Breaking what the Ravens considered an "unwritten rule
to stay out of the other team's territory," the Redskins
recently placed an ad in the Baltimore Sun, according to
Thomas Heath of the WASHINGTON POST, who writes that after
the ad ran, the Ravens, "who had not advertised in
Washington since moving from Cleveland in 1996, decided to
do some poaching of their own." Redskins spokesperson Karl
Swanson said that the team's ad in the Sun announced a
summer concert series at FedEx Field, tonight's scrimmage
between the two teams and the Redskins' training camp.
Ravens President David Modell said that he is "surprised
that the NFL views the region as one big marketplace, making
it a free-for-all for the two teams to chase fans." Modell,
whose team is "guaranteed around" $200,000 by the Redskins
for tonight's scrimmage: "It's certainly intriguing to us to
have the market opened up more broadly than we would have
thought." Swanson, on the reaction: "We're surprised and a
little bit puzzled. The ad promoted our scrimmage with the
Baltimore Ravens as well as our other summer activities.
Since that time, we did a joint mailing to our [season
ticket] waiting list inviting them to the scrimmage. We
provided post cards as well to the Ravens that they mailed
to their waiting list. We saw it as a joint production."
NFL VP/Communications Greg Aiello, on regional marketing: "A
club can advertise in whatever market makes sense. Those
are club issues, and there are no league rules behind them"
(WASHINGTON POST, 7/28). In Baltimore, Jamison Hensley
writes that the Ravens have sent 37,000 mailers to homes in
DC and will run a half-page ad in Sunday's Post. Modell: "I
have no problems playing by whatever rules are given to me.
Just give me the rules and I'll play by them. If we want to
advertise in each other's marketplaces, it's fine with me"
(Baltimore SUN, 7/28). Meanwhile, all 45,000 available
seats for tonight's scrimmage at FedEx Field "have been
sold." In DC, Liz Clarke notes that the concert, to be held
after the scrimmage, will be "headlined" by Martina McBride
to "add value" to the $20 ticket (WASHINGTON POST, 7/28).
