When the Ravens moved to Baltimore in 1996, the decided to conduct their training camp at nearby McDaniel College, in Westminster, Maryland.
This year, the lockout caused the Ravens to decide to move camp to the team’s facility. They’ve decided to stay put for training camp in 2012.
“We’ve had long, serious discussions about this decision, and, when all is said and done, we believe we can better prepare for the season by holding training camp here as opposed to McDaniel College or any other facility away from here,” Ravens president Dick Cass said in a release issued by the team. “We wanted to let the officials at McDaniel and at the hotel [Best Western] know as soon as we made the decision.”
The move, which Cass said wasn’t influenced by financial considerations, apparently is a product of the new labor deal.
“In 1996, Westminster was the best place for us to have training camp,” G.M. Ozzie Newsome said. “How teams conduct training camp today is vastly different. Our football needs and requirements are different. The absence of two-a-days, how much space we need for the players and the meetings, the limited number of practices allowed by the new CBA, the importance of having an indoor field when the summer storms come -- all of that and more football-influenced factors, had me recommend to [owner] Steve [Bisciotti] and Dick that we hold camp here.”
Bisciotti apparently wrestled with the move. “From a football and team point of view, it’s an easy decision,” Bisciotti said. “Personally, this is difficult. Some of my best memories as a kid are my family’s visits to the Colts’ training camp in Westminster. Part of my devotion to the game and the players who made it great and are heroes to many of us, started on those visits.
“We completely understand that this takes away an important part of our connection with our fans. I regret that,” Bisciotti added. “Hopefully, we can find other ways to continue this outreach. We’ll have more to say on this as we develop these programs.”
It’ll be interesting to see whether other teams follow suit, abandoning the traditional training camp experience for the facility to which the players report to work throughout the year. The reasons articulated by the Ravens should apply to every team that currently has an off-site camp. Time will tell whether more and more of them come to that same conclusion.
