A football fan in Laurel looking to catch an NFL game in-person has two easy options: travel 20 miles to M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore for a Ravens game or go 16 miles to check out the Commanders at Northwest Stadium in Landover. Around town, both teams’ jerseys, flags and bumper stickers are common sights, especially with both clubs in the second round of the playoffs.
But as far as the NFL business is concerned, the town is exclusive Commanders territory. The Ravens can’t sell sponsorship deals there, can’t do community-building activations like a youth flag football league there, and a Ravens logo in any customer-facing business relationship could trigger league discipline.
That’s because Laurel is part of the Commanders’ “home marketing area,” their zone of exclusive rights to promote and monetize NFL football. Laurel sits in the extreme northern corner of Prince George’s County, which along with neighboring Montgomery County, comprise the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. For decades, the Commanders have had exclusivity in both counties.
The Commanders have a strong claim to those regions — their home stadium is based in Prince George’s County, and they were the only NFL team in the region from 1984 to 1996. But the Ravens do, too — no other team is blocked from commercial activities less than 25 miles from its own locker room, and you’ll see plenty of purple in those counties at any large public gathering.
In a dispute that’s reached the highest levels of the NFL, the Ravens are pushing to change the boundaries, arguing they unreasonably limit the club’s growth prospects at a time of maximum popularity and on-field success. Owner Steve Bisciotti has been personally involved in seeking a change.
