Move Those Chains
Building purple community in Baltimore and the Bay
The husky, purple-clad man’s hair wasn’t quite a mullet, but he looked like a background extra from The Wire—Season 2 only, down at the docks. He jogged to a metal railing, turned, and raised both arms, conducting the crowd with sharp, parallel slices toward the end zone. On cue, the coordinated chant from the crowd boomed, “MOVE THOSE CHAINS! MOVE THOSE CHAINS! MOVE THOSE CHAINS! HUH!” The Baltimore Ravens had made a first down.
This was my first visit to, what would later be called, M&T Bank Stadium following a bankruptcy and dispute over naming rights. My Uncle James had recently purchased four season tickets at the team’s new home. I had no idea that three Super Bowls, an iconic pregame dance and murder trial (same player), and my formal pledge of allegiance to the Ravens1 would follow over the next two decades.
(Editor’s Note: I’ve caught playoff fever. This one’s about sports—but I promise there’s a point.)
But it wasn’t always season tickets and storied franchises. We started going to games together, with his son (my cousin) Aaron, back when the Baltimore Orioles played at Memorial Stadium, but both of us were born a year or two after the Orioles last won the World Series.
We were also—regretfully—able to attend predominantly disappointing matchups between the Washington Bullets/Wizards and whichever opponent was in town. The Bullets did bless us with the below promotional video, though.
With both franchises largely underwhelming (aside from the 1996 Orioles’ ALCS run2) it was a blessing when James obtained season tickets for the Baltimore Ravens.
In the scores of games I attended over the years, I was always struck by the community James, my Aunt Mychelle, and cousins Aaron, Lorraine, Jeremy, and Michael built with their nearby seatmates. I saw familiar faces year after year. That mullet I saw at my first game? It’s grayer now, and his moves a little slower—but he’s still leading the chant every first down.
Opinions and takes on professional sporting events are not what you all come to this newsletter for, but they offer a unique version of community. If you focus on the team-vs.-team (tribe-vs.-tribe) aspect of sports, they’re a clear example of bonding social capital—the kind that brings people together at the expense of the inclusion of others. But peel back the rivalry, and sporting events also offer bridging capital—the kind that brings unlike people together in shared experience. At a game or match of a team’s following—particularly at an NFL or NBA3 game in America—you’re bound to find folks from all shapes, colors, stripes, and creeds.
And there are rituals! Chants! Tifo! Races! That regularity breeds predictability, familiarity, and belonging.
There’s also the individual connection that happens at sporting events. I was always thrilled when I got a text message from my Uncle about whether I’d be home for a particular Sunday around Thanksgiving or Christmas, because it would give us, with whichever guests—hopefully not my sister, who we’re convinced is bad luck for the Ravens—a chance to connect with the only distraction being the cold or rain.
These DMV memories, and the community they built, have been on my mind lately. Especially because the Golden State Valkyries, the Bay Area’s new WNBA team, are about to start their inaugural season. And for the first time in my life, I bought season tickets. I am getting in on the ground floor. I am witnessing the birth of new chants, rituals, and nicknames. I’m getting to know the fans around me.
And, because I only have two tickets, I’m gonna have a lot of one-on-one catch-up time with my friends in the Bay. I can’t wait to deepen these connections in ways that only sports can.
I’ve recently realized that sporting events are also powerful opportunities for 1:1 connection.
I’m convinced that sporting events are the best kind of catch-up: 2–3 hours of low-pressure, high-quality time, with just enough distraction to keep it easy, and just enough connection to remind us we’re still on the same team.
Maybe sports aren’t just entertainment. They’re civic rituals. They remind us how to show up, belong, and build something together, one chant (or heckle) at a time. This possibility has recently begun to change my opinion on whether owners should receive tax rebates for new stadiums. Is there enough positive externality in the community that sports create? My attendance at the Warriors 2022 Championship Parade would say yes.
I’ve never seen more people in one place together, who look nothing like each other. Is this the pinnacle of multiracial democracy? Is this what Alexis de Tocqueville had in mind? Probably not. But anything that brings us together around our shared humanity should be celebrated.
And these spaces might be one version of the investment that can move the chains on America’s social infrastructure.
Upcoming Events
May 10. Catman Bingo at Two Pitchers. Halfway to Halloween (some might call it Halfoween). Fun starts at 2, balls roll at 3:20. Prizes from Two Pitchers, Lovely’s Catman.
May 16, 5pm. Unhindered Pairing. Surreal Dimensions. Virtual Reality Art & Visionary Conversation. RSVP at KALW.
May 20, 7:30pm. Bounce Podcast Launch Party. The Golden State Valkyries First Season in the Bay. RSVP at KALW.
May 27. 6pm. Peer Talk with Bob Fisher. Intergenerational Dialogue on Leadership. RSVP at KALW.
May 30, 5:30pm. Most Best Open Mic. Share Your Talent for a Chance to be On-Air. RSVP at KALW.
June 3, 6pm. Muni Diaries. Transit Futures How Bay Area Public Transit Impacts Your Life. RSVP at KALW.
May 17. Maker’s Market at Two Pitchers. Discover unique crafts, fashion, art, and more from talented creators. Free entry and pet-friendly. Get in touch with @popupgaller.sanfrancisco to vend.
I was a Washington Football Team for many, many years, then gave up on the NFL for a while (concussions, Dan Snyder), then finally decided that I should be a Ravens fans after realizing I’d attended more games in that stadium than any other.
We were ROBBED.
I don’t have time to get into why baseball is less Black these days, but it feels like a relatively recent phenomenon. Perhaps the rise of travel baseball in the US and the disinvestment in affordable youth sports?