*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).
In a sign of how attitudes around gambling have changed as laws around it have softened, the NFL announced its first-ever partnership with a gambling company, naming Caesars as the league's official casino sponsor. Chris Holdren, chief marketing officer for Caesars, told Cheddar that the sponsorship represents the beginning of a relationship that could eventually become one where the NFL is directly endorsing sports betting.
Bull riding isn't just for the rodeo, anymore. It's coming to a major city near you ー and streaming online ー thanks largely to the efforts of Colorado-based Professional Bull Riders (PBR). And PBR CEO Sean Gleason told Cheddarthe organization has plenty more tricks up its sleeve to keep its momentum going.
The markets opened up sharply higher on Friday after Thursday's big sell-off. The turnaround was due in large part to investor optimism over the upcoming U.S.-China trade talks but also the December jobs report. The U.S. economy added 314,000 jobs last month, topping the 184,000 jobs expected. Plus, Professional Bull Riders CEO Sean Gleason and bull rider Tanner Bryne stopped by to chat about growing bull riding in the U.S. in an ever-changing media landscape.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Jan. 4, 2019.
Fitness and beauty booking tool Mindbody is planning to make a play for the next big thing in wellness ー on-demand video, CEO Rick Stollmeyer told Cheddar on Thursday. "You can expect us to be playing in that space because we think that the on-demand and streaming video revolution hitting the fitness space is a big breakthrough," Stollmeyer said.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, Dec. 31, 2018.
There's a new mixed-martial arts league on the block. The Professional Fighters League ー or PFL ー is wrapping up its inaugural season with a championship match on New Year's Eve. According to Peter Murrary, the CEO of the league, the match's purse, $1 million, is a major draw for athletes ー money talks, and can mark achievement.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Dec. 28, 2018.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018.
