BALTIMORE _ In the latest move to try and improve a fraying relationship with their fan base, the Ravens announced Tuesday that they will lower the concession prices at M&T Bank Stadium ahead of the 2018 season.
Team president Dick Cass will reveal the specific plans for the price reductions on food and drinks at a news conference Thursday at the downtown stadium.
The decision was foreshadowed by owner Steve Bisciotti at the State of the Ravens news conference in February. Bisciotti acknowledged that the Ravens would take a "hard look" at reducing concession prices. However, to do that, Bisciotti said the organization would need to renegotiate its contract with Aramark, the official food vendor at M&T Bank Stadium.
Last year, the Atlanta Falcons dropped their concession prices by 50 percent when they moved into Mercedes-Benz Stadium and team officials reported that fans spent 16 percent more than in the previous year, according to ESPN.
For the Ravens, the move is part of an increased effort to be more fan friendly after a 2017 season in which the team missed the playoffs for a third consecutive year. The number of empty seats at M&T Bank Stadium became a major storyline, as did the fan response to the roughly dozen players who knelt during the national anthem before the team's game in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Cass and Bisciotti have acknowledged that the team has some work to do in winning back some fans.
M&T Bank Stadium is in the midst of a $120 million renovation project that will include the addition of escalators and elevators that will make it easier for fans to get to their upper-level seats.
The Ravens also invited select fans to ask questions at the team's annual pre-draft news conference and held a session in which Bisciotti, general manager Ozzie Newsome and coach John Harbaugh took questions with fans.
Cass has also been extremely active this offseason meeting with sponsors, business partners and fan groups.
