Rapinoe's condemnation of Donald Trump is as essentially American as apple pie and the Fourth of July.

Peter Schmuck's takes on the news items of the week. Thoughts on Peyton Manning, Joey Chestnut, Trey Mancini, Colin Kaepernick and more.

Theodore Johnson's wrestling with respect and protest, with contradictory twin experiences, was the keynote address at the 27th annual Carroll Citizens for Racial Equality Conference. The title? "Respect, Racism and Patriotism: Talking about taking a knee.”

This has indeed been a Black History Month that explains why we need Black History Month, says Leonard Pitts Jr.

Kaepernick filed a grievance in October 2017, saying he was blacklisted because of protests during the national anthem at games.

Greg Roman’s work as an offensive coordinator in San Francisco and Buffalo offers lessons for what might lie ahead.

The move, which comes on Eric DeCosta’s first day as Ravens general manager, is expected to solidify John Harbaugh’s future in Baltimore.

Maryland football player Ellis McKennie never thought of himself as an activist until his friend Jordan McNair died. McKennie helped recruit McNair to Maryland.

Nike is part of a growing trend of businesses who want to leverage their influence for social progress in the U.S. and the world.

Nike's Colin Kaepernick ad is a "a rare act of corporate courage," says Leonard Pitts Jr.

These are unsettled times for the NFL as the Ravens prepare to host the Buffalo Bills in their season opener. The climate around the league is politically charged, with fans from the right and the left saying they're no longer comfortable loving professional football.

Nike’s decision to partner with activist and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick in marketing campaigns points to differences between the athletic brand and Under Armour, its Baltimore-based rival, analysts say.

If President Donald Trump had not exploited racial division for political gain, Colin Kaepernick — an out of work NFL quarterback — would not be the face of Nike ads or social resistance.

An arbitrator is sending Colin Kaepernick's grievance with the NFL to trial, denying the league's request to throw out the quarterback's claims that owners conspired to keep him out of the league because of his protests of social injustice.

Ravens fans traveled en masse to Canton, Ohio, to celebrate Ray Lewis' induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.

NFL players are getting threatened by owners who care more about money than the freedoms the national anthem espouses.

“Life now, I don’t think it’s about what I did,” Ray Lewis said recently. “I think it’s about where I’m going."

A look at each season Ray Lewis played for the Ravens and the five years since he retired, culminating in his selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Lewis proved to be the perfect emblem for his adopted home base — underestimated, messy and defiant.

The NFL continues to get it wrong when it comes to its handling of the player protests during the playing of the National Anthem.

Ravens players and coach John Harbaugh offered measured reactions to the NFL’s new national anthem policy on Thursday, saying they’re more focused on their football jobs than on the swirling political controversy involving the league and President Donald Trump.

Here's what they're saying around the nation about the new NFL national anthem policy.

Ravens senior vice president for public and community relations Kevin Byrne said the team wouldn't be commenting on the new policy.

The protests by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and other players during the past two seasons — kneeling during the nation anthem — has drawn awareness to a cause and a major problem in America, but it’s time to move on.

The NFL tried to walk a fine line with the new national anthem policy, protecting the rights of players to act against societal injustice while mollifying fans who felt the protests were disrespectful to our active soldiers and veterans.

Football players who kneel during National Anthem should hurt their teams in the season standings.

Taking a knee can be a 'teachable moment' if the school system, teachers, parents and students are on the same page.

Catherine Pugh’s criticism of corner stores in West Baltimore recalls another blunt-spoken, confrontational mayor: William Donald Schaefer. And that’s good — for about a minute.

“Ozzie's just one of the greats,” Billick said of the Ravens' longtime general manager.

It's not often that backup quarterbacks get their own news conference, but the Ravens have scheduled one to introduce Robert Griffin III.

The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has alleged that the NFL is colluding to keep him out of the game.

With Ravens decision makers reportedly being questioned under oath Thursday as part of Colin Kaepernick’s collusion grievance against the NFL and Robert Griffin III agreeing to a one-year deal Wednesday, it could mark the end of the team’s connection to the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback.

Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens front office responded quickly to the Ryan Grant fallout, signing Michael Crabtree to a three-year deal Friday after the veteran receiver spent the day at the Under Armour Performance Center meeting with team officials.

With Ryan Grant likely out of the picture, the Ravens have turned their attention to recently released Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

The Ravens talked with a “high-ranking” military official when the team was deciding whether or not to sign free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick, according to a TMZ report. The official cautioned Coach John Harbaugh as to Kaepernick's fit with the team's core values.

Adam Jackson, CEO and co-founder of Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, said he found out about the donation after receiving an Instagram notification from Kaepernick.

The longtime Ravens middle linebacker is considered a near lock to be part of the 2018 class.

The Eagles have several players from the Ravens' Super Bowl XLVII winners, but Howie Roseman's personnel staff has a distinct Ravens' flavor as well.

The Ravens didn't make any dynamic changes over the past week, choosing again to favor continuity and stability over public relations and marketing.

Robert Ehrlich Jr.: before the image of kneeling players, booing fans and the worst PR season in league history fades from memory, a few takeaways are in order.

A look back at a less-than-glorious year for Baltimore-area sports.

The organization’s second-round pick in April said he always prays in the end zone before kickoffs.

Ravens are advertising tickets for ‘sold-out’ games, adjusting to a new NFL reality. That's because so many fans have put their tickets back into the club's official resale online market, another sign of the troubles the NFL faces amid anthem protests, injuries, concussion worries and spotty play.

NFL players aren't protesting the military or the anthem, they are protesting injustice and inequality.

The NFL has been rebuked by its public for it's missteps and arrogance, but it will continue to thrive in spite of everything.

The Ravens head into their bye week with the league's eighth-best running attack, which is a victory by any measure.

The Ravens are back in the land of big league quarterbacks after facing a series of second-stringers and beyond.

Let's assume that Colin Kaepernick is better than several quarterbacks — backups, and even starters — who have managed to find jobs on NFL rosters this season.

I believe Baltimore is trying to address the issues at the heart of the NFL protests every day and that we should say it out loud.