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Fair-weather fans show up when it’s convenient. Diehard fans show up.
And Saturday’s Ravens fans? Well, they might just be in a new category.
Temperatures may have hit a high of just 16 degrees before 1 p.m., and star quarterback Lamar Jackson may have been missing his third straight start with a knee injury.
But that didn’t stop several hundred hearty members of the Ravens Flock from hitting the concrete hours before kickoff Saturday — brisket, boots and booze in tow — as the Ravens (9-5) prepared take on the Atlanta Falcons (5-9).
The outcome of the game wasn’t going to sink the Ravens’ odds of making the postseason. But with a 17-9 victory and a New England Patriots loss, the Ravens clinched a playoff berth on a chilly Christmas Eve — a bit of redemption a year after the team started 8-3 but lost its final six games to fall just short.
Prior to the game, the odds didn’t matter to Kim Plitt, who came with her son, Alfred, to support the team. The family shows up rain, shine or bitter arctic blast for the Ravens.
“You got to go, whether they’re playing well or not,” said Plitt, a season ticket holder since 2000 and president of a Ravens Roost chapter, which fundraises for Baltimore-specific causes and communities. “You still got to go root for your team. I mean, It’s tradition.”
According to the National Weather Service, it’s the coldest Christmas Eve in Baltimore since 1983, with a wind chill of 2 degrees.
The Plitt family came prepared for the chilly temperature with Cuban sandwiches, Utz chips and a propane heater; when their lighter froze, they found fans nearby with a torch to get the heater going. In the parking space next to theirs, a group of fans covered in head-to-toe Santa onesies asked for a group photo, their backdrop M&T Bank Stadium.
Kim’s glass of white wine had turned to slush, and Alfred’s eggnog flowed more like a milkshake.
Still, they made the most of it: “This is going to be one of my memorable games,” said Kim, a resident of Ellicott City, who recalled coming to one Ravens game in such intense snow that crews had to come out with shovels to clear the end zone pylons.
As the Plitts worked to keep their heater on, fans took advantage of the extra parking spaces to spread out. Attendance numbers weren’t immediately known Saturday afternoon, but tickets on the secondary market fell to as low as $4 before kickoff.
Shawn Wiggins, a proud Edmondson Village native, took advantage of the low ticket prices to upgrade his seats to club-level Saturday for just $55. He brought along his brother, Aaron Walters, his dad, Anthony Wiggins, and his dad’s friend, DeWayne Lowe.
The elder Wiggins had never been to a game before; he prefers watching the games on television. But it’s the Ravens, he said, and he considered Saturday’s trip too good of an opportunity to pass up. “This is a Christmas thing, so I’m going in the clubhouse!”
Despite the cold, a nearby tailgate played out in typical fashion. Country music blasted from speakers as liquor flowed from glass handles; others played corn hole, huddled for warmth and grilled meat over small fires.
In a surprising holiday twist, the Grinch and Santa were seen making their rounds together, stopping for high-fives and photos with fans. The festive garb ranged from purple Santa hats and jumpsuits to fluffy blankets fashioned into long scarves.
But the merriment doesn’t come without risk in these frigid conditions; city health officials issued a Code Blue Extreme Cold Alert on Thursday, an advisory that cautions people to stay indoors and avoid exposure.
Temperatures Saturday morning reached a low of 6 degrees before bumping up to 16, said Luis Rosa, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. The average high for this time of year usually stands at about 46 degrees and a low of 28.
Already, this winter’s temperatures have hit lower points than last season’s, which reached an all-time low of 13 degrees in January 2022.
“The arctic air mass, combined with the wind, made it very, very cold,” said Rosa. “It’ll typically get this cold in the month of January, but not this cold in this point of the winter.” Forecasts show temperatures jumping back up to the 50s and 60s by New Year’s Eve.
With the cold comes the risk of hypothermia, a life-threatening, low-body temperature condition, as well as cold-related injuries such as frostbite. Older adults, children, and people with cardiovascular conditions are considered especially vulnerable to low temperatures, said Dr. David Gatz, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Gatz said he doesn’t fault Ravens fans for cheering their team on, but he did advise attendees to take some important steps to protect themselves.
The first is wearing layered clothing, which includes water-proof snow boots, warm jackets and loose-fitting undergarments that cover the feet, hands, wrists, neck and face. To avoid the wind chill and add some body heat, Gatz said, fans should take advantage of the cover of the concourse.
“And, I’m sure no one going to a football game wants to hear this, but one of the things we generally advise in these extreme temperatures is to avoid alcohol, which can kind of prevent you from picking up on some of those early signs of frostbite, even hypothermia,” Gatz said. “It just kind of affects how your body is able to regulate itself. So, not the time to go crazy while drinking. If you’re going to go to the game, focus on staying warm and cheering the Ravens onto a victory.”
There is one superfan who will likely skirt Gatz’s advice: Real Fan Dan, the Pasadena man in Section 532 who takes his shirt off to lead the crowd in a “R-A-V-E-N-S” chant after the team scores.
“Oh, he’ll be there today,” said Jim Bittner, of Bel Air, who huddled with a group of friends and family in a heated tent.
Before joining in a Fireball whiskey toast — a cheers to family, Ravens football and the holiday — Bittner shared a Christmas wish:
“I just hope he rips his shirt off.”
hallie.miller@thebaltimorebanner.com
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Hallie Miller covers housing for The Baltimore Banner. She's previously covered city and regional services, business and health at both The Banner and The Baltimore Sun.
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