Sports in Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland has a long and storied sporting history encompassing many teams from many different eras. Area fans, such as the late Wild Bill Hagy, are known for their passion and reverence for historical sports figures who played in the city or were born there.
Among other sports, Baltimore is also known for horse racing. The Preakness Stakes is a 1-3/16 mile (1.91 km) American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses, held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The Preakness Stakes has been termed "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans" because a blanket of Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta, the state flower of Maryland) is traditionally placed around the winner's neck. The Preakness is the second leg in American thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown series and almost always attracts the Kentucky Derby winner, and some of the other horses that ran in the Derby.
Major league professional teams
- Baltimore Orioles – Major League Baseball (since 1954)
- Three time World Series champions, the 1966 World Series, the 1970 World Series and the 1983 World Series
- Baltimore Ravens – National Football League (since 1996)
- Two time Super Bowl champions, Super Bowl XXXV (2000) and Super Bowl XLVII (2012)
Other professional teams
- Baltimore Blast – Major Arena Soccer League (since 1992)
- Baltimore Burn – United States Women's Football League (since 2001)
- Baltimore Nighthawks – Independent Women's Football League (since 2008)
- Baltimore Ride – United Women's Lacrosse League (since 2016)
- Baltimore Brigade – Arena Football League (since 2017)
Baltimore Bohemians, a USL PDL soccer franchise founded in 2011, finished second in the Mid-Atlantic division in 2013, clinching a playoff berth in their second season. The Bohemians also secured a U.S. Open Cup berth and led the entire 62-team PDL in scoring with 42 league goals.[1] They went on hiatus as of the 2017 season.[2]
Baltimore Blast, a franchise of the Major Arena Soccer League, has been playing at the 1st Mariner Arena since 1992. Originally known as Baltimore Spirit, the team changed its name in 1998. The current name was previously used by another indoor soccer team that played in Baltimore from 1980 to 1992. Since joining the MISL in 2001, the Baltimore Blast have won eight league championships: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2017.[3] The Blast joined the MASL in 2014 upon closure of the MISL.
Baltimore has two women's American football teams: the Baltimore Burn (founded 2001) and the Baltimore Nighthawks (founded 2007). Both teams play at Art Modell Field.
Defunct or relocated teams
Baseball
- Baltimore Black Sox – Eastern Colored League (1923–1928)
- Baltimore Elite Giants – Negro National League (the second) (1938–1948)
- Baltimore Monumentals – Union Association (1884)
- Baltimore Orioles (19th century) – American Association/National League (1882–1899)
- Baltimore Orioles (1901–1903) – moved to New York and became the Highlanders and eventually the New York Yankees
- Baltimore Orioles – Eastern/International League (1903–1914, 1916–1953)
- Baltimore Terrapins – Federal League (1914–1915)
Football
- Baltimore Stallions – Canadian Football League (1994–95)
- Baltimore Stars – United States Football League (1985)
- Baltimore Colts – National Football League (1953–83)
- Baltimore Colts – All-America Football Conference/NFL (1947–50)
- Baltimore Blackbirds – American Indoor Football Association (2007)
- Baltimore Mariners – American Indoor Football Association (2008–10)
The Baltimore Stallions was an expansion professional football team that joined the Canadian Football League in 1994. It remained in Baltimore for two seasons before relocating to Montreal after the 1995 season to become the Montreal Alouettes. While playing for Baltimore, the team posted the best two season starts of any CFL expansion team ever, advancing to the Grey Cup in both seasons. In its final season in Baltimore, the Stallions became the only U.S. based CFL team to win the Grey Cup, upsetting the heavily favored Calgary Stampeders.
The Baltimore Mariners, a franchise of the American Indoor Football Association, played at the 1st Mariner Arena from 2008 to 2010. After winning the AIFA championship to cap an undefeated season in 2010, the team folded over charges that owner Dwayne Wells purchased the franchise with embezzled funds.[4]
Basketball
- Baltimore Bullets – National Basketball Association (1947–54)
- Baltimore Bullets – National Basketball Association (1963–72)
- Baltimore Claws – American Basketball Association (1975)
- Baltimore Lightning – Continental Basketball Association (1985–86) Played games at Towson Center at Towson University.
- Baltimore Bayrunners – International Basketball League (1999–2000)
- Baltimore Pearls – American Basketball Association (2005–07)
Soccer
- Baltimore Bays – North American Soccer League (1967–69)
- Baltimore Blast – Major Soccer League (1980–1992); National Professional Soccer League (1992–2001), named Baltimore Spirit until 1998; Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008) and (2008–14)
- Baltimore Comets – North American Soccer League (1974–76)
- Crystal Palace Baltimore – USL Second Division (2006–10)
Ice hockey
- Baltimore Blades – World Hockey Association (1975)
- Baltimore Bandits – American Hockey League (1995–97)
- Baltimore Clippers – American/Eastern/Southern Hockey League (1962–77)
- Baltimore Skipjacks – American/Atlantic Coast Hockey League (1981–93) moved to Portland, Maine as the Pirates
Lacrosse
- Baltimore Tribe – American Lacrosse League (1988) played at University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Catonsville for the 4 weeks the league existed
- Baltimore Thunder – Eagle Pro Box/National Lacrosse League (1987–1999) moved to Pittsburgh, then Washington, D.C.; now Colorado
- Baltimore Bayhawks – Major League Lacrosse (2001–2006). Moved to the Washington, D.C. area in 2007; returned to the Baltimore Metropolitan Area in 2009 at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. In that season, the team was still known as the Washington Bayhawks; in 2010, it adopted its current name of Chesapeake Bayhawks.
College teams
Division I
In Baltimore City:
- Coppin State Eagles
- Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, competes in Division I for men's and women's lacrosse only
- Loyola Greyhounds
- Morgan State Bears
In Baltimore County:
Division III
In Baltimore City:
In Baltimore County:
- Goucher Gophers, located in Towson
- Stevenson Mustangs, located in Owings Mills
Events
- Army–Navy Game: 1924, 1944, 2000, 2007
- City-Poly football game: 1889–present
- Crab Bowl Classic (Maryland–Navy football game): 1932, 1951, 1958, 1959, 2005, 2010
- Day of Rivals, college lacrosse double-header: 2009–present
- Face-Off Classic, college lacrosse double-header: 2007–present
- NCAA Division I men's lacrosse championship: 1975, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011
- NCAA Division II men's lacrosse championship: 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011
- NCAA Division III men's lacrosse championship: 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011
Lore and Traditions
It is customary before a Baltimore Ravens game to tap the shoe of the statue of Johnny Unitas, Baltimore's star quarterback of the mid twentieth century while the Colts were still playing in the city. This is seen as a good luck charm for the game to come.[5]
When the national anthem is played at an Orioles or Ravens game, the word "oh" is emphasized in the line "oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave" by the crowd to show allegiance to the Orioles, using their nickname, the O's. Some national onlookers regard this custom as disrespectful to the nation's anthem.[6]
Nicknames are widely used in Baltimore to refer to certain sports figures or moments. Several Orioles players of the modern era have earned themselves nicknames which have quickly become traditional, such as Chris Davis receiving the nickname "Crush Davis" following his record-setting 2013 season and Nelson Cruz, whose last named is chanted in an elongated fashion whenever he makes a big play at home. The 2012 postseason game between the Ravens and the Broncos has picked up several nicknames, such as the "Mile High Miracle", the "F-bomb", and the "Rocky Mountain Rainbow", each referring particularly to Joe Flacco's pass to Jacoby Jones for a Baltimore touchdown which led to a victory, eventually leading the Ravens to win Super Bowl XLVII.[7][8]
When the Orioles are thrown into situations where they succeed spectacularly, especially when overcoming an adversarial situation, it is known by the Baltimore community as "Orioles Magic". This term was popularized by the local station WFBR when announcers reacted to Doug DeCinces' walk-off home run over the Detroit Tigers in 1979 by shouting "it might get out of here", followed by an eruption of fan cheering at Memorial Stadium.[9]
Eating Esskay hot dogs and drinking National Bohemian beer at Baltimore sporting events, particularly at Orioles games, has become a long-lasting tradition. National Bohemian is commonly referred to as "Natty Boh" by venues and Baltimoreans.[10][11]
The term "Birdland" is commonly used to refer to the Baltimore area's fanbase for both the Ravens and the Orioles. MASN, the Orioles' broadcasting network, is commonly accredited with popularizing this term thanks to their promos.[12]
The song Seven Nation Army was popularized in Baltimore as the Ravens' official pump-up song. Seven Nation Army was first played at the Ravens opening game of 2011 against the Steelers, and has been played at every home game since. It can often be heard at Orioles games as well.[13]
See also
References
- ↑ "Bohs Advance To PDL Playoffs". United Soccer Leagues. July 21, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
- ↑ "Club statement regarding the future". Baltimore Bohemians. January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Blast win MASL Championship". Baltimoreblast.com. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
- ↑ Sarah Beth Hensley (January 3, 2011). "Potomac Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Embezzling $1.7 million". Potomac Patch. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
- ↑ DiLutis, Peter. "Downtown Baltimore Sports Landmarks". Maryland Sports Landmarks. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ↑ Brown, David (May 21, 2012). "Baltimore's tradition of fans shouting ‘O!’ during national anthem sparks interleague feud". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ↑ "Chris Davis Becomes Crush Davis". Baltimore Magazine. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ↑ "Orioles' Nelson Cruz earns T-shirt night with monster April". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ↑ "Thirty-four years ago tonight, Orioles Magic was born". MASN. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ↑ "How to Be a Baltimore Orioles Fan". WikiHow. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ↑ "NATTY BOH RANKS AMONG WORST CHEAP AMERICAN BEERS". Baltimore City Paper. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ↑ "Baltimore Orioles: This Is Birdland, Damn It". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ↑ "How "Seven Nation Army" Became The Pump-Up Song At M&T Bank…And The 4 Songs They Almost Played Instead". Mix 106.5. Retrieved July 21, 2014.