There’s still a month left for the National Football League to end the lockout before it cuts into the 2011 season. Unfortunately for Carroll County, Md. residents, the lockout didn’t end soon enough to save their annual dosage of live, in-person football action.
Traditionally, the Baltimore Ravens hold their annual summer training camp—last year covering 26 days beginning on July 27—at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md. That’s where it has been since the team was first established in 1996. The location allows thousands of fans a free opportunity to get a sneak peak at what’s to come in September. Last summer, more than 110,000 fans showed up, according to BaltimoreRavens.com.
But since no one is sure if and when the current lockout will be lifted, there is no timetable to schedule around. Ravens’ personnel said if the lockout does end in time for a training camp to occur, it will be held at the team training facility in Owings Mills and the camp will be closed to the public.
“We’re disappointed we won’t be back at McDaniel and in Westminster this summer. We delayed the decision as long as we could,” Bob Eller, the Ravens’ vice president of operations said in a statement released to the media. “There are logistics that needed to be addressed now, including McDaniel’s schedule, the hotel, the fields and other Ravens football functions. Right now, we don’t know dates for camp, and we’ve been forced to make other plans.”