Ravens Insider: How the Ravens’ renovations to M&T Bank Stadium affect fans: ‘I got screwed’

ExtremeRavens · 2025-09-11T11:00:26Z

Chris Santoro, a Ravens season-ticket holder since 2002, was furious at the Dec. 11 email he received from the team, saying that his seats would be moved for the 2025 season.

Why? Because of the $489 million in upgrades to M&T Bank Stadium — particularly the addition of premium seating behind the west end zone.

“Knowing that some fans may feel negatively impacted is difficult for us, but these projects will allow M&T Bank Stadium to remain a first-class facility for the next decade and beyond,” the team email said. “Please know that we are firmly committed to doing everything we can to make this an easy process and transition.”

“I was shocked,” said Santoro, a 44-year-old Baltimore native who has been to nearly every home game for the past 20 years. “I got screwed.”

The seating upheaval is largely the result of the addition of a costly, private “Legends Suite” that caters to corporate owners and wealthy fans, offering access to a members-only bar and food service, along with two rows of seats — 160 in total — on the field level. Regular season-ticket holders, who can pay several thousand dollars for their seats, feel as if they’re suddenly second-class fans.

The Ravens did not respond to multiple requests asking how many season-ticket holders were moved before the 2025 season. Team president Sashi Brown said they “spent a lot of time limiting the impact on the bowl seats for season-ticket holders,” which Chad Steele, the Ravens’ senior vice president of communications, echoed in an emailed statement to The Baltimore Sun.

“As is often the case with large-scale stadium modernizations, impact to seating bowl are unavoidable,” Steele said. “We worked diligently with our architects to minimize the changes to and limit the number of seats affected by our renovations. Where fans were affected, our team collaborated directly with them to deliver solutions and ensure a smooth transition.”

But that’s little comfort to longtime fans like Santoro, who says the team offered him either a payout for his tickets or corner seats — an option he said that he specifically asked to avoid. He’s holding onto the tickets this year despite being relocated with the hope of watching a Super Bowl contender, but he plans to consider selling them once the season ends.

“The suites aren’t for fans. All the money is getting dumped into corporate stuff. None of that money is going directly to benefit any fan in that stadium,” Santoro said.

Anthony Rosso feels the same way. The 52-year-old Glenwood native has held season tickets since 1996 and owned 16 seats along the field level in the west end zone for years. Until this season.

Rosso and his family were informed by the Ravens that their seats would be moved back eight rows to make room for the Legends Suite renovations. Rosso, who attends games with his 84-year-old father, Joe, pleaded with a team representative over the phone. He said nothing compared to the field-level view — watching his children celebrate with players after a touchdown or hearing the pads collide near the goal line.

“We were extremely disappointed. We didn’t have any say in it,” said Rosso, who is keeping his tickets.

Anthony Rosso, 52, of Glenwood, and his father Joe Rosso, 84, of Catonsville. They've held 16 season-tickets in the field level rows of the west end zone since 1996 until this year when the Ravens moved them back eight rows to accommodate the addition of the Legends Suite, a new premium seating option. (Sam Jane/Staff) — Anthony Rosso, 52, of Glenwood, and his father Joe Rosso, 84, of Catonsville. They’ve held 16 season-tickets in the field level rows of the west end zone since 1996 — until this year when the Ravens moved them back eight rows to accommodate the addition of the Legends Suite, a new premium seating option. (Sam Jane/Staff)

In 2022, the Maryland General Assembly passed a law that increased the Maryland Stadium Authority’s bond issuing authority to $1.2 billion, to be split evenly between Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium. The state earmarked $434 million in public money for the renovations to M&T Bank Stadium, which are expected to be completed in 2026.

But because the project ran over budget because of increased construction costs and design changes, the Ravens will kick in $55 million, with the MSA reimbursing them up to $35 million. Brown said most of the team’s money was spent on technology in the upper concourse and plazas in the main concourse.

The use of tax money for the implementation of luxury seating and a pricier option to view games is a trend among professional sports teams. The Jacksonville Jaguars are spending $775 million to upgrade their stadium, while the Carolina Panthers are spending $650 million of state funds to renovate theirs.

“A lot of these experiences we’re creating [are] commonplace now,” Ravens senior vice president of marketing Brad Downs said at a September stadium tour. “This helps keep us competitive.”

Reimbursable projects by MSA will include concourse improvements, including more bathrooms, according to the contract the MSA and team signed. Nonreimbursable renovations include the retail store at the west end of the stadium, LED videoboards and “ancillary work,” which is estimated to cost $20 million.

Brown said at a February state meeting that a majority of renovations are expected to be completed in August. At that meeting, Bill Marker — a longtime Baltimore resident — provided the one public comment. Marker lamented the slashing of federal government jobs, public education and the allocation of the state’s funds to luxury seating.

“Certainly the picture that Mr. Marker paints is not one that most of us would support if this was, in fact, a vote to allocate additional funding to the Ravens,” state comptroller Brooke Lierman said at the February meeting. “But this is not allocating additional funding to the Ravens. This money has already been voted on and allocated from a special fund to support bonds by the general assembly, signed by the governor, several years ago.

“If this was a vote by the General Assembly now to allocate additional money to the Ravens when we have so many other needs, that would be certainly not be one I would support.”

The Champions Club is one of the new premium clubs at M&T Bank Stadium and part of the improvement projects taking place at the stadium. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)

1 of 14

The Champions Club is one of the new premium clubs at M&T Bank Stadium and part of the improvement projects taking place at the stadium. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)

Expand

The state has some control over how the Ravens spend the money. The contract says the MSA will provide the team with “input, comments and decisions throughout the construction.” The organizations have agreed to nominate a bipartisan agent to monitor the renovations.

An MSA spokesperson said the team has not used any “payments associated with the $35 million contribution for the Reimbursable Projects under the [contract].”

But a large portion of the state’s funding will likely be targeted toward fans with larger pockets. There will be three exclusive clubs and one premium suite seating. The Legends Suite costs $400,000 for the entire season and at least $40,000 to attend one game, and it comes with 16 tickets and four VIP parking passes with food and beverage included. There’s also the Champions Club, The Raven, presented by T. Rowe Price, and The Trust, presented by M&T Bank.

The clubs feature a variety of amenities, including both of the franchise’s Super Bowl rings, an Ed Reed Super Bowl jersey and decorations from the Ravens’ championship runs. The Trust and The Raven are sold out for the 2025 season. The Champions Club costs $4,000 per season pass, and attendees need to have a separate ticket elsewhere in the stadium.

Some fans are pleased with some of the changes. Ed Whitesell, of Halethorpe, said that adding easier transportation access to upper levels, increased restroom options and the new retail store are all worthy upgrades.

The Ravens also added more than 12,000 square feet of new videoboards to the main concourses, five new venues within the new north plaza, including a sports bar concert venue and the “Flock Friendly Fare “ — a food menu that includes 11 items under $5.

Still, some fans are upset with the allocation of funds.

“I don’t really see where they improve the game experience for the average fan,” Montgomery County native and season-ticket holder Robin Ficker, 82, said.

Baltimore isn’t unique in making these types of upgrades across the NFL. But for a stadium just 27 years old — and often ranked among the league’s best — the timing felt puzzling, for some fans.

“I think that was a waste,” Ficker said.

Have a news tip? Contact Sam Jane at sjane@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Sam_Jane230.

Ravens President Sashi Brown discusses the latest M&T Bank Stadium improvement projects. (Lloyd Fox/Staff) — Ravens president Sashi Brown discusses the latest M&T Bank Stadium improvement projects on Tuesday. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)

View the full article

Sign In

Ravens Insider: How the Ravens’ renovations to M&T Bank Stadium affect fans: ‘I got screwed’

Recommended Posts

ExtremeRavens

Join the conversation

Browse

Activity