National Bohemian Beer Sponsors New Baltimore Soccer Team

Published: 20^th Feb 12 9:52 am

by Eric Imhof
Soccer Blogger

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National Bohemian Beer Sponsors New Baltimore Soccer Team

Natty Boh pint glass - Eric Imhof

When people ask me if Baltimore is more like The Wire or Hairspray, I just answer “yes.” The city is part Gotham and part Metropolis, and it’s never really just one or the other. Having spent five formative years there, I can attest that Baltimore is, to both the resident and tourist, pretty much whatever one thinks it is.

For many Central- and South-American immigrants, Charm City is a home away from home; with cultural institutions like libraries and art centers, authentic eateries, and either a church or a bar on every corner, recent residents are finding their place alongside the older guard of Italian, Ukranian, German, and Polish enclaves. Nowhere is this new cultural influx more apparent than in the emergence of soccer. On almost any given non-winter day in Southeast Baltimore’s Patterson Park, one will find people of all ages playing, in both impromptu pickup games and more formal, organized leagues.

In fact, the only time I ever went to M&T Bank stadium was to watch a friendly between Manchester City and Inter Milan, which was close to sold out. But besides the attendance inside, the tailgate itself—which included several ad-hoc goals made out of tipped-over trash cans, parades of waving flags, and jerseys, jerseys, everywhere—attested to the popularity of the sport among many sectors of the population.

It’s only natural, then, that Baltimore have a professional soccer team. Yes, the Baltimore Blast have covered the indoor game for some time, but it was about time for an outdoor team to showcase what Baltimore has to offer. Meet the Baltimore Bohemians, the newest team to emerge from Harm City.

The team will be sponsored by your favorite beer and mine, National Bohemian, whose logo is already somewhat of an unofficial mascot of the city itself. As this Baltimore Business Journal report puts nicely: “The Baltimore Bohemians minor league soccer club has gotten a friendly face to be the marquee sponsor for its inaugural season.”

For those of you unfamiliar with National Bohemian, more commonly referred to as “Natty Boh,” or simply “Boh,” the logo is an old-timey Pringles-man-looking dude who is depicted as winking (or as having just one giant eye, since the winking eye is omitted). The neon version atop the old brewery in Bawlmer Hon actually winks, which is how I first figured out that the man is indeed winking and not, as I had previously thought, a strange hipster cyclops.

I, for one, think this is great for the city. I cannot wait to get my hands on a jersey. Go Bohs!

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