In Joe Flacco, the Ravens have found their tackle-breaking, big-armed answer to Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger.
Now the Ravens are trying to replicate a longer-standing Steelers institution.
The Ravens plan to distribute "Rally Towels" to the 71,000 plus fans that show up for the Ravens-Steelers battle for AFC playoff survival.
The towel will advertise Under Armour. But like the Terrible Towel, it also is trying to raise awareness for a good cause. Along with the Ravens logo, the towel will include the emblem for The Wounded Warrior Project, who has the mission to "honor and empower wounded soldiers."
Ravens try an answer to Terrible Towel
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on November 23, 2009 6:12 PM ET
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66 Comments
Latest stories in: Baltimore Ravens, Latest News and Rumors, Pittsburgh Steelers, Top Stories
Another vain attempt to propogate the Terrible Towel tradition to an unworthy franchise. The football gods tend not to look kindly upon these types of stunts.
I love how everyone makes fun of The Terrible Towel, which has raised TONS of money to help challenged kids, and then makes their own towel when the Steelers play in their stadium to compete with the multitude of yellow ones that will be waving.
Cheese. Newsflash to all NFL franchises. Quit with copying the terrible towels, makes ya look insecure and unoriginal. One cure to the towels...W's Those towels are used to dry tears when the Steelers lose, if they don't more power to Steeler fans. Stealing the towel idea is almost as lame as the dorks in Minnesota wearing purple wedges of cheese on their heads...almost.
HAHA I am a Steeler fan that was living in Baltimore for 8 years.......their favorite thing to make fun of was the fact that we wave our towels.
Now they are the ones waving towels, and they probably will be purple.....
Hilarious, they say the NFL is a copy cat league.
This is all about the Wounded Warrior awareness because Baltimore doesn't want a toilet-paper-like item as a regular fan prop. Let the Steelers continue to use that awful thing.
What good cause does the Terrible Towel raise awareness for? I always think of it's great uses wiping your butt, blowing your nose or shining your shoes....and it's an easy way to identify band-waggon fans.
Hey Hedley Lamarr
Its for a good cause MORON....
Another CLASSLESS Steelers fan!!! Gee what a shock!
Joe Flacco is to Ben Roethlisberger about as much as these towel knock-offs are to the original.
Hedley way to completely take a dump on what the Ravens are doing when they are raising awareness for a good cause, but I should expect nothing less from a Steelers fan
Pathetic attempt Ravens. The Steelers don't have to give away Terrible Towels to their fan base; every Terrible Towel is bought and paid for. Cope will not be pleased; his wrath will be swift and certain, just ask the Titans.
Double Yoi!
ravens are just mocking the steelers and trying to help a good cause.
It's great that the Ravens want to support a worthy cause. But to try to imitate the Terrible Towel this far into their franchise history, after they've already won a Super Bowl ... why? Seems kind of silly. Can't they come up with something original?
When I think of someone waving a piece of cloth in a circular motion above their head, the first two images that come to mind are an old maid, yelling "yooooo hooooo!" or someone waving a surrender flag.
As a Skins fan this is one more reason not to like the Crows. Introducing "rally towels" for the Pittsburgh game huh? How original.
How about passing out a bunch of white shirts with purple splotches on it that would represent Crow Poop? Or hand out hats with Crow wings on them? Anything would be better than copying a hated division rival. 71,000 "rally towels" won't make you like the Steelers. Need at least 5 more Lombardi's to achieve that.
I hate the Steelers as much as anyone else does, but come on, "rally towl?" You've seen the terrible towels, you've seen rally monkey, now finally... RALLY TOWEL!!!
The Bengals will counter with the "Worrisome Wash Cloth", a striped wash cloth, and the Browns will now feature toilet paper emblazoned with the face of Eric Mangini with the slogan "Make this Brown, brown.
Hedley Lamarr says:
November 23, 2009 6:26 PM
Another vain attempt to propogate the Terrible Towel tradition to an unworthy franchise. The football gods tend not to look kindly upon these types of stunts.
Another ridiculous pronouncement by a fan of the most arrogant pro sports franchise in the country. (not the team itself, who I respect, but the out of control fans) Espicially when this towel involves the wounded warrior program.
They never lose....either they beat themselves or the refs cheat them. Then to make matters worse, if they don't win (remember they never lose) they ust bring up the 700 championships they have. The season that we are in right now never matters unless they win the superbowl.
Grow up and get a life.....Enjoy football for what it is....a deversion that the injured troops from project wounded warrior help provide for us!!!
great idea, great cause. I like how some of these commenters speak like the accomplishments of the Steelers are somehow his or her personal accomplishments or had anything to do with their success as a franchise.
For those not aware of funds raised through sales of The Terrible Towel, from Wikipedia:
"Proceeds from sales of the Towel have raised over US$3 million for a Pennsylvania school which cares for people with mental retardation and physical disabilities. The Terrible Towel is credited with being the first "rally towel" and its success has given rise to similar products promoting other teams.[4] Numerous versions have been produced; almost all are black and gold in color with the words "Myron Cope's Official The Terrible Towel" printed on the front. In October 2009 a pink Terrible Towel was sold to promote Breast Cancer Awareness."
It's not like they got busted cheating the salary cap, guys.
IanWhetstone says:
November 23, 2009 6:38 PM
Joe Flacco is to Ben Roethlisberger about as much as these towel knock-offs are to the original.
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???? Same thing in a different color? Was that a racist joke? I'm not sure, but I think I'm offended.
After reading all those press clippings about him being the next Unitas after three games Joey Eyebrows' doing a great Elvis Grbac impression lately. Better get a ring or two before you compare him to Big Ben.
I agree with the steeler fans....while this is worthy cause....we need to come up with something better than the idea of stupidly waiving a towel in the air!!
Haters always make fun to the towel, yet go to any post-season sporting event and what do you find? Towel-waving fans everywhere. Even in Cleveland. Check out the Cavs next post-season. They pass out towels every home game. Remember the homer hankies in Minn?
Immitation is the biggest form of flattery...
To all you bitching about other franchises "copying" the terrible towel (not patented last time I checked).......why don't you break out the "TERRIBLE TISSUES" to dry your tears.
Does anybody remember Bam Morris' Raven Rag that he started after he got caught with the 100 pounds of the wacky and was traded to the Baltimore Browns?
I'm not gonna wave a towel in the air like some idiot.... I've seen firsthand how stupid Steeler fans look doing it.
ou know what would be a good cause?
Not stabbing someone.
The Ravens should try one of the towels Florio uses to wipe his love goo off.
Hey Greg...next time you might want to do a little bit of research before putting your foot in your mouth about the Steelers, the Towel or anything else.
FYI....the royalites from every Terrible Towel sold DO GO TO A GOOD CAUSE...it is called the Allegheny School in Coraopolis, PA. It works with the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled. As of 2007, proceeds from the sale of the Towels have raised over $2.2 million dollars for the school.
I am happy that the Ravens knock-off towel is helping to raise awareness for a very nobel cause....but dont ever make it appear like the original Terrible Towel isnt doing the same thing and has been doing so since 1976.
And instead of handing out FREE towels, Steelers fans take their hard earned money and pay for the Terrible Towel thereby helping to support the good cause that is the Allegheny School.
darrius_heyward-bey-butterfingers says:
November 23, 2009 6:54 PM
I hate the Steelers as much as anyone else does, but come on, "rally towl?" You've seen the terrible towels, you've seen rally monkey, now finally... RALLY TOWEL!!!
Good point. They should have gone with the Terrible Monkey.
"Steelers fans take their hard earned money and pay for the Terrible Towel thereby helping to support the good cause that is the Allegheny School."
Why not just give the money straight to the school? The school benefits more that way.
commence ravens fans snivling about how the NFL, the Referees, the weather, the bright sun, or the wrong flavored gatorade on the sideline for their colts loss AND for whatever will happen vs Pitt already in 5.4.3.2.1
anyone else notice the titans finally started winning since they apologized???????
chunky soupy sales,
That is fantastic.
To all the NFL fans, the steelers were not the first to display a rally flag or towel or what ever you want to call it. It came about in Miami when a radio station wanted to know if anyone was listen to the radio broadcast and the radio annoucer asked the fans to wave a white hankie or something similiar. So stop trying to tell anyone you were the first, you were not. Give credit were credit is do.
Why would anyone copy this?
http://whodeyrevolution.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/13/steelerfan_2.jpg
"Joe Flacco is to Ben Roethlisberger about as much as these towel knock-offs are to the original.
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???? Same thing in a different color? Was that a racist joke? I'm not sure, but I think I'm offended."
I think he meant to say that Joe Flacco is less original than Roeth.......no....that can't be it.
WetHOG.
Keep hating on the Ravens and stick with the worst organization of the last decade in football. I know you won 3 superbowls, but guess what you can't win again until next year when there's a strike. Whatever towel or sign we wave it least it won't look like we let the steelers fans take over our stadium like it did last year when they took over the concrete dump in the middle of traffic hell called Fedex. I don't believe your allowed to have any signs/towels at the dump are you?
Keep giving your money to the WORST OWNER IN PRO SPORTS and up the road we'll be happy with a great owner, competive team and Great Gameday experience!
Having been at ravens games for years they give out towels at least once a year. The fact that it's for a good cause and national game with the steelers is a good reason they decided to pubilicize it.
Congrats Pittsburgh you can keep the rights to your little piece of ugly yellow cloth and the styx songs you keep playing at home games. The rest of us left the 70's a long time ago!
@Vox ...
Why don't people just give money to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation instead of buying all that pink stuff? Because people only give so much to charity. But if they're buying an item anyway and some or all of the proceeds go to charity, it's a win-win.
The Allegheny School isn't even a blip on the charity radar. Most people--certainly the Steelers fans outside Pittsburgh--would never have heard of the school if not for the towels. And many people, like me, have other charities that mean more to us personally, so that's where our donations go. But I've purchased six Terrible Towels as gifts in the last year and all the proceeds have gone to the school.
I'm sure you buy Cowboys memorabilia. This is a way of putting some of that memorabilia money toward a good cause. I commend the Ravens for the effort--but it's odd they didn't find a more original way of doing it.
I always knew Pittsburgh STEROID fans hated the troops
As a former member ifthe wounded worrior program in OIF 09-10 what the ravens are doing is an amazing thing I am a die hard bengals fan and proud to say that for 22 years of life now and I am willing to say wave those towls ravens wave them help us soldiers out as best as possible
"The towel will advertise Under Armour. But like the Terrible Towel, it also is trying to raise awareness for a good cause."
"FYI....the royalites from every Terrible Towel sold DO GO TO A GOOD CAUSE..."
Reading comprehension. It's not just for 8 year olds.
Oh no, the Horrible Hanky!!
I salute it being for a good cause, though, nicely done B-more.
Who cares Pittsburgh copied off Baltimore years ago. Baltimore built an amazing baseball stadium and let a crappy team play in it. A few years later Pittsburgh did the same thing.
Chunkysoup...you are original brah!! Good one....that hole stabbing joke thing....priceless....
@PooFlingingMonkey:
That was hilarious. I needed a laugh tonight.
The Ravens should try to come up with something original. It's embarrassing to emulate a rival.
i know for sure the Ravens male cheerleaders will be excited for this prop.
http://www.baltimoreravens.com/People/Cheer/Male_Stunt_Team.aspx
get your spirit fingers ready boys!
Settle down Steeler fans. Just about every year every team gives out some kind of Rally Towel.
Get over yourselves.
The Ravens started this in 06, but wait to break a BIG STORY
Every team of every sport hands out towels to the fans at big games. Why is it newsworthy every time it happens?
I'm sure that if the Romans were still around they'd be saying they were the first to waive the towel. Anything the crowd does using team colors looks good on tv and makes your team look good. Wounded Warriors Project is a good cause, I've done a couple of things with them the last two years. and don't worry about it Steelers fans, the the towel won't become part of Ravens lore, it will piddle out before the season.
shouldn't all of you steelers fans be busy stomping your pitbulls to death because they wont behave why your trying to play playstation?
While this really should not be news as they do it every year... I hate when they give out towels at Ravens games.
I really hate those god damn towels and have snatched more than a few out of the hand of obnoxious mongoloids who are whipping them in peoples faces.
I will say that last years Ravens vs Steelers game in Baltimore was one of the most civilized in recent memory. I only saw 4 fights.
when fans start waving used tampons steelers fans will think they had something to do with it.
That's really pathetic. Really? Doing the same thing as your division rivals? They might as well throw the game to the Steelers if they want their crowd to look just like the archrival Steelers', except purple. If I was a Ravens fan, I would lose a ton of respect for that franchise for making such a lame copycat attempt at the Terrible Towel
@GoBears84
Did you, a Bears fan, really just post something about a Steelers fan killing a dog? That was a horrible thing ... but still not as bad as blinding a human being.
Slink back to your own boards.
"Chunkysoup...you are original brah!! Good one....that hole stabbing joke thing....priceless...."
murder rarely goes out of style.
chunkysoup.....you said it man!! keep em coming...you my friend are a genius!! Let your brilliance shine!
"Every team of every sport hands out towels to the fans at big games. Why is it newsworthy every time it happens? "
Not Steeler fan but it's newsworthy if your tyeam doesn;t do it every game and does do it for the on team that DOES bring the whole towel thing everywhere they go. The towels to begin with are cheese but copying said cheese of your rival on the night they come to town smacks of desperation, lack of originality and just plain old "CHEEEEEESE".
Good cause, amazingly lame way of executing it. I mean hell, even doing those stupid blow up applause tubes they give out at running races etc would be be better than flat out copying the towel thing.
"Raising awareness" This is a buzz word to look for when donating; it means that no money goes towards the cause, they are only advertising.
So if I can follow the Steeler fans logic... the towels are for " Retards helping Retards " Now I get it. Carry on.
The wounded Warrior Project is an awesome cause. I support any effort to raise money and awareness for a cause that helps those that have fallen for our freedom. All teams should do something like this with rally towels, t-shirts, hats, etc. Since when do the Steelers have the copyright on rally towels anyway?
@Doom5oh ...
That was really tacky. If there were a special towel for "retards," I'm sure it would have your photo on it along with a plea to "Help this soulless moron."
chunky soupy sales says: November 23, 2009 10:22 PM
murder rarely goes out of style.
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Yeah, neither does raping fugly women, apparently. Who knew?
First off the Ravens did not say they are trying to copy the Terrible Towel. PFT said that and not one time has anyone involved with the Ravens said that. Bottom line this is for a good cause. All you idiot Steeler fans need to see that, your towel is for a good cause too so you think you would understand but your all idiots anyways.
BaltimoreMatt - not idiot enough to know that its "you're"