Connor Guercio and Cody Colston of the Between Two Birds podcast, have provided a joint article to share thoughts on the following:
Regardless of the O’s improvement during the past two seasons, Baltimore has been and will always be a football town.
— Mike Preston (@MikePrestonSun) August 9, 2015
Cody Colston
I’m not going to lie, I used to think like this. There was a time when I thought the Orioles weren’t deserving of my attention because they weren’t good. I hate myself for thinking that. I’m a die-hard Ravens fan, but I sat down during the 2012 Orioles season and realized how much I loved baseball. I realize that makes me sound like a fair-weather fan, but it’s the truth and I’m not leaving. I’m here, good or bad, from now until the end of my days. Same goes for the Ravens. Same goes for the Wizards, Capitals, Terps, D.C United, even the Baltimore Blast. The intensity of my fandom for each team may not be the same, but I still root for them. Just because I root for one, doesn’t mean I can’t root for the others. Just because I love my mother, doesn’t mean I can’t love my sister. Same principal.
Even if you don’t like baseball or don’t like football, that’s fine. Neither team is competing for the same market. One team isn’t going to affect the other team’s ability to compete. Baseball and football have lived in harmony in Baltimore since 1954 when the Orioles moved here from St. Louis. Baltimore isn’t a “Baseball town” or a “Football town,” Baltimore is a sports town. Do you know how many people that complain that we don’t have a basketball team or a hockey team? Baltimore is a “I want to sit down after a long day of work and watch sports town.”
Connor Guercio
I think it is very lazy and idiotic to say that Baltimore is a “Baseball town” or “Football town.” I say it is both, for multiple reasons, and this is coming from someone who prefers baseball over every sport and loathes the Ravens. Consider: both teams get their moments to shine during their respective seasons. Once the O’s finish in late September (hopefully late October), all attention shifts to the Ravens, and vice-versa when the football season ends. The gray area that is mid-August to late September, when both teams play. It becomes a breeding ground for this worn-out argument, and angry statements made on Twitter and Facebook.
I used to be somebody who sided heavily with baseball, before realizing that I was a hypocrite when it came to getting mad at people who heavily sided with football. If you love both teams, love them equally; it is easier that way. Both teams are winning on a regular basis now, fans’ enthusiasm for both is at an all-time high, and we should be able to enjoy multiple sports at the same time. Hell, you don’t see this argument in Washington D.C., and all four of their teams can play at once, at times! This is a silly discussion to keep going; love both teams equally, Baltimore, because I know you can.