Baltimore is indisputably a storied sports town, with history of records made, broken, and rivalries that match anything New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles serve up. Fans here are fiercely protective of our icons, foods, and traditions, quirky as they may be. This reporter has been going to O rioles games for 35 years, and only just learned this week why they play “Thank God I’m A County Boy” during the 7th Inning Stretch at Camden yards. Even non-sports aficionados have likely heard of the Orioles, the Ravens, and perhaps even the Preakness Stakes. Baltimore is more than a three-sport city, though. Don’t sleep on our fan base of swimming, basketball, soccer, and hockey, just to name a few.   Furthermore, sports embody entire worlds beyond what happens on the field of play, or the numbers when the contest ends. Here are some of the 2025 stories that impacted the Baltimore sports world, on the field and off. FOOTBALL BALTIMORE RAVENS MR. TRASH WHEEL JOINS THE TEAM With wide, googly-eyed optimism, Mr. Trash Wheel joined The Stephen and Renee Bisciotti Foundation and Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore for a five-year, $3.75 million partnership that will support the Healthy Harbor Initiative. He even wears a trash wheel-sized Ravens jersey with his name on it. His number? “1”, of course. Mr. Trash Wheel’s eyes are on the lookout for trash to intercept from Baltimore’s harbor. Screenshot via video by Baltimore Ravens. TUCKER KICKED TO THE CURB In early May, the Baltimore Ravens released kicker Justin Tucker, after he was accused of sexual misconduct by 16 massage therapists from eight different spas in the Baltimore area. The incidents were alleged to have occurred between 2012 and 2016, allegations Tucker denied. The NFL suspended him for 10 games, and he became eligible for reinstatement in November 2025. He remains unsigned. The Ravens drafted Tyler Loop from Arizona in the 2025 draft, who has done just fine by Ravens fans and team standards. In fact, more than halfway through the season, he has emerged as one of the team’s best off-season picks.   WOBBLY SEASON Screenshot via X (Twitter). Even the marketing genius of announcing the 2025 season schedule in the form of a mini-“Severance” episode could not protect the team from season-threatening injuries. Quarterback Lamar Jackson missed three games with a hamstring injury, and defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike injured his neck, ending the season for him. The team is not used to starting the season 1-5, but as of this writing the Ravens are now 7-8, and clawing for the top spot in the AFC North. They know that their work is mysterious and important. OTHER FOOTBALL NEWS As if the Ravens crossovers with Mr. Trash Wheel and Severance weren’t enough, Derrick Henry fans may have a “Happy Gilmore” appearance to anticipate. During an interview with Dan Patrick on Patrick’s show, Henry revealed he was a huge “Happy Gilmore” movie fan, saying Adam Sandler was his favorite actor. Patrick happens to be friends with Sandler and promised Henry that if he rushed for 2,000 yards this season (he already accomplished this once, in 2020, and no one has done it twice) he would get Henry a role in Sandler’s next movie. Sandler confirmed soon after the interview aired, and the bet was officially on! As of this writing, though, Henry has rushed for 1125 yards. This author is no Nostradamus, but she feels pretty confident in predicting that with only two games left in the season, Henry should keep his day job before packing for Hollywood. Screenshot from Dan Patrick show on YouTube. BASEBALL ORIOLES BREAKTHROUGH BAT TECHNOLOGY At the season’s start, torpedo bats were the big story around the league — especially for Orioles arch-enemy AL East rivals the NY Yankees. The Os did not widely adopt the use of torpedo bats, but they have a bat project of their own. Sig Mejdal, the Orioles’ assistant general manager, had long wanted a better way to customize bats for his players, but manually measuring bats is a time-consuming process. Enter the Sports Analytics Research Group (SARG) at Johns Hopkins University. Jason Sun (l) and Kevin Wu (r) in front of the green screen where they hang the baseball bat for measuring. Photo courtesy of The Johns Hopkins University. The team has a longstanding partnership with SARG, so Mejdal handed them the project, and a pair of students came through. Engineering students Xiaojian “Jason” Sun and Kevin Wu streamlined the process from hours to a matter of seconds using computer vision. Sadly, the brilliant process is not yet in operational use, and it was never intended to solve all baseball woes, but it remains an exciting breakthrough. Os WOES The optimism of new ownership quickly faded as our Orioles got off to an abysmal start and the season never took flight. Fans fell back into the pit of despair, a familiar place. The Showalter era had us believing we were solid contenders for life, even though we never made it very far in the playoffs. In mid-May, manager Brandon Hyde was fired, ending a tenure that began in 2019. Third base coach Tony Mansolino assumed the role to finish out the season, but the team finished with a 75-87 record and in last place. DARE WE HOPE? Photo via MLB on Threads. Team management held a fire sale during which the Orioles bade farewell to Ramón Urías, Ramón Laureano, Ryan O’Hearn, and other players whose name did not begin with “R.” Fans were gutted about Cedric Mullins going to the Mets, but does the Os signing Pete Alonso away from them soothe the pain? Time will tell, and Craig Albernaz gives us hope as new manager, but cautious optimism seems to be the smartest path forward for the once-bitten, twice-shy sorts. OTHER BASEBALL NEWS Screenshot from Chesapeake Baysox Instagram The Chesapeake Baysox, the Orioles’ Double A affiliate, caused an unintended sensation that might have been avoided had they run this logo by anyone familiar with female anatomy. Their “alternate identity” Oyster Catchers’ logos included one that bore an uncanny resemblance to…well, suffice it to say there was pearl-clutching. The team turned the mishap into good, using 10% of proceeds from the merchandise sold to benefit a cervical cancer nonprofit. BASKETBALL COLLEGE HOOPS In February, for the third year in a row, Baltimore hosted the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s (CIAA) championship tournaments. In June, CIAA announced that Baltimore had wooed and won the right to host the “crown jewel of HBCU basketball” for the next five years — through 2029. For your bobblehead collection! March Madness saw both the Maryland Terps men’s and women’s teams secure spots in the tournament, and to celebrate, National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled an officially licensed Maryland Terrapins Bobblehead. Sadly, neither team made it to the Final Four. In November, CFG Bank Arena played host to the Basketball Hall of Fame College Series, highlighting the top collegiate non-conference basketball teams. In the double-header, Maryland beat Coppin State (83-61) and Towson beat Loyola (67-56). A COOL COLLAB Carmelo Anthony chose Baltimore, the town where he spent many of his formative years, to host his autobiographical “House of Melo” exhibition. The 10-time NBA All-Star, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer created an exhibition that opened in October at Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Central Branch. Originally intended to run through December 2025, the exhibition has been extended until Jan. 16, 2026. It is free to the public. Artwork for House of Melo exhibit. PREAKNESS The annual Preakness Stakes turned 150 this year, and adding to the significance of the milestone was the knowledge that demolition of Pimlico Race Course would begin in July. The Maryland Stadium Authority is overseeing the demolition, and then construction of a new, revitalized Pimlico facility, with completion anticipated in time for 2027’s Preakness. In 2026, the Preakness Stakes will be held at Laurel Park. DID YOU KNOW… Katie Pumphrey’s 2025 English Channel swim. Screenshot from Katie Pumphrey’s Instagram page. …that our own Katie Pumphrey swam the English Channel for the third time in July 2025? …that Baltimore has an underwater hockey team? …that a Baltimore native developed and patented a cleat design over 10 years that would reduce injuries for athletes? Believe it or not, that is not even all the sports news we reported in 2025 at Baltimore Fishbowl. All we can say is, here’s to a great 2026! ...read more read less