Representatives of Baltimore met with selection committee members at M&T Bank Stadium in April and emphasized its proximity to the Inner Harbor and other attractions. The Baltimore backers said people attending the game would have easier access to hotels and restaurants than at the other proposed sites because the stadium is downtown. The 2000 and 2007 games drew crowds of more than 70,000 to M&T Bank Stadium. The city also hosted in 1944 and 1924.
Baltimore's effort was led by the Ravens, who are responsible under the state-owned stadium's lease for booking non-Ravens events at the field.
Baltimore's selection comes 10 months after the state created an office of sports marketing. The director, former Kentucky sports marketer Terry Hasseltine, said he hoped to find additional attractions to lure people to state facilities such as M&T Bank Stadium and Camden Yards.
The Army-Navy game is conservatively estimated to have an $18 million to $22 million impact on the host state, Hasseltine said.
Philadelphia's estimate is higher for its region. The Philadelphia Sports Congress said the contest generates $35 million, 50,000 visitors and more than 17,000 hotel room nights.
The Baltimore Sun had reported last month that M&T Bank Stadium was expected to host at least one of the games. But how many games - and when - was not announced until Tuesday after a bidding process that began last fall.
Gov. Martin O'Malley, Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, Mayor Sheila Dixon and other state and local officials welcomed the announcement.
"It's wonderful that Baltimore will once again host the historic Army-Navy football game and share in its rich traditions," Dixon said in a prepared statement.
Future games
Year City
2009 Philadelphia-x
2010 Philadelphia-x
2011 Landover-y
2012 Philadelphia-x
2013 Philadelphia-x
2014 Baltimore-z
2015 Philadelphia-x
2016 Baltimore-z
2017 Philadelphia-x
x-Lincoln Financial Field
y-FedEx Field
z-M&T Bank Stadium
