The Baltimore Ravens were on the road Sunday, but M&T Bank Stadium still felt like gameday.
Fans gathered throughout the renovated North Plaza for the Ravens’ first watch party, taking in Baltimore’s matchup against the Indianapolis Colts while experiencing some of the new spaces created through the stadium’s multi-year renovation.
The event included food, fan activations, a crab feast inside the Xfinity FlockYard and a postgame performance from Soulja Boy. But beyond giving fans somewhere to gather for an away game, the watch party also offered a look at the larger vision behind the stadium improvements.
Ravens President Sashi Brown has said one of the organization’s goals is to make M&T Bank Stadium a more active part of downtown Baltimore throughout the year.
“Part of that was making sure that this building was activated more than 10, 12 times a year,” Brown told Double Take Sports while discussing the renovations.
Brown pointed to the broader investment taking place downtown, including development around the harbor, renovations at Oriole Park and activity surrounding CFG Bank Arena.
“There’s just a massive amount of investment in downtown Baltimore, and we really want to do our part to bring downtown back to life,” Brown said.
Major concerts and other large events are one part of that strategy. Brown also noted that the renovated plazas and gathering spaces create opportunities to host events that do not require use of the entire stadium.
Sunday’s watch party showed how that flexibility can work. The event attracted attendees with a range of connections to the Ravens. Double Take Sports spoke with longtime fans, families enjoying the gameday atmosphere and a military member who received tickets despite not considering herself much of a football fan.
The renovations also gave the Ravens an opportunity to modernize a stadium that first opened in 1998.
Brown believes the finished product now compares favorably with newer venues around the league.
“I think we stand up against any of them,” Brown told Double Take Sports. “I think it’s becoming more iconic as it ages, kind of like a fine wine.”
He said the renovation allowed the organization to address areas where stadium design and operations have evolved significantly over the years.
“We had one kitchen to service 70,000 people. Huge challenge,” Brown said. “We now have put four or five more kitchens into the building.”
While Brown acknowledged that a newly constructed stadium would naturally be designed differently from a renovated one, he believes the changes made at M&T Bank Stadium were substantial.
“We were able to make major, major impacts,” Brown said. “And I think the Bank stands up to the best of them in the industry.”
Sunday provided an early look at what that investment can mean beyond Ravens home games: the team was playing in Indianapolis, but M&T Bank Stadium still had fans in the building, entertainment on site and activity downtown.
Watch Double Take Sports sights and sounds recap from the Ravens Watch Party below.