....obviously

[Krisnik]

Hi all!

It was 2012, at the time I wasn't a football fan and didn't follow the game.
It happened that I met with a guy who is now my friend who  played in Italy for the Under 18 italian football team ( I'm from Italy). He was a Baltimore Ravens fan. He introdueced me Football and explained the rules, the calls, the schemes ( actually I'm still pretty bad in schemes..) by watching Baltimore games. . As I became more addicted to the sport, all the situations like the Ravens season itself, the Ray Lewis retirement, the MILE HIGH MIRACLE, the Rice 4th down conversion and more hit me and without even knowing i started support this team with a lot of passion ( I forgot about soccer and other "european canonic sports")
We all know how it ended, it was like destiny by my perspective   

Sorry for my bad english!

Edited October 29, 2015 by Krisnik

[ratedr]

I'm from Baltimore. Lol.

 

But really, while I've always rooted for the team, I didn't become a serious fan of the team until 2010 or so. Everyone at my job at the time LOVED football, so I started paying more attention just to be in the loop. Call it peer pressure haha. But I'm happy for it, because football really is a great game to watch. I left that job years ago but my love of football is still strong.

[cushrinada1986]

When I was a kid, I lived on Archer St. It was 3 blocks from Russell street so I got to see the Stadium get built from my home window. I think thats when I became a fan. Wasnt born when the colts left but seeing the bank built stone by stone really did something to me as a kid.

[jar2260]

I was a Colts fan, and was listening on the radio when we were playing the Browns, George Shaw was QB and got hurt, Johnny U came in and that was the beginning! I've been a fan ever since!

[Nge2grads]

Moved to Baltimore in 1981 with first husband and infant daughter.  Got to know a number of Colts players who lived in Timonium or Cockeysville.  Lived in Baltimore for 19 years.  Experienced Irsay's deception to the wonderful sport fans of Charm City in 1984.  Got hooked on the Ravens when they first came as the no names from Cleveland.  So many passionate players over the years!  Two Super Bowls!  Even though I moved out of Maryland in 2000, I stay loyal to my Ravens!  What would I do without Sunday Ticket?  

 

I will be wearing my purple page boy wig on Halloween (and maybe for Sunday's game too!)

[JacktheRaven]

I was a huge Colt fan. Broke my heart when they left but, you could see it coming. Being from western MD, a lot of Skins & steeler fans here. Some Colt fans moved over to those teams. The Skins were real good then. I couldn't like any other team so I just "checked out" for the next 13 years. Probably watched the SB every year, but that was about all I was interested in. When the Ravens came, I was a little slow in getting on board, but did. PSL owner since "03, and wouldn't have it any other way.  

Edited October 30, 2015 by JacktheRaven

[CalvinSmoke]

Welp, my earliest memories are in Silver Springs, and I remember being able to see the Redskins stadium being built. That made me want to like the skins, but I just couldn't, I didn't like the drama about their name, and I never liked the color red. In 1999 I was a fan of the terps, and the Washington wizards and because if ray Lewis and Vinny Testaverde I became a Ravens fan. I was around for that first superbowl, and the terps winning the basketball national championship! Was awesomeawesome. I strayed for about 2-3 years to root for Michael Vick because of family connections,and then I started playing football and really Lear img the game in 2005. And have really followed the Ravens ever since.

[1/28/01]

I love all these out of state stories and mostly when we were a crap team. Kudos to you guys for getting sparked by one thing and sticking with it.

Born and raised in Maryland, Harford County mostly. Born in 82, so grew up for most of my adolescence without a local team. Sure a heck wasn't rooting for the Redskins. By default, I was on board with the Niners. Just loved Rice (I played receiver), loved the years with Deion (also played DB, FS though), Youngs story was riveting, Herman Moore, Ricky Waters and the rest. Then 1996 happened. I was like, wait, what just happened here? Been a fan ever since.

2012 was nuts. Went with my business partners to the final regular season home game, went to the Colts game, ALMOST pulled the trigger on the Pats game, but did for the Superbowl itself. What an amazing trip and Feb 3 is my birthday, so it was a perfect night!

[jimmypowder]

Delete

Edited October 31, 2015 by jimmypowder

[The Mom Gene]

Kudos to January...  for a Fantastic thread!

[Ravens2000?]

I was born in Baltimore so I just kinda liked the team except now I've been to a Ravens Game on December 22,2013 or whenever we played the Patriots and lost 41-7 around that time period and last year I got to tour the stadium and even got to walk on the entire field so since then I've been a big time Ravens Fan 

Edited March 15, 2016 by Ravens2000?

[JoeyFlex5]

For life, really. One of my first memories was as a 4 year old saying "Michael Jackson plays for the ravens?" while my folks were watching them play in my grandmother's tiny kitchen in South baltimore. Not understanding that multiple people could have the same name and thinking the singer played for us. 

 

I became a REAL fan when I began playing football around 04-05. I watched on occasion and rooted for them but I turned due hard once football made more sense to me after playing.

Edited March 15, 2016 by JoeyFlex5

[Somerset Ravens]

I have been a Ravens fan since they first came to Baltimore. I had been a Baltimore Colts season ticket holder and it broke my heart when they left. I still followed football after the Colts left but it wasn't the same without a team of my own. The Ravens coming to Baltimore brought back the passion  of being a real fan. I am a Ravens fan for life !

[mc_red23]

I became a Ravens fan in about 2011. I had watched the odd game before that from time to time of other teams but it never really grabbed my attention so I didn't have a clue who to support. It wasn't until after I had watched the Blind Side one or two times that I saw which team drafted Michael Oher and thought I'd check them out. I found some videos on YouTube and it was thanks to Ray Rice and Ray Lewis that I started being a fan of the team permanently. Those two really caught my eye. 

[Supychou]

I started to be interested in football in 2003 thanks the game Madden. 
Since I didn't have much more options at that time in France to watch or read news about football, I just enjoyed playing the games for few years. Always like the LBs and Ray Lewis was already the best so it was kind of logical to love the Ravens.
Then, I started playing football as a junior in 2007 and I became crazy in love with the game and even more with the Ravens.

So, almost 10 years!
Time flies.

[TheRavenouseD2008]

I was 15 when baltimore announced they would have a team again. before that I was in pa had to listen to steelers and eagles fans all the time .... I still remember dad cursing at the tv though when I was 3 as the Colts packed up I remember getting up and asking my mom why daddy was so angry .  I may have lived over 30 years in pa but my heart is always in baltimore

 

[cursona pirate]

I grew up watching the Bills with my dad and grandpa. But I wanted to pick my own team around 9 and 10 years of age. So around 2005, I picked the Ravens because I had a dog at the time named Raven and I thought the logo was cool. I never really understood much of how the game was played till around 2008 though. 

This is literally the same for almost all my favorite sport teams, cool logos or reference to something around me.

 

Edited March 15, 2016 by cursona pirate

[OldToby]

Couldn't relate with the steelers growing up, happened to be flipping through channels and came across a Ravens game, first thing I thought was how cool the uniforms were, then out of no where I see this player( Of course Ed reed) Pick off a pass, juke out a couple of people and run it down the field For a good bit of yards. Hadn't seen anything like it, till then. Influenced me to try out football in school, and I had a really good time. 

Edited March 15, 2016 by OldToby

[JEEPercreepermd]

I became a fan back in 96, watching Vinny Testaverde and Michael Jackson absolutely light people up! 

[OldToby]

55 minutes ago, JEEPercreepermd said:

I became a fan back in 96, watching Vinny Testaverde and Michael Jackson absolutely light people up! 

I can only imagine those days.

[omar586]

i first came to the US and i saw on tv the game of football, and i was like "what the heck r they doing, smashing their heads like that". but 3-4 yrs later i started watching it with my cousins who one was a 49ers and one was cowboys fan, than i started understanding the game of football. but in 2000 is when i really started watching the really nasty ravens D, my cousins used make fun of me because i didn't have a team back than, i had to pick one and i was like i'm picking ray lewis team, because at that time lewis was playing lights out. and still my cousins were still making fun of the ravens because they used to tell me the only thing the ravens have is defense, no offense back then. and ever since that's my squad, and the rest is history. and guess what? i got the last laugh now, every time i see them, i ask them when the last time your team won  SB.

Edited March 16, 2016 by omar586

[K-Dog]

Man, there is some YOUNG folk on these boards. 

[edthehead]

my dad took me to the game as a kid at memorial stadium

so as a young man I took my dad to the game at memorial stadium

the Raiders vs the RAVENS, 1996 first game there and we win (yes I had to google the year)

I remember when the colts left I was a kid but never took to the game(favorite team) even though I played , never had a favorite team

until we got the RAVENS;

IN  my man cave there  is a picture of ART Modell, 

thanks ART and you should be in the H.O.F, (done to much for the sport to be black balled and allowed to be black balled).

[Jacquouille]

Well, they were my team from the moment I started getting interested in the NFL. As a french, the geologitical stuff doesn't affect me, I think it was the logo that first had me liking the team. At that moment, the Wild card against Pittsburg was coming. It was the occasion for me to really discover the game after learning the rules.

After watching the game, Iknew this was my team.

[darklight1216]

12 minutes ago, Jacquouille said:

Well, they were my team from the moment I started getting interested in the NFL. As a french, the geologitical stuff doesn't affect me, I think it was the logo that first had me liking the team. At that moment, the Wild card against Pittsburg was coming. It was the occasion for me to really discover the game after learning the rules.

After watching the game, Iknew this was my team.

Ah bon? Il y a pas mal des français sur ce siteweb.

De toute façon Baltimore est plus proche de la France que la plupart des autres villes qui ont les équipes NFL.

[ALPHA]

I was 3 or 4 when football left LA so I grew up a Lakers fan. I became a Ravens fan while watching the first SB run, something about Ray Lewis was magnetic, he was like pure willpower.

[MrDelDante]

I'm from the UK and had only really heard of the Cowboys when I started watching the sport regularly (2007 I think from memory.)

After watching a full season and as many games as I can there was no doubt I wanted to be a Ravens fan. Just loved the style of football and passion the guys played with on defence.

In the first off-season we drafted Flacco, so my journey started the same time as his.