Who do the Baltimore Orioles think they are. The city of Baltimore is about to be split in two. NFL.com is reporting that the defending Super Bowl Champions will open their 2013 season on the road due to a schedule conflict with the Orioles.
“After thorough discussions among the Orioles, the NFL and the Ravens,” Ravens president Dick Cass explained in a statement, “it became clear that holding both an Orioles’ game and the Ravens‘ regular-season opener on the same day would create logistical situations [that] would cause serious issues for the city of Baltimore, and fans for both teams.”
Cass went on to cite anticipated problems with parking, rush-hour traffic, plus crowd and car congestion around Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium.
NFL senior vice president of communications Greg Aiello released a statement expressing his disappointment for the fans in Baltimore. The NFL still is exploring other avenues for Baltimore fans to celebrate the 2013 NFL Kickoff Game, including a pre-game concert.
The Ravens will be the first Super Bowl champion to open the season on the road since 2003 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visited Lincoln Financial Field to play the Philadelphia Eagles.
The opponent has yet to be named and because the NFL has already announced home and road opponents for the 2013 season, the list of teams they could travel to play include Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins,Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions or the Denver Broncos.