SUMMARY: If you are interested in buying Baltimore Ravens tickets, this GUIDE will provide you with a few answers to FIVE COMMON QUESTIONS about the stadium and about ticket pricing.  If you are already very familiar with the stadium, this Guide probably won't help you much.  But if you are new to the stadium, it should give you a better idea about how the stadium is arranged, where to sit and about how much you can expect tickets to cost.

PRICING NOTE:  On February 2, 2007, the Ravens announced an increase in ticket prices beginning with the 2007 season.  I have updated this guide to include the new prices.

BIAS NOTE: We've been using eBay to deal in Baltimore Ravens Permanent Seat Licenses (PSLs) since 1998 but, more importantly, we are HUGE fans of the team.  I haven't missed a home game since September 24, 2000, when my wife was about to give birth to my youngest daughter.  In presenting this information, I am going to try to be as honest as I can, but please keep in mind that some of it is based on my own personal, strongly held opinions.

QUESTION #1: HOW MUCH WILL TICKETS COST ME?  The stadium has 3 tiers: the LOWER tier, the CLUB LEVEL and the UPPER DECK.  Price-wise, the upper deck seats are the cheapest (face value ranges between $45 and $80), lower level are next (face value between $80 and $110), and the club seats are the most expensive (face value is between $155 to $335 each!). 

Unless you own PSLs or have a friend who does, however, don't expect to pay face value!  Depending upon which game you want to see, UPPER DECK seats will typically cost you between $60 and $230 each, and LOWER LEVEL seats will run between $85 and $400 each.  Strangely, and unless the game you want to see is an incredibly hot ticket, CLUB seats typically sell for only slightly above face value (but still a hefty $200 to $600 each!).

Which games are the most expensive to see?  The Steeler game, for one.  If you want to see that divisional rival, you can expect your tickets to typically run between 2 and 3 times face value.  The same is true of the teams that have large or loyal fan bases.  These include all of the NFL East teams (the Cowboys, the Giants, the Eagles and the Redskins), and the Packers.

The other divisional rivalries (Bengals and the Browns) have been running between 2 and 2.5 times face value.  Most of the other visiting teams typically cost about twice face value, give or take a little.  The least expensive games to see, generally speaking, are the "small market" NFC teams that don't have much of a national following, such as the Tampa Bay Bucs or the Seattle Seahawks.

If you are looking for bargains, remember that each year the Ravens play two homes games against NFC teams (they play two different teams every year; and the NFL schedule is designed so that every NFC team will play once in Baltimore every eight years).  If price is an issue for you, consider seeing one of those NFC teams when they come to town.

COMMON QUESTION #2: ARE MY SEATS AT THE 50-YARD LINE?  No, there are NO "true" 50-yard-line seats in M&T Bank Stadium because the 50-yard-line corresponds to an aisle in EVERY level of the stadium.  Of course, you can get REAL CLOSE to midfield, though.  Here's how the section numbers work, if you are curious:

Each of the stadium's three tiers is numbered in EXACTLY the same way: in 54 sequentially-numbered "sections".  For each deck, the numbering begins at "00" (which is located behind the visiting team's bench, at midfield, on the EAST side of the 50-yard-line) and then the numbering progresses clockwise around the oval stadium, until you end up at sections "53" (Lower 153, Club 253 or Upper 553), which are located behind the visiting team's bench, at midfield, on the WEST side of the 50-yard-line.

COMMON QUESTION #3: I'VE SEEN THE MAP OF THE STADIUM (almost every ticket auction links to it).  CAN YOU PUT THE SECTION NUMBERS IN CHART-FORM FOR ME, SO THAT I'LL KNOW WHICH SECTION NUMBERS ARE CLOSEST TO MIDFIELD?  Sure, if you like charts, here's one:

1. LOCATION / LAST TWO DIGITS OF SECTION
2. MIDFIELD: 00, 26, 27, 53
3. Approx. 35-YARD LINE: 01, 25, 28, 52
4. Approx. 20-YARD LINE: 02, 24, 29, 51
5. Approx. 5-YARD LINE: 03, 23, 30, 50
6. SIDELINE ENDZONE: 04/05, 21/22, 31/32, 48/49
7. CORNER ENDZONE: 06/07/08, 18/19/20, 33/34/35, 45/46/47
8. BEHIND THE ENDZONE: 09 thru 17; 36 thru 44.

COMMON QUESTION #4: WHICH ARE THE BEST PLACES TO SIT?  WHICH ARE THE WORST?  Okay, now we're getting into "My Personal Opinion" territory.  Not everybody will agree with me, but this is how I feel.

First, let me say that EVERY SEAT IN THE STADIUM IS A GOOD SEAT.  I've personally sat in virtually every section in the stadium, and I've been satisfied by the view from ALL of them.  There are no obstructed view seats, and all seats (even the UPPER DECK seats!) feel relatively close to the field (at least as close as possible in a 70,000 seat stadium).

IN MY OPINION, the BEST perspective in the entire stadium is in the UPPER DECK, near midfield (sections 500, 526, 527 and 553).  And I believe that's true, no matter which row you sit in.  You'll be able to see the entire field and you'll be able to follow the action whereever it's happening.

IN MY OPINION, the BEST "BANG FOR YOUR BUCK" seats are the other sideline seats in the UPPER DECK.  For the most part, these seats will cost you less (sometimes as much as 33% less!) than midfield uppers, but you'll still be able to see the entire field fairly well.

COMMON QUESTION #5: ARE LOWER LEVEL SEATS BETTER THAN UPPER LEVEL SEATS?  WHAT ABOUT CLUB SEATS?  To be sure, there are some advantages to being on the lower level.  You'll get into and out of the stadium more quickly; it's a better place to be if you don't like heights; and you are more likely to be surrounded by home team fans (visiting team fans typically buy upper deck seats).  That said, Lower Level seats can cost 33% to 50% more than upper deck seats at the same yard line; and, in my opinion, because you are lower down it can be MUCH harder to see what is going on if the action is happening on the far side of the field from where you are sitting.

If want to purchase lower level seats, you should note that your vantage point is MUCH BETTER if you buy seats in the upper rows (the rows above, say, row 20), than buying seats in the lower rows.

As for CLUB SEATS, the main advantage is that the Club Level concourse is a lot fancier (and the concessions are a lot nicer) than the concourses/concessions that surround the Lower Level and the Upper Deck.  There are also a number of INDOOR places on the Club Level where you can watch the game (either through windows or on television).  So if you are afraid that you might be a bit cold during the December games, Club Level seating is certainly an option.

That said, I personally have found Club Level fans to be a bit on the mellow side, so if you like your football a bit rowdy, you won't have much fun on the Club Level.  And, for me, part of the fun of watching NFL football in person is to be out in the weather, among 70,000 of my closest friends.  In short, I personally don't enjoy sitting on the Club Level, and I don't think it is worth the extra expense to do so.

If you any questions, please let me know.  And if you found even a little bit of value in this Guide, please let me know that, too!