In case you thought the Baltimore Ravens as a franchise might be too accustomed to success and aren't treating an AFC Championship Game at home as the tremendous event that it is, they've removed all doubt.
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The Ravens are bringing out a star-studded cast of guests to help the team and crowd get fully energized for the mega-matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. Jeff Zrebiec from The Athletic tweeted the expected guest list via X.
Ravens announce that Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are Sunday's Legends of the Game.
Jonathan Ogden will be the Honorary Captain.
Michael Phelps will deliver the game ball.
The offense will be introduced.
T-Pain will perform at halftime.— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) January 24, 2024
Team legends and Super Bowl champions Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are designated as the "legends of the game," so one can only imagine that Lewis will have a signature motivational speech and perhaps even a dance ready for the team. Hall of Fame lineman Jonathan Ogden, who helped Baltimore to their first-ever title, will be the honorary captain and provide even more excitement around the game.
Then, we have some exciting non-Raven guests. T-Pain will perform at halftime, giving this game a real Super Bowl feel, but perhaps the biggest star of all is the one bringing in the game ball. That would be Michael Phelps, known as a Michigan Wolverine but also a Baltimore native.
Phelps is the greatest athlete of all time. His 28 Olympic medals are a laughable total; 23 of them are gold, which is a greater total than the overall medal count of any other individual. He has more than twice as many golds as anyone else, and he'd still have the most gold medals of any athlete and the most total medals of any swimmer if you took away his first two Olympics, including the legendary 2008 Beijing games.
If there's anyone who knows what it means to be a champion, it's Phelps. Having him at the stadium could provide the team with a totally unique presence, and potentially an equally profound boost in morale and motivation.
This game is a matchup between the defending champions, and the undeniable best team in the NFL throughout this regular season. Baltimore has been a buzzsaw, annihilating contenders like the NFC Championship Game participants, the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions, so if they make the Super Bowl, they'll be up against a familiar foe.
A matchup with Mahomes and Reid is possibly their biggest remaining hurdle, and they're pulling out all of the stops to make sure everybody remotely associated with the team knows it. Interestingly enough, despite all of their postseason success, this is the Ravens' first time hosting a conference championship game. They were hosted by the Raiders and Patriots en route to their two Super Bowl wins, so this is an extremely special occasion for one of the best franchises of the modern era.
