Maryland Business

By: Liz Farmer

Hmmm, one more free beer in the parking lot or beat the stadium crowds but pay nearly $8 for the same thing inside M&T Bank Stadium? For most Ravens fans it’s a no brainer — tailgate until the last possible minute.

That’s the reasoning behind the stadium hours change this year for Ravens games. Instead of opening two hours before kickoff, the gates will open 90 minutes ahead of time. According to Chad Steele, a team spokesman, only about 3,000 fans (or 5 percent of stadium capacity) were entering M&T during the 120-90-minute pregame window.

“Despite our efforts to encourage fans to enter the stadium early –- most are outside the stadium tailgating until about 30 minutes prior to kickoff –- Ravens fans have decided to fully enjoy the Baltimore tailgating experience,” he wrote in an e-mail.

He noted that the parking lot is still open five hours before game time but that opening the stadium later does save some money.

“From a business perspective it makes better sense for us to open the stadium 30 minutes later; we save on some personnel costs,” Steele said. “This change will have little if any impact on our ability to move fans through the turnstiles in time for kickoff.”

As a reference, FedEx Field’s gates open two hours prior to kickoff but the parking lots are only open four hour before the game.

Are the new M&T times better? Worse? Do people care?

To check out other new stadium features this year such as a recycling program and club level renovations, click here.