What International Market Should the Baltimore Ravens Target?

The NFL continues to make a huge push to reach an international audience. For decades, with a few pockets of exception, the NFL has been a US sport watched and enjoyed week-to-week by Americans alone. After a good run of sell-outs at the biggest stadium in the UK, Wembley Stadium, the NFL has been pushing its teams beyond the borders and overseas in many different ways.

In 2024, a total of five regular season games were played overseas. Three took place in London between the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley, one went to São Paulo in Brazil, and another in Germany’s Munich. However, staging games abroad isn’t the NFL’s only approach to growing new audiences. Designating markets is another way, and yet, the Baltimore Ravens are still without an international market.

International Markets and Games Overseas

In 2022, the NFL announced the International Home Marketing Areas initiative with the aim of letting teams market themselves overseas to try to create fan bases. To qualify as a team with a designated marketing zone, each had to submit proposals of their plans for the new markets, and their existing marketing performance in the US was considered.

The teams that were permitted countries by the NFL entered into a five-year window to conduct in-person events, sell merchandise, commit to sponsorship deals, and be of the highest priority for any games that go to that country. Some teams earned multiple placements, like the Miami Dolphins in the UK, Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina, while others didn’t get a single placement.

One of those teams is the Baltimore Ravens. Now, the initiative isn’t closed off. It’s actually quite fluid. In 2024, Argentina, Colombia, Japan, the Korean Republic, and Nigeria were added to the initiative, opening the door for the Cleveland Browns to jump in and set up as the one team operating in Nigeria. So, there is a chance for the Ravens to join and curry favor with an overseas fan base, but where would be a good fit?

Ravens Don’t Need to Look too Far

One potential target market for the Baltimore Ravens that will offer something different to potential fans and will allow the team to follow a similar partnership blueprint is Canada. In the partnership with Horseshoe, Ravens fans can get special offers and even go to the city’s only Ravens-themed bar stacked with live entertainment at the venue. It’s proved a hit for both the venue and the team, and could be repeated up north.

Up in Canada, while there are land-based casinos, online casinos certainly offer an easier path to partnerships. This is particularly true of the popular minimum deposit casinos. As shown by the in-depth review of minimum deposit casinos, all of the top-rated platforms come with a whole host of promotions and branded games that can be played with a comparatively small deposit. The Ravens could create branded slots, live tables, or special promos for fans on the sites.

As it stands, Canada has three designated teams that are essentially chosen for proximity: Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Seattle Seahawks. The Ravens arriving would offer a very different franchise that hasn’t been so close for many, many years. Another option would be Spain. The Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins have dibs for now, but in 2024, there’ll be an international game in Madrid – which the Ravens could jump on.

With a superb jersey scheme and a team that looks ready to compete for the Super Bowl soon, now is the time for the Ravens to create a dedicated fan base overseas, and Canada could be a fine choice.

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