Meredith Davis is very clear: โ€œI will forever be a Ravens fan, as long as I am in Baltimore.โ€

She gave these assurances Monday morning, just hours after the teamโ€™s disappointing loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But fandom has admittedly not been a priority for her this season, and it honestly has very little to do with how they played.

โ€œI hadnโ€™t even been following them as much as I usually do,โ€ said the Owings Mills resident, who readers might remember as the die-hard fan who committed to giving away some of her season tickets after coach John Harbaugh visited the Trump White House, an act Davis found disrespectful to not only his majority Black players but this majority Black city, a constant target of derision and insult for the president. She had considered selling the tickets completely, but stood down after a contact from the Ravens organization reached out to her.

But this disillusionment isnโ€™t just over Harbaughโ€™s visit and the subsequent doubling-down on his decision. For her and others, thereโ€™s been a damper on the overall season. Thereโ€™s the cloud of former kicker Justin Tucker, who was suspended for 10 weeks after being accused of sexual misconduct. Itโ€™s the warnings the NFL gave to the Ravens and other teams to avoid violating the leagueโ€™s gambling policy. Itโ€™s the injuries and general sense of uneasiness.

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โ€œSomething is not right,โ€ Davis said. โ€œIโ€™m not going to say itโ€™s them. But the whole season seems really strange to me.โ€

As much as sheโ€™s dedicated to the franchise, the Ravens have not been Davisโ€™ priority. โ€œIโ€™ve been trying to survive,โ€ said the founder of executive advisory company Davis Research Exchange, who is currently without full-time work.

โ€œPeople are tired,โ€ she said. โ€œWhen the worldโ€™s imploding, who cares about a touchdown when the next day you might not have a job? Sports is leisure. Itโ€™s a necessity for a city because it brings a lot of money and adds revenue. But for us, itโ€™s leisure.โ€

Davis gave away a set of tickets to be auctioned off by Baltimoreโ€™s Center for Infant & Child Loss, but she wound up selling others for a simple reason: โ€œI needed to pay my bills and sustain.โ€ And this is why she thinks the team needs to be loyal to the people who spend thousands each year on their seats.

Earlier this season, she wrote a letter to her contact in the organization โ€” the same person who reached out to her when she wrote about her concerns about Harbaugh. She read me her message, in which she congratulated the Ravens on a winning streak and asked if, in light of the massive federal government job loss locally, the franchise might consider extending the March 1 deadline for financial commitment for the following seasonโ€™s seat licenses. By that date, owners who are not on a monthly payment plan must pay at least 50% of the total fee for the season โ€” which for Davis is about $5,000 for her two club-level seats. All money is due by May 15.

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โ€œIโ€™ve heard nothing,โ€ she said. โ€œI reached out to ask if there were any concessions being made, but itโ€™s business as usual. Thousands of people are out of a job, and they still want us to pay for these tickets. Some are able to do it, and some arenโ€™t.โ€

Chad Steele, the Ravensโ€™ senior vice president of communications, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Davis understands that this is business, and said sheโ€™ll try to hold onto her tickets because โ€œtheyโ€™re a good investment.โ€ But in a city that prides itself on loyalty, โ€œIโ€™m disappointed,โ€ she added. โ€œBaltimore is not built like this. Baltimore has a rich history of supporting teams, and its sense of building community is unmatched. This is not the way.โ€

A large crowd of fans moves through the concourse to find their seats ahead of a game between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots at M&T Bank Stadium. (Ulysses Muรฑoz/The Banner)

Because of the general state of the world, including the United Statesโ€™ strike on Venezuela over the weekend, Davis said itโ€™s harder and harder to be concerned day to day with a game, particularly when her team doesnโ€™t seem to be considering its fans.

โ€œHow can anyone be excited to be celebratory in this environment? Even if we had won the game, weโ€™re losing the war. Transparency is important and you canโ€™t pretend that nothing is wrong,โ€ she said. โ€œThis countryโ€™s Botox is failing, and the makeup is coming off. The ugliness is here and you canโ€™t unsee it. Iโ€™m disillusioned.โ€

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Davis admitted that she didnโ€™t watch much of the game Sunday. โ€œI was really sick to my stomach thinking about it. I just prayed it was gonna work itself out, and took myself to sleep.โ€

As unhappy as she is with the current state of the team, Davis swears that sheโ€™s always going to love the football team that represents Baltimore. โ€œIf the Ravens ever left and the Crows came, I would support the Crows. ... I am loyal to my city.โ€

But whoever the team is? They need to be loyal in return.