On March 29, the Baltimore Ravens teased the debut of a new uniform collection dubbed “The Next Flight,” and after nearly three weeks of social media hype the public witnessed big reveal on Thursday night.
Ravens PSL (Permanent Seat License) holders were invited to Merriweather Post Pavilion to see the launch in person while everyone else watched the details unfold in a 2+-minute video on the Ravens’ social media channels.
If comments are any indication, the new collection is a hit among fans, overall, but the clear favorite is the all-black uniform with the black helmet sporting a raven with glowing red eyes.
Even fans from other cities had to give props to the new design, including Pittsburgh!
The particulars of the uniform changes were described in detail in the team’s posts, and include details like a new collar with a pattern showing a raven’s wings, the word “Baltimore” on the team’s white jerseys (mostly worn on the road), a new shade of purple they are calling “midnight purple,” color-shifting elements to emulate the iridescence of a raven’s feathers, Ravens shields on the sleeves, stripes on the pants that resemble the talons of a raven, and key phrases sewn into the collars of the jerseys reflecting the Ravens identity.
One of those phrases even comes from Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven,” after whom the team is named: “Darkness there and nothing more”.
Commenters across all platforms zoomed in on the black helmets.
Of course, there were detractors. Change never comes without dissent, especially surrounding a team like the Ravens for whom experts and fans have had such huge expectations and been let down in the post-season with such regularity.
A number of commenters mocked the similarity to the Minnesota Vikings uniforms. The Score’s Facebook account was just one of many that had multiple people noticing.
Of course, everyone cares most about how the Ravens will play. But considering the Orioles have lost the last three games, are hovering just below .500, and are already laden with injuries, Baltimore sports fans seemed pleased with the distraction.
