The NFL Preseason will start off with the Baltimore Ravens facing the Chicago Bears in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. This adds to a special time for Ravens fans:
The Baltimore Ravens are going to have a memorable weekend in August which something we don’t get to say much. The same week that will see the greatest Raven of all-time inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will also see a Ravens game.
The Ravens and the Bears was perfect match-up here. Ray Lewis spent his entire career with the Baltimore Ravens. Brian Urlacher spent his entire career with the Chicago Bears. Lewis and Urlacher were the top linebackers of their generation. Lewis had a stat sheet for the ages with 1,366 tackles, 41.5 sacks, 17 forced fumbles and 31 interceptions. Urlacher produced 1,229 tackles, 41.5 sacks, 12 forced fumbles and 22 interceptions. Double wow.
The Hall of Fame game could be a good thing for the Ravens young and unproven players trying to make the roster. This gives the Ravens an extra week of preseason football. The Ravens could theoretically have an advantage with an extra game to evaluate their players on the 53 man roster bubble. It also means that they have another game that they need to avoid injuries with.
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The experience isn’t cheap for fans:
Ravens fans will obviously be interested in going to Canton for number 52’s big moment. It’s going to be hard for a lot of Ravens fans to get to Canton for the enshrinement ceremony and all the events that surround it. Many of the cheapest options have sold out. One of the cheapest packages still available for the weekend is the 4-day Bronze Package which will run you $1,389. That includes tickets to the Hall of Fame game and the enshrinement ceremony with some other perks. The 3-day Bronze package is just over $900. That doesn’t include hotel arraignments and all that jazz and that’s not for multiple people either. It’s also worth noting that this is the one big weekend in Canton, Ohio every year. Hotels will cost more than usual. If you thought the cost of going to a Ravens game was prohibitive, the cost of hall of fame weekend is insanely prohibitive.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame does have a Saturday only plan for fans who just want to go to the enshrinement ceremony and visit the Hall of Fame. While these plans would be more feasible, they are already sold out. If you go to the Pro Football Hall of Fame to show your pride in Lewis and the Ravens, more power to you. If you can’t swing it, it’s okay, I can’t either. For ticket information follow this link to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s website.
A special time for the Ravens Flock:
Whether you watch Ray Lewis’s speech on the television or at the ceremony, if you’re a Ravens fan, there is a good chance that you’ll shed some tears. This is a special moment for the most important player in Ravens history. He has a statue outside of the stadium and a place in the Ravens ring of honor. He is beloved by Baltimore and Ravens fans everywhere, but this is bigger. This is recognition from the entire football world.
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The fact that the Ravens will be in Canton for the Hall of Fame game, makes it even more special. John Harbaugh and company have a job to do, but playing in the Hall of Fame game, is a chance to be part of Lewis’s big moment.