The Orioles announced that their May 24 game against the Indians has been set for 12:35pm ET, which is "less than a half-hour from the start of the first of two NCAA men's lacrosse semifinals at M&T Bank Stadium that day," according to Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore SUN. The lacrosse games are scheduled for 1:00pm and 3:30pm. The Orioles are "prevented from scheduling their game in the evening because they are contractually prohibited from competing with the Fox prime time window" from 4:00-10:00pm that day. However, the specific parking plans "have not yet been finalized." The parking lots around the two stadiums "are used for events at both, but with two events at once, it could create issues." Orioles VP/Communications & Marketing Greg Bader said, "It's one of those things that we are going to work out the logistics over the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, there won't be an interruption in the normal routine for our fans." Schmuck reported though scheduling conflicts between M&T Bank Stadium and Camden Yards "are rare because of preset contractual priorities, they do occur periodically." The Orioles also will share the Camden Yards stadium complex "during the upcoming Labor Day weekend, when Navy hosts Ohio State for an Aug. 30 football game at M&T Bank Stadium, but the games will be played at different times" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 4/27). Ravens VP/Stadium Operations Roy Sommerhof said that the team has been "working with private parking lot operators near the stadium to help ease any concern among fans" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/27).
SALES OFF TO STRONG START: In Baltimore, Ryan Sharrow noted nearly 50,000 tickets "have been sold" for the men’s lacrosse championship weekend, a "figure organizers say puts the event on pace to match last year’s crowd" of 79,179 at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field. Baltimore drew a total attendance of 98,786 when it last hosted the event in '11. Ticket sales are "expected to climb as the event draws closer and the participating schools are known." NCAA Associate Dir of Public & Media Relations Gail Dent said that the "bulk of the advertising surrounding the May 24-26 event has just gotten underway" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/27).
