*By Michael Teich*
The Baltimore Ravens are betting cheap pretzels and discounted soda will lure fans off their couches, away from their steaming services, and back to the stadium.
"It's going to change the game on the way our fans experience the stadium," Richard Tamayo, director of guest experiences for the NFL team, said Thursday in an interview on Cheddar. "It’s going to be really family-friendly when it comes to pricing."
The Ravens are slashing prices of 21 concession items by an average rate of 33 percent. Some fan favorites get the biggest discounts ー the price of soft pretzels and french fries will be cut in half.
The team has dedicated significant capital to an ongoing [$120 million renovation](http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bs-sp-ravens-improvements-at-mt-bank-stadium-20180130-story.html) of its M&T Bank Stadium. Fans this season will be treated to new video boards, a fresh sound system, and "some of the best Wi-Fi in the country," Tamayo said.
All those bells and whistles could be an attempt to draw in crowds that are already glued to multiple screens. The rise of streaming has been blamed for a drop in TV viewership for NFL games. Broadcast ratings fell 13 percent for the regular season in 2017-18, while playoff games slid 12 to 20 percent, according to [MoffettNathanson](https://www.recode.net/2018/1/29/16944580/nfl-ratings-structural-decline-tv-playoffs-moffettnathanson-trump-protests).
The Ravens start their season against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/strengthening-nfl-stadium-experience-with-cheaper-food).
Buffalo's NFL team is playing its first home game since 1996, and in order to make it work amid a pandemic, the Bills are partnering with BioReference Laboratories in a pilot testing program.
U.S. Soccer and the women’s national team have settled the players’ legal claim over inequitable working conditions, putting to rest a part of the team’s gender discrimination lawsuit.
Jim Weber, CEO of Brooks Running a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, talks to Cheddar about the big growth in sales as more people took up running amid the pandemic.
Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, November 25, 2020:
Kim Ng, who started her Major League Baseball career as an intern, has become the majors' highest-ranking woman and Asian American in baseball operations.
Justin Turner was removed from Los Angeles’ 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6 of the World Series after registering Major League Baseball’s first positive coronavirus test in 59 days.
Bill Reiter, NBA insider for CBS Sports, joined Cheddar to talk about the trend of big-time athletes like LeBron James entering the big-time business world.
FanDuel CMO, Mike Raffensperger, joined Cheddar to discuss fantasy sports amid the coronavirus pandemic. Raffensperger also discuss how the company is handling bets, particularly in the NFL as players contract the virus.
The Tennessee Titans find themselves back in a waiting mode hoping the NFL allows them back inside their headquarters by Tuesday with their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers postponed until later this season by the league’s first COVID-19 outbreak.
The Tennessee Titans have suspended in-person activities through Friday after the NFL says three Titans players and five other personnel tested positive for the coronavirus.
