From Babb Field to Camden Yards: making the most of Baltimore sports

With the fall semester about to kick off, Hopkins students are slowly making their way back to campus. As the University begins to open up, the sports industry is beginning to open up as well. Many stadiums and leagues are permitting fans to return to games, which brings a whole other dimension to watching a sport.

Attending sporting events is a great way to enjoy yourself outside the realm of academics and Baltimore is the perfect place to be. Ranging from top-notch sports leagues like the NFL and MLB to lesser known sports like horse racing to minor and local sports leagues, the opportunities are endless. Here are some great sports events that you can witness in person in Baltimore this fall semester.

Get a group of friends and head down historic Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles. Though the MLB season ends pretty early into fall semester, you can still watch them play at home against teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers. You can find tickets and more dates here.

Baltimore also hosts many minor league baseball teams, including the Aberdeen Ironbirds, Bowie Baysox, Frederick Keys, Delmarva Shorebirds, Hagerstown Suns and Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. Their games span until the end of September and are a great way to watch the sport without the chaotic energy of typical MLB games.

Football fans can go past Oriole Park to the M&T Bank Stadium, which just opened to welcome back fans of the Baltimore Ravens. Catch the highly anticipated prime-time game on September 19 in a showdown between the Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs or witness a decades-long rivalry between the Ravens and the Cleveland Browns, also prime-time, on November 28. Find dates and tickets here.

Another popular Baltimore sport is horse racing. It takes place at the Pimlico Race Course where the Preakness Stakes occur every year. The Preakness Stakes plus the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes make up the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, or Triple Crown. Horse racing is a very interesting sport so do check it out if you haven’t seen it before. See more details on their website.

If you’re up for a longer trip, hop on a train to Washington, D.C. where there’s a whole other world of sporting events. Baseball fans can catch a Washington Nationals game at Nationals Park. They close their season on November 3 at home against the Boston Red Sox. Find more tickets and dates here.

The NHL is returning to its original October-to-April schedule, making the first home game of the season on October 13 where the Washington Capitals face off against the New York Rangers. Tickets and dates can be found here.

Additionally, soccer enthusiasts can head to Audi Field, home to the Major League Soccer team D.C. United. With games having started in March, you can catch them almost every weekend until October 30 when they face off at home against the Columbus Crew. More tickets and dates are here.

Finally, five miles outside Washington, D.C. is FedEx Field, which houses the Washington Football Team. This upcoming season, they will appear in three prime-time games, two of which are at home. The first is a Thursday night game on September 16 against the New York Giants. The second is against the Seattle Seahawks on November 29. You can also see them play the last two Super Bowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on October 17 and November 14 respectively. Find tickets and dates here.

In terms of collegiate sports, there is also plenty to offer. The University of Maryland Terrapins, located in College Park, are a member of the Big 10 Conference, which always hosts exciting football games. Right next door are the Towson Tigers and to the south are the United States Naval Academy Midshipmen in Annapolis.

Heading back to Homewood, don’t forget to support our very own Hopkins sports teams. With a plethora of games starting very soon, you’re bound to find events to attend right on campus. Hopkins Sports regularly updates the sports events happening around campus and what our athletes are up to.