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Speaker 1: Welcome into the Lounge presented by DraftKings. I'm Ryan Mink

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Speaker 1: here with Garrett Downing, and we are thrilled to be

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Speaker 1: joined by one of the founding fathers of UK Ravens,

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Speaker 1: Ben Mortimer, and the Ravens are coming over to the

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Speaker 1: UK as part of the NFL's Global Markets initiative, and

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Speaker 1: so really excited about this, Ben, as I'm sure you are.

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Speaker 1: And tell listeners, first of all, you go way back

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Speaker 1: with the Ravens, way back you've been associated with us.

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Speaker 2: I'm so old. Yeah, I feel good when I look

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Speaker 2: back at when I started watching the Ravens, but I

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Speaker 2: go kind of back, not all the way to the beginning,

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Speaker 2: not sort of to ninety six. But I moved to

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Speaker 2: Baltimore when I was a much younger man in two

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Speaker 2: thousand and one, so I just missed Super Bowl thirty five,

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Speaker 2: and I had no idea really about American football at

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Speaker 2: that point. But because I moved to Baltimore because I

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Speaker 2: like sports and if I wanted the social life, I

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Speaker 2: had to kind of try and at least feign an

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Speaker 2: interest in the Ravens on a Sunday, and that became

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Speaker 2: a passion after about a week. So I kind of

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Speaker 2: ended up getting going to my first game I think

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Speaker 2: the following year, and then ended up getting PSLs and

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Speaker 2: I moved back in twenty eleven from the UK already

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Speaker 2: kind of completely addicted to the Ravens and I've been

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Speaker 2: to a ton of road games as well and stuff

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Speaker 2: like that. But yeah, even when I lived in Baltimore,

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Speaker 2: I used to sort of host UK fans of my house.

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Speaker 2: It was then I was on this. It was before

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Speaker 2: social media, but there used to be some message boards

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Speaker 2: and I'd get frustrated after a loss and my girlfriend

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Speaker 2: didn't want to hear it. So I thought, Okay, I'll

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Speaker 2: go and find a message board and convent on there.

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Speaker 2: And through the wonders of the Internet, some people in

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Speaker 2: Britain said, hey, you're English, but you're in Baltimore. Yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 2: it's you know, I'll go to the games, and so

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Speaker 2: they once or twice a year would come over. I'd

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Speaker 2: say to my girlfriend of the time, now, my wife,

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Speaker 2: do you mind if so and so stays over and

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Speaker 2: we'll get my ticket and we'll go Tailgate.

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Speaker 3: Great. Well, just just so listeners have a good understanding

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Speaker 3: of this Global markets program, because it is, you know,

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Speaker 3: to the average fan, it's like, what does this mean?

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Speaker 3: What is the significance of this. Basically, this was voted

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Speaker 3: on last week and announced at the NFL owners meetings,

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Speaker 3: And what this allows is it gives the Ravens, along

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Speaker 3: with other teams who are in the UK market, the

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Speaker 3: ability to market in the UK, so we could do

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Speaker 3: events there, We could have we've we've already started social

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Speaker 3: accounts there which everyone should go follow, especially our UK fans.

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Speaker 3: Those accounts are Ravens in UK. We've got a on Instagram, x,

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Speaker 3: Twitter and Facebook, so go ahead make sure you follow those.

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Speaker 3: And so we're just gonna make more of an overall

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Speaker 3: organizational focus to grow the game and grow our fan

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Speaker 3: base in that market, which is already is ben you know,

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Speaker 3: certainly a robust group of fans that we've had the

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Speaker 3: chances to Ryan and I to get over there twice

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Speaker 3: and do live episodes of the Lounge podcast over there

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Speaker 3: when we've played there, which is which is honest, some

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Speaker 3: of my favorite memories of working for the Ravens is

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Speaker 3: being there and doing those live podcasts and meeting fans

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Speaker 3: from all over the world. It's been really fun to

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Speaker 3: have a chance to do that. When you found out

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Speaker 3: the news that the Ravens were granted UK marketing rights.

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Speaker 3: How was this received over there?

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Speaker 2: I think initially with some excitement mixed with confusion because

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Speaker 2: nobody quite knew what it meant. It was like, okay,

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Speaker 2: well they've come over already. But but I think anything

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Speaker 2: that's you know, Ravens related and involves more involvement in

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Speaker 2: the UK is to be welcomed. And was everyone was

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Speaker 2: really excited. They weren't quite sure why. Let's let's find

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Speaker 2: out what this means. Yeah, but no, I think you know,

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Speaker 2: it's it's been We're really lucky and not just saying

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Speaker 2: this because I'm on your show that the we're fans

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Speaker 2: of an organization have always been really really engaged with

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Speaker 2: their international fans, and so it obviously makes a lot

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Speaker 2: of sense from my side anyway, for the Ravens to

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Speaker 2: express interest in this market, because it's always been such

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Speaker 2: an amazing time. You know, it's not just that we

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Speaker 2: enjoy welcoming you over and being hosts to you and

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Speaker 2: hopefully making you, you know, feel really welcome, but also

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Speaker 2: we really appreciate what the team have always done for

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Speaker 2: us as a fan base, and you know, from the

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Speaker 2: early years of the UK Ravens being in place, They've

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Speaker 2: always had open communication with us and they've you know,

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Speaker 2: sent over swag before the season starts with you know,

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Speaker 2: kind of the flags and the you know, the koozies

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Speaker 2: and stuff like that. You know, we've had meetups, they've

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Speaker 2: they've done virtual zoom stuff, so that stuff before the

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Speaker 2: Ravens even got these rights. So for me, it's just

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Speaker 2: to have even more engagement and actually have the ability

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Speaker 2: to you know, to put more stuff on for their

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Speaker 2: UK fans is just a great opportunity for the existing

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Speaker 2: fan base and also for the Ravens just to sort

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Speaker 2: of grow grow a fan base over here as well.

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Speaker 1: Now there's there's a number of teams NFL teams to

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Speaker 1: have the rights to market in the UK. Now by

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Speaker 1: this point, you know, the Jags have been going on

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Speaker 1: over there for a number of years. You know, the

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Speaker 1: Ravens have gone over twice now, and it feels like

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Speaker 1: even the second time when we came over in twenty

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Speaker 1: twenty three, that they were just there was even more

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Speaker 1: excitement than the first time, you know, And I'm curious

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Speaker 1: for your perspective, how much more is there, Like, are

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Speaker 1: there a lot more fans that you can see the

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Speaker 1: Ravens really gaining in the UK.

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Speaker 2: I think if they approach it the right way then absolutely.

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Speaker 2: I think that the NFL is just getting more and

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Speaker 2: more popular year on year in the UK, the more

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Speaker 2: exposure people have to it. It's been two thousand and

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Speaker 2: seven is when the first game of the International Series

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Speaker 2: started at Wembley, and you've kind of got now a

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Speaker 2: generation since it doesn't happen. It's now eighteen years, so

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Speaker 2: you've kind of got a generation of fans that have

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Speaker 2: grown up as kids watching the game are now in

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Speaker 2: part in that onto their kids. And you know, there

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Speaker 2: are now three or four games depending on what year

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Speaker 2: it is in the UK. You've got the purpose built

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Speaker 2: field and locker rooms at Tottenham, so it's definitely not

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Speaker 2: going anywhere. If anything, is getting more and more exposed

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Speaker 2: as the International Games grow. So I think, yeah, you're

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Speaker 2: talking about moving from a real niche sport to a

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Speaker 2: I wouldn't say mainstream, but it's it's it's getting on

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Speaker 2: the fringes of that. So you have you have you

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Speaker 2: have fans that are growing up there most of a

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Speaker 2: lot of the fans that support that the Raims in the

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Speaker 2: UK don't really have a connection with Baltimore. They maybe

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Speaker 2: played the Ravens are Madden, or they like The Wire

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Speaker 2: is a popular one, which is always a depressing but

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Speaker 2: but accurate. You know, it's like they love The Wire,

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Speaker 2: the TV show. So I think if you make the

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Speaker 2: right impression, and I think the Ravens are just a

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Speaker 2: perfect franchise for doing that because they're always so sort

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Speaker 2: of forward thinking and and uh and and and and

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Speaker 2: they're always interacting with their fans as far as making

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Speaker 2: sure that they're sort of reaching them on a personal level.

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Speaker 2: And I don't want to name particular names of franchises

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Speaker 2: that may not have done that as well, but they haven't,

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Speaker 2: I think. So I think I think it's all to

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Speaker 2: play for as far as sort of either wooing new

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Speaker 2: fans to to Baltimore and you see that. I think

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Speaker 2: we do attract fans that really kind of go all

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Speaker 2: in on the Ravens Ethos and they like the pub.

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Speaker 2: The first pub we had in twenty seventeen for that

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Speaker 2: first game, which we won't mention the game, but the

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Speaker 2: whole weekend was against that team from Jacksonville. But the

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Speaker 2: whole weekend, apart from the actual game was was amazing,

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Speaker 2: and the and the Admiralty was the bar and without

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Speaker 2: the square and the guy I remember speaking to the

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Speaker 2: owner and he said, I've never seen a fan base

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Speaker 2: like this. We've never been full like this before. And

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Speaker 2: it was like on a Friday afternoon, it was before,

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Speaker 2: it was like two days before the game.

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Speaker 1: It was insane. There were so many other people spilling

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Speaker 1: out into the square. I'll never forget that seed. It

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Speaker 1: was incredible.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, So it's just I think we do have one

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Speaker 2: of the you know, I'm not just biased too, I

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Speaker 2: think we have one of the We think once people

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Speaker 2: adopt the Ravens, they it kind of attracts people that

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Speaker 2: like the hard and those stuff, They like the underdog

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Speaker 2: and then and and they get quite romantic about it.

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Speaker 2: So I think once they become a Ravens fanue we

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Speaker 2: don't really attract their weathers. We keep them for life.

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Speaker 1: And why do you think that is? Like, why do

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Speaker 1: you think you know we're flattered that you talk about

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Speaker 1: what the what we've done as an organization to help

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Speaker 1: with that. But you know there's also other reasons, like

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Speaker 1: is it part of the It seems like there's a

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Speaker 1: symmetry with like the Gothic, the Ravens, the Tower of London,

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Speaker 1: you know, all that stuff. And then also you know

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Speaker 1: what you have done and UK Ravens and what you've established,

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Speaker 1: and you've helped us tremendously in building up that fan base.

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Speaker 1: So like, why do you why do you think there's

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Speaker 1: been this natural just fit.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that it does. This the way that

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Speaker 2: the Ravens have evolved over the years, and certainly when

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Speaker 2: football came over here or came back over here after

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Speaker 2: it's come of hiatus since the eighties, the way they

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Speaker 2: played appeal to a lot of English fans that you

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Speaker 2: know kind of maybe do they appreciate defense and they

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Speaker 2: appreciate hard hits and they and we kind of watch

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Speaker 2: rugby and stuff like that over here as well, so

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Speaker 2: that style of football, you know, probably appeals to fans.

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Speaker 2: And yeah, we've tried our best to you know, sort

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Speaker 2: of have meetups and things like that, and that's become

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Speaker 2: more and more year on year. In last year we

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Speaker 2: had one for not nearly, not every game, but there

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Speaker 2: was ten or twelve meetups last year I think across

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Speaker 2: the country where you know, obviously the Brits like socializing,

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Speaker 2: so we find that if we do that and say

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Speaker 2: you know, there's a pints included, they will come like

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Speaker 2: Field of Dreams. So it's I think I think that

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Speaker 2: that whole ethos just just appeals and you have to

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Speaker 2: as a fan base, you have to just you know,

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Speaker 2: sort of do your best to root for the team.

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Speaker 2: And I think they are a very relatable team in

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Speaker 2: that they are you know, they're not they're not flash

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Speaker 2: and I mean that in the best possible way, but

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Speaker 2: then you know, they're not kind of the they have

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Speaker 2: that sort of cowboys outlook. It's it's kind of you know,

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Speaker 2: it's it's it's a team that people can relate to.

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Speaker 2: So you know, we just kind of propel that and

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Speaker 2: to fans, and we don't really want people that fly

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Speaker 2: by nights anyway. We want people that are going to

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Speaker 2: be in it for the long haul. So I think

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Speaker 2: that appeals to the British mentality too.

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Speaker 1: Nice.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, that's cool. I've always said, and I may have

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Speaker 3: sent this to you before, Ben, but I think that

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Speaker 3: something that stands out to me for fans who and

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Speaker 3: it's grown, but fans like yourself and fans who are

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Speaker 3: who are abroad. You have to make a commitment to

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Speaker 3: really being invested in the team. The games aren't on

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Speaker 3: at like the most convenient times. It's not you don't

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Speaker 3: open up the newspaper, return on the TV, or get online,

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Speaker 3: and it's like right in your face the way it

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Speaker 3: is here. And so you have to do a little

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Speaker 3: bit more work to be a fan. And so I've

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Speaker 3: always admired that about our international fans. It's just that

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Speaker 3: there's more, there's more work that goes along with it.

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Speaker 3: Can you just describe if pick, take a big game

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Speaker 3: that's happening, you know, a big Ravens game that that

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Speaker 3: you guys for the UK Ravens are doing some sort

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Speaker 3: of meetup, like what is the scene, what is the

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Speaker 3: atmosphere like, you know for a Ravens Steelers game for example,

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Speaker 3: that you're trying to do a big watch party for.

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Speaker 2: It's it's fantastic and we try and pick you know,

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Speaker 2: games that but the problem we've got is that, you know,

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Speaker 2: with the kickoff time being you know, one pm Eastern

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Speaker 2: at best, then you're looking at six pm on a Sunday,

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Speaker 2: so arranging that even though things have got better, there

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Speaker 2: are still licensing laws and there are still closing time

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Speaker 2: so to find establishments that will be willing to certainly

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Speaker 2: a primetime game unless you're in London at a casino,

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Speaker 2: that's kind of out of the question. So we can't

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Speaker 2: do because they kick off at one twenty in the morning,

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Speaker 2: they won't half four, but we have to. But we

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Speaker 2: do like to try and get you know, some some

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Speaker 2: some real juicy matchups, so well, you know for a

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Speaker 2: typical sort of six pm kickoff here and you know,

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Speaker 2: people will start getting excited about it as soon as announced.

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Speaker 2: We tend to, if not sell out, then get pretty

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Speaker 2: much up to capacity with whichever bar that we are

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Speaker 2: showing it at. We're trying and show up a couple

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Speaker 2: of hours earlier to get some drinks in and sort

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Speaker 2: of talk about, you know, the game. And then just

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Speaker 2: like in the US, it's you know, the coverage is

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Speaker 2: so good now that we get you know, the if

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Speaker 2: it's not on the regular Sky TV, we've got this

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Speaker 2: game pass, which is it's on like the Zone. I

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Speaker 2: don't I think you have the Zone in the US

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Speaker 2: and it shows the American commercials and everything. So yeah,

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Speaker 2: I mean, but it's like the I think I find

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Speaker 2: the UK fans actually a bit more nervous than I mean,

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Speaker 2: having lived in Baltimore, I used to go to Maxis

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Speaker 2: and Fell's Point to watch all the road games and

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Speaker 2: it was far more convivial and people were having their

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Speaker 2: wings but kind of talking. The UK fans kind of

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Speaker 2: go quieter in the game, they kind of they get

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Speaker 2: really nervous it maybe it's been three thousand miles away.

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Speaker 2: It's even more nerve wracking, but we get the highs

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Speaker 2: and lights, and because we're all invested in that team,

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Speaker 2: you got a US bar. Maybe some people are there

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Speaker 2: that are just there for the social aspect or even

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Speaker 2: don't like football, whereas the only reason people are in

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Speaker 2: one of our meetups is because they're raven fanatics. So

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Speaker 2: it is you know certain times, I mean, the best,

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Speaker 2: the best one I've been to that we kind of

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Speaker 2: hosted up north because I'm in York, and we had

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Speaker 2: one in Leeds a few years ago, and it was

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Speaker 2: the Detroit game where we were losing till the last second.

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Speaker 2: Then it was the last second sixty six yard and

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Speaker 2: someone filmed it and you know it had that angle

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Speaker 2: from behind the goalposts where I think everyone took about

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Speaker 2: two seconds to realize it's actually gone through because it

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Speaker 2: hit the crossbile then came over and in that place

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Speaker 2: went insane and it was that's when you think, yeah,

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Speaker 2: this was this is definitely worth doing.

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Speaker 1: That's very cool. So are you seeing You kind of

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Speaker 1: mentioned it and I hadn't really thought about this that

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Speaker 1: it's now a generational thing, like are you seeing young

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Speaker 1: like kids now in the UK that are becoming Ravens fith.

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Speaker 2: That's one of the nicest things. I'm I've always been

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Speaker 2: kind of the Facebook guy, and obviously that's not as

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Speaker 2: popular as it once was, but I was you and

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Speaker 2: me both then yeah, yeah, I'm not going to get

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Speaker 2: into the whole Twitter and next thing, but that's that's

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Speaker 2: Shane and Ian's job, so I'll leave them with that.

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Speaker 2: But but on Facebook, yes, seeing some people that have

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Speaker 2: been part of the group for you know, ten, fifteen

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Speaker 2: years whatever it is now having babies and children. And

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Speaker 2: the first picture of the post is in a Ravens

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Speaker 2: wansa or baby grow and this is like, this is

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Speaker 2: the next this is the first born here generation. It's

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Speaker 2: like going back three hundred years to allis Island and

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Speaker 2: like you know with his first generation immigrants. Now this

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Speaker 2: is first generation of Ravens fans in the UK. So

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Speaker 2: and the good thing is, you know, I had obviously,

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Speaker 2: all of my three daughters were forced to wear Ravens

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Speaker 2: ones as well, and they're all grown up to be

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Speaker 2: stable human beings and everything as well now. But I

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Speaker 2: could pass that on to you know, other fans that

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Speaker 2: were having the first child, and we had a bunch

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Speaker 2: of you know, girl Ravens WANs is so it is

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Speaker 2: cool to see you, you know, mums and dads bring

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Speaker 2: their sons and daughters to these international games wearing Lamager's

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Speaker 2: and stuff like that. So that's nice to see.

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Speaker 1: How special was that twenty twenty three win? As you mentioned,

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Speaker 1: we don't talk about the game from twenty seventeen, but

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty three against the Titans that was a fun one. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: So like, how did that game being over there and

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Speaker 1: getting a win and all that and the experience around it, Like,

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Speaker 1: how much do you feel like that boosted the connection

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Speaker 1: between the Ravens and UK fans?

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Speaker 2: I think massive. I mean, there's nothing like seeing your

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Speaker 2: own team live and it was only the second time

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Speaker 2: the Romans have made it, and twenty seventeen have been

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Speaker 2: such as I keep going back to accept the game,

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Speaker 2: but until you know the game. Then the weather was

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Speaker 2: perfect that day. It was a great weekend everyone, you know.

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Speaker 2: I think the team connected so well with the fans

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Speaker 2: in the Admiralty and things like that, so it was

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Speaker 2: kind of like a case of unfinished business for us,

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Speaker 2: and so the fact that we were able to welcome

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Speaker 2: you again again. We got this this brewery for the tailgate,

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Speaker 2: which was top ten minutes walk from Tottenham Stadium, and

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Speaker 2: the weather turned out perfect that day. We had beer

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Speaker 2: on They call it Titans tiers for us, so we thought, okay,

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Speaker 2: if we're drinking pints of Titans tears, this better not

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Speaker 2: go wrong for us because we could look bad. But

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Speaker 2: luckily we won the game. But yeah, just to be

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Speaker 2: in that stadium and see the Ravens finish the job

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Speaker 2: was such a relief. It was I think that was

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Speaker 2: the biggest thing for me. It was like after a

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Speaker 2: weekend when we had the Saturday thing, cheerleaders came over

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Speaker 2: and Poe and everything like that, it just felt like,

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Speaker 2: we need to finish the job now with a with

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Speaker 2: a win on Sunday. So to actually be there and

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Speaker 2: I think that day probably converted a few neutrals to

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Speaker 2: Ravens fans as well, but it felt like a Raven's

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Speaker 2: home game as well. It was like even though it's

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Speaker 2: meant to be a Titan's home game, it was definitely

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Speaker 2: I'd say, you know, over half that stadium was was

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Speaker 2: was Ravens, purely Ravens. Probably a quarter we're neutrals, and

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Speaker 2: then maybe a quarter with Titans. But that was that

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Speaker 2: was allowed. That was allowed.

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Speaker 1: Oh it was.

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Speaker 3: And to your point, the unfinished business piece, like when

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Speaker 3: you win the game and it just makes you look

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Speaker 3: back on the trip with a whole different perspective. Like

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Speaker 3: a twenty seventeen you lose the game and it's just like,

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Speaker 3: oh that game. But and so that kind of puts

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Speaker 3: a sour note of the entire trip. This one. The

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Speaker 3: team was over there for a full week, and I

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Speaker 3: think that, like, you know, the team really enjoyed it,

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Speaker 3: not not even the fan events were great, and but

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Speaker 3: even separate from that, I think the team really enjoyed

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Speaker 3: that experience. It was a good time for them. And

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Speaker 3: then to win the game and come back from there

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Speaker 3: it actually I still think that game was kind of

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Speaker 3: a turning point for the team that season. So it

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Speaker 3: just changes the whole perspective of that trip and and everything.

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Speaker 3: So as we it kind of as we look forward,

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Speaker 3: like what has you most excited about this, this opportunity,

365
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Speaker 3: you know, this this global markets program and just the

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Speaker 3: ability for the Ravens to have more of a presence

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Speaker 3: in the UK.

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Speaker 2: I think that that's it. It's having more potential you know,

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Speaker 2: access and and and con not conversations with the team,

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Speaker 2: but just you know, kind of having more opportunities to

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Speaker 2: interact with with with the organization. You know, the fact

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Speaker 2: that we're we're here and you know that might you know,

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Speaker 2: who knows this really really early days as to what

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Speaker 2: you know, the Ravens decided to do, but you know,

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Speaker 2: if they have any events over here, it's it's stuff

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Speaker 2: that you know, our fans can travel easily too and

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Speaker 2: maybe interact with you know, from people with people from

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Speaker 2: the organization, so you know, and we're here to support

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Speaker 2: them too as UK Ravens fans. So I think it's

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Speaker 2: just a natural a natural fit. And you have to

381
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Speaker 2: have the ability of interacting more with with you know,

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Speaker 2: your the team that you root for every Sunday and

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Speaker 2: have that connection. It's invaluable. It's it's kind of I think, Yeah,

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Speaker 2: I don't want to keep harping on about how good

385
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Speaker 2: the Ravens are doing it, but believe me, there's a

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Speaker 2: lot of teams that don't, you know, focus on on

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Speaker 2: building the fan relationship with the team, and I think

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Speaker 2: there's already a connection there through both what you do

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Speaker 2: and what we've done. So I think just to have

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Speaker 2: the opportunity for the team to actually be more involved

391
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Speaker 2: in the in the English or the British Psyche and

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Speaker 2: market directly to the fans over here is a great opportunity.

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Speaker 2: But I think it's it will be taken in the

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Speaker 2: way that it should be as well as far as

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Speaker 2: building that that love and that and that fan support.

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Speaker 2: So I can't wait to see what they, you know,

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Speaker 2: what they decide to do well.

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Speaker 1: The Ravens aren't aren't scheduled to host any international games

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Speaker 1: this upcoming season. But Ben, you know, I know you

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Speaker 1: have the inside scoop now because you know now you're

401
00:19:32,600 --> 00:19:34,320
Speaker 1: part of the program, so you get you get the

402
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Speaker 1: advance advanced schedule all the way out to twenty thirty.

403
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Speaker 1: When when are the Ravens coming back to the UK?

404
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Speaker 1: You let us know, Ben, I'll tell you.

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Speaker 2: I don't know. I mean, I don't even know when

406
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Speaker 2: another year, when the actual this year's schedule is going

407
00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:48,640
Speaker 2: to come out. It's like the NFL tell you about

408
00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:51,360
Speaker 2: two days beforehand. So yeah, I think they're getting they're

409
00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:54,720
Speaker 2: getting even more stingy with with actually letting teams know

410
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Speaker 2: when they're going to come over. And I think, you know,

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Speaker 2: even like in twenty twenty three, the Ravens didn't find

412
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Speaker 2: out till I think two months after the last time

413
00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:05,280
Speaker 2: they've been told twenty seventeen, they told them like in February,

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Speaker 2: and I think I think that it was like May

415
00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:09,920
Speaker 2: or something, wasn't it. So it kind of leads. So honestly,

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Speaker 2: we're here to help as much as we can. I know,

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Speaker 2: loads and loads of pubs, so that will be there then.

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Speaker 2: But yeah, when you come over, even if it's you know,

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Speaker 2: you might be an away team in somewhere like Germany

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Speaker 2: or Spain first, but I'm hoping that you know, sooner

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Speaker 2: rather than later, come over. Let's make it. I think John

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00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:29,760
Speaker 2: Harvard doesn't mind coming as much now after winning.

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Speaker 3: So like I said, after you win the game, it's

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Speaker 3: it's great. Everyone feels it totally changes the outlook on

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Speaker 3: the trip. So I think everyone's got good, good memories.

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Speaker 2: Now, yeah, I think coming out earlier was definitely the

427
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Speaker 2: way to do it. I think they learned the lesson

428
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Speaker 2: from Jet twenty seventeen and it's like, you know, have

429
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Speaker 2: get into a routine, have a proper resk, get onto

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Speaker 2: the time zone. So you know, we're we're happy to

431
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Speaker 2: help with tips on stuff like that.

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Speaker 1: Awesome, Well, thank you so much for joining us, Ben,

433
00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:59,800
Speaker 1: and to all our listeners check out the UK Ravens podcast.

434
00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:03,679
Speaker 1: All do a great job over there, and thank you

435
00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:05,840
Speaker 1: so much for joining us. We can't wait to meet

436
00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:12,159
Speaker 1: up in person. Then awesome, you know the way to

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00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:12,560
Speaker 1: our heart.

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Speaker 3: You're listening to the Lounge podcast. We're coming to you

439
00:21:16,359 --> 00:21:17,879
Speaker 3: from the Sea Geek studio. We also want to mention

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00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:20,320
Speaker 3: our partners to Trafficking Sportsbook. They are an official sports

441
00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:23,000
Speaker 3: betting partner. Oh the Baltimore Ravens Trafficking sports Book. The

442
00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:26,680
Speaker 3: Crown is yours so big. Thanks to Ben again part

443
00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:30,840
Speaker 3: of the UK Ravens and certainly organizationally, we're excited about this,

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00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:34,399
Speaker 3: uh about this opportunity in this program. Again, we have

445
00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:37,679
Speaker 3: new social accounts, so make sure you're following those especially

446
00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:40,040
Speaker 3: if you are already in the UK. Those accounts are

447
00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:44,200
Speaker 3: Ravens in UK, so go ahead and follow those accounts.

448
00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:49,240
Speaker 3: So we're gonna have content directly specifically for our fans

449
00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:51,879
Speaker 3: over there over the next coming weeks and months, and

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00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:55,040
Speaker 3: we're excited about that. So, I know, I know, make

451
00:21:55,119 --> 00:21:56,840
Speaker 3: You're just you're just looking to get back over there

452
00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:59,320
Speaker 3: and have another live podcast and get a free pint

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Speaker 3: on Ben right.

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Speaker 1: Oh, of course, yeah, it's I mean, I think you

455
00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:09,280
Speaker 1: hit the nail on the head, Garrett with the memories,

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00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:10,960
Speaker 1: you know. I mean, those are some of my favorite

457
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:15,080
Speaker 1: memories for my time working with the Ravens, and the

458
00:22:15,119 --> 00:22:17,240
Speaker 1: trips are fun. I mean, I love it over there.

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Speaker 1: I think London is a really cool city and I

460
00:22:21,359 --> 00:22:23,320
Speaker 1: can't wait to I can't wait to go over more,

461
00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,679
Speaker 1: quite honestly. And so I was really excited about that.

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00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:29,720
Speaker 1: And I'm just really excited that, you know, the Ravens

463
00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:33,280
Speaker 1: brand is growing more globally. You know, it's a great

464
00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:35,480
Speaker 1: time to be a Ravens fan. As we've talked about,

465
00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:38,280
Speaker 1: got the best player in the world on our team

466
00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:42,119
Speaker 1: and obviously winning a lot of games, and this is

467
00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:44,399
Speaker 1: this feels like the right time you know. I mean,

468
00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:48,280
Speaker 1: the Ravens were one of the late adopters to the

469
00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:53,199
Speaker 1: Global Markets program, but now it feels right. You know,

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00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:54,560
Speaker 1: I think it would have been a little harder to

471
00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:57,320
Speaker 1: jump in after twenty seventeen and you have, you know

472
00:22:57,440 --> 00:22:59,040
Speaker 1: that was it kind of left a little bit of

473
00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:01,280
Speaker 1: a sour taste the way that that game went, and

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00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:05,560
Speaker 1: it just didn't feel as right then. But now I

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00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:09,000
Speaker 1: feel like the team, with Lamar and everything that the

476
00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:11,720
Speaker 1: Ravens have going on, it just it made a lot

477
00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:12,960
Speaker 1: of sense to do it.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. Year, Yeah, I just think that the game continues

479
00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:19,119
Speaker 3: to grow, like not just for the Ravens but the

480
00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:23,359
Speaker 3: NFL game we've seen it. Even in comparing those two

481
00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:27,159
Speaker 3: trips there just seemed to be I mean, there was

482
00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:30,120
Speaker 3: a ton of excitement in twenty seventeen as well over

483
00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:31,720
Speaker 3: the course of that week, but it just it just

484
00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:34,200
Speaker 3: felt even bigger the second time around. And I think

485
00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:36,840
Speaker 3: if we go back whenever, the next time happens to

486
00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:38,359
Speaker 3: be like, it's just going to grow and grow and

487
00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:44,119
Speaker 3: grow and having the chance to like a lot of fans.

488
00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:45,880
Speaker 3: You if you're in the UK and you're looking for

489
00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:48,240
Speaker 3: a team, it's like the Ravens are a great team

490
00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:51,000
Speaker 3: to pick. They've got a super exciting player. Even like

491
00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:53,360
Speaker 3: proximity wise, it's it's not that hard to get back

492
00:23:53,359 --> 00:23:56,199
Speaker 3: and forth from London to Baltimore, and so like, if

493
00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:57,919
Speaker 3: you're if you're in Baltimore, you want to go to

494
00:23:57,960 --> 00:23:59,880
Speaker 3: a game in London if the Ravens are playing there,

495
00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:02,760
Speaker 3: it's pretty easy to do that. Same the reverse is

496
00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:05,520
Speaker 3: true as well, And so like for all those reasons,

497
00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:07,400
Speaker 3: I think it makes a lot of sense. It's exciting,

498
00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:10,879
Speaker 3: and you know, I know that there's definitely some some

499
00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:13,440
Speaker 3: fun stuff that's playing in the future, and as those

500
00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:16,640
Speaker 3: plans get finalized and ironed out, we will be sure

501
00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:19,879
Speaker 3: to share those as well. But we're definitely organizationally excited

502
00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:22,720
Speaker 3: about this opportunity and what it can mean for us.

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00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:27,840
Speaker 1: And I also think it bears mentioning that it spreads

504
00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:30,240
Speaker 1: beyond the UK, right, I mean, we've we had fans

505
00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:32,960
Speaker 1: from Germany, right that, we had fans from around the

506
00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:35,359
Speaker 1: globe that we're at that game that I remember meeting

507
00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:37,639
Speaker 1: at the pub in twenty twenty three, you know, we

508
00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:40,359
Speaker 1: had our friends from Germany come over and come on

509
00:24:40,359 --> 00:24:43,439
Speaker 1: the lounge here with us. And I think we've you

510
00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:46,840
Speaker 1: and I have realized what kind of international following the

511
00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:50,200
Speaker 1: Ravens have in part because of this podcast. Like some

512
00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:54,440
Speaker 1: of our most avid listeners are international fans, and it's

513
00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:56,639
Speaker 1: just we hear from you all in the emails and

514
00:24:56,920 --> 00:24:59,840
Speaker 1: we absolutely love it. And now to see that continue

515
00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:02,679
Speaker 1: to row in this way. And and even though you know,

516
00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:05,600
Speaker 1: the Ravens we chose to go to the UK, hey,

517
00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:09,120
Speaker 1: it makes us that much closer to other European countries

518
00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:11,919
Speaker 1: and and easier for those fans to see us and

519
00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:16,520
Speaker 1: connect with us, you know, more often. So I'm just

520
00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:19,440
Speaker 1: I'm just really pumped about it. And uh yeah, get

521
00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:22,800
Speaker 1: your passports ready, Ravens fancy so you know you can

522
00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:24,800
Speaker 1: go over there and meet the whole club over there,

523
00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:27,600
Speaker 1: and uh, it's it's just an exciting partnership.

524
00:25:28,119 --> 00:25:30,880
Speaker 3: Awesome. Well again, thanks to Ben. You can check out

525
00:25:31,119 --> 00:25:34,040
Speaker 3: a UK Ravens podcast and thank you for his time.

526
00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:35,840
Speaker 3: And we're excited about what's to come on this front.

527
00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:38,680
Speaker 3: So it's gonna be there's a lot of stuff that's

528
00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:42,480
Speaker 3: going on here outside of the UK piece. Ryan, the

529
00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:44,359
Speaker 3: draft is right around the corner, and we're gonna have

530
00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:47,240
Speaker 3: a number of podcasts between now and the draft. We're

531
00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:49,520
Speaker 3: gonna we're really diving deep into the draft talk. We're

532
00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:51,800
Speaker 3: gon be talking with some some of the draft experts

533
00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:54,520
Speaker 3: out there over the course of the next couple of weeks,

534
00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:56,600
Speaker 3: and we're excited about that. So stay tuned. We got

535
00:25:56,640 --> 00:25:58,600
Speaker 3: a lot of fun podcasts coming your way. Thank you

536
00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:00,359
Speaker 3: for listening. As always, you can email us of the

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00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:03,480
Speaker 3: Lounge at Ravens dot NFL dot net and we will

538
00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:04,440
Speaker 3: talk with you again soon