I can remember as a young girl living in Baltimore that the demolition of Memorial Stadium, the longtime home of the Baltimore Orioles, was a big deal, though I certainly didn 't understand why. I also remember the intense debate about what the new stadium was going to be named and the importance that the City of Baltimore and its residents placed on the name. It seemed as though the entire identity of the City was hanging on the success of this project. This was when Cal "Iron Man" Ripken was still showing up to play every night and the Orioles had more than one pitcher who could throw strikes. We loved the Orioles and were excited that our team was getting a new home. The ultimate legacy of the park was still to be determined, but the enthusiasm …show more content…
The stadium and all of the urban development that followed created a sense of pride in residents of Baltimore that they had previously lacked, perhaps even since Art Modell snuck the Colts out of the city in the middle of the night. It had been a long time since residents in Baltimore could agree on something and now, Baltimore had a place to gather, a team to cheer for, and a number of bars and restaurants to frequent in a newly revitalized part of the city. Pride is a difficult thing to quantify. What is the benefit of pride? A part from creating more fans, buzz for the team and the sponsorships that come with that, pride also means that fans are more likely to go to games, buy merchandise and watch the games when they can 't go in person. Pride in many ways drives a sports team 's revenue, because it speaks to the investment of fans in their hometeam. And having a place to gather, to eat good food and watch a team you love play, can directly contribute to a City 's pride in their team and furthermore, the money they are ready to spend on supporting that