Another sorowful news: One of the Baltimore Ravens top players’ wives died while pregnant.
BEL AIR: Terri Swartz and her brother Rick watch Ravens games in their “Fan Cave” at home when they’re not in the stadium.
“It’s just really fun and it’s something to look forward to every week,” Swartz stated. “(The Ravens) really just embrace you and make you feel like you’re family.”
Despite the fact that her family is still in mourning, Swartz says she is happy about the Ravens’ postseason run. In 2019, her spouse Wally passed away. Mom passed away in 2022.
“Wally didn’t want that to stop when he was ill. It provided us with something—virtually a diversion,” according to Swartz. “It’s nice to have something to spark that joy again.”
Every postseason, Swartz decks her home’s exterior with purple lights and messages from the Ravens.
“My purple string lights are with me. “As much purple as I possibly could,” she exclaimed. “My neighbor across the street, he yells over, ‘Turn that purple glow off!’ Kidding, of course.”
Regarding the Ravens, Swartz’s brother Rick Holder, who is known to Terri and Wally’s two daughters as “Uncle Rick,” observes his normally quiet sister change.
“When it comes to the Ravens game, I just back away and let her go, because I don’t know that person,” Holder stated. “She’s a different person and it’s just so much fun to see.”
Terri’s daughters posted a video of their mother jumping and yelling during Saturday’s divisional playoff game against Houston.
“When it comes to the Ravens, it’s just like ‘Let’s go!'” stated Swartz. “That’s not my personality, but for some reason the Ravens bring that out of me.”
Terri appears to have adopted a few of Wally’s superstitions as a Ravens fan, such as retreating to the “Fan Cave” after a losing run of games.
“I can feel my anxiety rising. Then, I realize, ‘You know what? She joked, “I’m going to walk upstairs and take a little break now.”
Swartz says she has a suspicion that the Ravens’ postseason success is bringing comfort to other bereaved families.
Many people struggle with grief and experience the loss of a loved one. Things still have a sense of joy to them. Not everything has to be gloom and doom. Even in the midst of loss and sadness, there can be happiness,” stated Swartz. “There’s so much negative stuff going on in the world and people are on opposite sides and all that, it’s one common thing everyone just rallies around.”
