Baltimore Orioles Owner Stuns Fans With Ridiculous Antics

Baltimore Orioles owner David Rubenstein made a fool of himself during Friday's game against the Texas Rangers.

Jun 28, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles owner David Rubenstein. / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

David Rubenstein is quickly becoming the most popular owner the Baltimore Orioles have had in a long time, maybe ever.

Since taking over the team earlier this year, Rubenstein has made it abundantly clear how much he loves the Orioles and their fans, who have embraced him in return. Through his frequent in-person appearances and constant support on social media, he seems to care deeply about the franchise and is invested in its success. In a sport where many teams are run by out-of-touch billionaires (ask Boston Red Sox fans how they feel about John Henry these days), Rubenstein stands out in a good way.

During Friday night's game against the Texas Rangers at Camden Yards, however, Rubenstein stood out for a very different reason.

Orioles owner David Rubenstein is dancing with the Oriole Bird atop the dugout to “Thank God I’m A Country Boy” at Camden Yards pic.twitter.com/8IfnDz64PX

— Andy Kostka (@afkostka) June 29, 2024

With Baltimore leading 2-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh, Rubenstein joined the Orioles mascot and two women in a dance atop Baltimore's dugout. He high-fived fans while dancing to the John Denver classic "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" throughout the seventh-inning stretch despite being an absurdly wealthy city boy. And if that wasn't enough, he also threw out souvenir hats to fans in the crowd.

While Rubenstein was clearly having a blast, there's a fine line between having fun at the ballpark and having too much fun. Rubenstein behaved more like a drunken 24-year-old fan than the team's 74-year-old principal owner. The team needs him to be a leader and a face of the franchise, not a goofy cheerleader.

Rubenstein also needs to be careful about getting too carried away. While the Orioles were beating the defending champs and are having a tremendous season, it's only June. They still have a long way to go and haven't won anything yet, but he's acting like an owner who just won it all.

If Baltimore beats out the New York Yankees for the division and finally ends its 41-year World Series drought this fall, Rubenstein can dance all he wants. Until then, he might want to cool it with the dancing, especially in a one-run game against the team that swept the Orioles out of the playoffs last year.