If you thought your favorite sports franchises were above playing pranks on their fans, guess again. The Baltimore Ravens released what appeared to be a standard press release on Saturday morning, announcing they'd be traveling via boat to their Week Two game in London next fall.
Though it's pretty obviously an April Fool's Day joke, credit to the Ravens for really going all out to sell this one. Citing extensive research and sports science, they claim the trip would benefit the players on both a mental and physical level prior to their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Not only did they promote it on their website and from the team's official Twitter account, the Ravens had a gaggle of co-conspirators feigning excitement over the move. The participants included head coach John Harbaugh, who recorded a short video for Ravens.com and explained the "reasoning" for the team deciding to forego the usual path of flying:
It fits our work week perfectly. We're going to have a chance to practice on board, which is amazing to me. We have a full 100-yard field on board – full weight room, full training room, the meals are going to be incredible.
Ravens players were in on the joke along with Harbaugh. The coach called Ravens wideout and Naval Academy graduate Keenan Reynolds an "asset" in their journey, and several members of the team took to Twitter to feign excitement over the so-called trip:
Unsuspecting fans got excited about the prospect of a Ravens cruise line, only to have their hopes dashed when they realized they'd been had:
The Ravens' fake cruise ship sounds like a dream — have you ever heard of a boat with a full football field and mini-golf course on board? — and it's likely to stay that way. But on the off chance they end up taking a week-long cruise to their game, all we ask is they extend us an invite.
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