Michael Phelps' love for his hometown was vividly on display this past week in Rio.
He laughed on the medal stand after winning the 200-meter butterfly final, because he heard a friend yell "O" during the national anthem.
Phelps got advice from former Raven Ray Lewis, who sent him a text message before his final individual race, in which he also won a gold medal. And of course, the Ravens preseason game was stopped Thursday so that fans and players alike could cheer Phelps on during that race.
So the reporter wearing the Pittsburgh Steelers gear at a news conference on Sunday should have known better.
"Is that a Steelers … ? Oh man. Golly," Phelps said laughing before spotting someone wearing his beloved Ravens.
He took the question of the reporter wearing the Ravens gear first and then talked about the Ravens-Steelers rivalry.
"I always think we're going to beat Pittsburgh," he said. "That's the obvious answer. … We always play each other really hard. As much as I'm not a Steelers fan, the games are really exciting."
Phelps, who will be making his home in Arizona with his fiancee, Nicole Johnson, and son, Boomer, added that he is looking forward to returning to Baltimore to see Ravens and Orioles games and to eat some crabs.