The Cobb County Braves

[Dev11]

Per various sources around Georgia, the Braves are leaving Atlanta and Turner Field in 2017 for a new stadium in Cobb County, with some funding coming from Cobb. They moved into Turner Field in 1997, so that's 20 years there. It would appear that some in the local government didn't pay attention to anything going on in South Florida over the last couple of years.

Can the Atlanta fans (Jason Evans and Olympic Fan I believe are frequent Braves posters around here) comment on this? I don't know the area that well so I couldn't say what this move really means. Is the location easily accessible? I see that it is nearer to the center of the Braves' season ticket holder base, which should help attendance.

One day, the public financing of sporting venues will end. It would not appear to be happening in this decade.

[Duvall]

So it looks like the metropolitan Atlanta area is going to spend $1.9 billion to replace two stadiums that opened in the 1990s, with at least $650 million in public funding.

This is madness.

[Dev11]

So it looks like the metropolitan Atlanta area is going to spend $1.9 billion to replace two stadiums that opened in the 1990s, with at least $650 million in public funding.

This is madness.

This is Barves country!

[JasonEvans]

Having nothing to do with the financials behind the new stadium, the location of the old stadium was not great. It was in a somewhat poor part of town and was difficult to get to if you lived in the affluent suburbs. The Braves had been pushing the city for many years to get something else built in the area, to make Turner field the central spoke in a larger development but nothing ever happened. The Braves want their location to be a museum and baseball amusement park kind of thing. That simply was not going to happen where Turner Field is presently located.

The new location is in the heart of the suburbs. It should be fairly easy access from both I285 and I75. There are a lot of multi-lane roads in the area which should be able to handle the traffic. It will be about 2 miles West of my house.

Now, that is not to say I think this is a wonderful thing. I am discouraged about what the Braves leaving will mean to the downtown area thy currently inhabit. The rush of businesses out of inner cities to the suburbs is a troubling thing and has led to more than a few other cities downfall. Atlanta has been doing fairly well recently and I worry that something like this could have a serious negative impact on the development of the inner city.

Still, I understand why the Braves are doing this and I have to think that they did their best to work with the city to get things worked out before deciding to flee to the burbs.

-Jason "for folks who know Atlanta, below is an image showing where the stadium will be and where the parking and other amenities will be located" Evans

[JasonEvans]

Another map that shows why the Braves are moving.

The red dots represent folks who bought tickets to a Braves game last year.



-Jason "nuf said" Evans

[Dev11]

Another map that shows why the Braves are moving.

The red dots represent folks who bought tickets to a Braves game last year.



-Jason "nuf said" Evans

Thanks, Jason. I saw that in one of the articles. I feel like a smart ownership could have drawn up that map 20 years ago anyway, so why was Turner Field placed where it was in the first place? I haven't been there but I've only heard bad things about its location.

[killerleft]

Thanks, Jason. I saw that in one of the articles. I feel like a smart ownership could have drawn up that map 20 years ago anyway, so why was Turner Field placed where it was in the first place? I haven't been there but I've only heard bad things about its location.

I'm not Jason, but I think it's because the organizers of the Olympics wanted a stadium as close to the city center as possible. They planned the stadium to replace Fulton County Stadium (ad-jason-t to the present site) as the Brave's new home after some pre-ordained alterations. Saved boatloads of money, too, I suppose.

[Channing]

This is bound to cause lots of discussion in Atlanta, as one of the primary objections to the current location of Turner field is the lack of MARTA (public transportation) access. Well, MARTA doesn't even serve Cobb county. Also, it is no secret that MLB has deal with charges that it doesn't pursue the African American fan in recent years, and this move won't help that at all, as the Northern suburbs are "generally" considered to be more Caucasian and the southern part of town is generally considered to be more African American.

Personally, I am all for the move. The city was supposed to put in some infrastructure around Turner Field to try and build it up, and that never materialized. There is already a base infrastructure at the proposed stadium site, and I think it has the potential to be great.

I also heard one source kicking around the idea of turning the current location of Turner field into a casino/horse track facility.

[JasonEvans]

There is talk the Braves may use the move as an opportunity to re-brand their logo and perhaps really tone down the "Native American" imagery in their branding.

-Jason "I doubt they drop the name, 'Braves,' but I would have said the same thing about the St. John's Redmen a few years ago" Evans

[DukieInBrasil]

So it looks like the metropolitan Atlanta area is going to spend $1.9 billion to replace two stadiums that opened in the 1990s, with at least $650 million in public funding.

This is madness.

Absolutely disgusting abuse of public funds. The public pays for the investments in a private enterprise. This only deepens my disdain for Atlanta sports teams. May the Braves yet again not win in the Playoffs. The Red Sox have been winning in the Playoffs lately, without the public buying the owner a new stadium every few years.

[Dev11]

Absolutely disgusting abuse of public funds. The public pays for the investments in a private enterprise. This only deepens my disdain for Atlanta sports teams. May the Braves yet again not win in the Playoffs. The Red Sox have been winning in the Playoffs lately, without the public buying the owner a new stadium every few years.

To be fair, Fenway Park doesn't experience serious attendance issues in the playoffs, let alone when the Sox are losing.

That said, I agree, public funding of stadiums just doesn't make sense. It may have once upon a time (I live not too far from Coors Field, the shining city on the hill of the wasteland of publicly financed ballparks) but now it is too expensive and it does not deliver the results it promises.

[Duvall]

To be fair, Fenway Park doesn't experience serious attendance issues in the playoffs, let alone when the Sox are losing.

Well, with 15,000 fewer seats I would hope not.

I actually think the franchise would be well served by a move to a smaller downtown stadium, maybe around the Georgia Dome site. I just don't see why taxpayers should pay for it.

[Dev11]

Well, with 15,000 fewer seats I would hope not.

I actually think the franchise would be well served by a move to a smaller downtown stadium, maybe around the Georgia Dome site. I just don't see why taxpayers should pay for it.

Good point, although in a thought experiment, do you think a 55k capacity Fenway Park (just add giant new upper decks!) would have attendance problems? I doubt it.

[wilson]

I have been to Turner Field about 200 times, around 135 in the last 5 years. It is one of the touchstones of my life, pretty much on par with Cameron Indoor as stadiums go (but for some really different reasons, if that makes any sense). On April 5, 2010, I went to Turner Field with two of my best friends from Duke and watched Jason Heyward hit a homer in his first career at bat at the Braves' home opener, then went back to one of those friends' house and watched Duke beat Butler a few hours later. The moment I first knew I wanted to marry my wife, we were sitting in Turner Field's right field stands for a doubleheader. I've often (not really) joked that I want my ashes spread at Turner Field. So a lot of my reaction to the news is deeply emotional...whether or not it should be so emotional is for you to decide, I guess.
I am in the Atlanta minority in a lot of ways...I grew up in Atlanta, inside the perimeter, and I still live inside the perimeter. It has never taken me more than 30 minutes to get to Turner Field from my home on a reasonably average day. When the new stadium opens in 2017, the shoe will be on the other foot and it will suddenly be a lot more difficult for me to get to the game. Logistically speaking, this is a net negative for me but a net positive for the majority of the Braves' usual paying customers.
Given the emotional and practical effects of the move, my feelings for the Braves have been fundamentally altered. I will almost certainly be much less of a Braves fan in 5 years than I am now.
There are a host of ways in which this also plays into years of municipal and regional history, as well as Atlanta's future.
I've been invited by a friend to write a more extended blog post on the matter for his website, which I'll be posting in a few days. I'll be sure to pass it along in case anyone is interested in an in-depth local perspective.

[Dev11]

I have been to Turner Field about 200 times, around 135 in the last 5 years. It is one of the touchstones of my life, pretty much on par with Cameron Indoor as stadiums go (but for some really different reasons, if that makes any sense). On April 5, 2010, I went to Turner Field with two of my best friends from Duke and watched Jason Heyward hit a homer in his first career at bat at the Braves' home opener, then went back to one of those friends' house and watched Duke beat Butler a few hours later. The moment I first knew I wanted to marry my wife, we were sitting in Turner Field's right field stands for a doubleheader. I've often (not really) joked that I want my ashes spread at Turner Field. So a lot of my reaction to the news is deeply emotional...whether or not it should be so emotional is for you to decide, I guess.
I am in the Atlanta minority in a lot of ways...I grew up in Atlanta, inside the perimeter, and I still live inside the perimeter. It has never taken me more than 30 minutes to get to Turner Field from my home on a reasonably average day. When the new stadium opens in 2017, the shoe will be on the other foot and it will suddenly be a lot more difficult for me to get to the game. Logistically speaking, this is a net negative for me but a net positive for the majority of the Braves' usual paying customers.
Given the emotional and practical effects of the move, my feelings for the Braves have been fundamentally altered. I will almost certainly be much less of a Braves fan in 5 years than I am now.
There are a host of ways in which this also plays into years of municipal and regional history, as well as Atlanta's future.
I've been invited by a friend to write a more extended blog post on the matter for his website, which I'll be posting in a few days. I'll be sure to pass it along in case anyone is interested in an in-depth local perspective.

Looking forward to your post, wilson.

[hurleyfor3]

The Red Sox have been winning in the Playoffs lately, without the public buying the owner a new stadium every few years.

Fenway has definitely received "soft" public funding. Closing Yawkey Way on game days, extending the Green Monster seats over Lansdowne Street, that sort of thing. Wrigley field is similar. I doubt there's a stadium built or renovated in the last 20 years that didn't receive soft funding in some way.

Is there anything Atlanta can do in retaliation? Sue the Braves not to use the name "Atlanta"? (You can sue anyone for anything, but city names can't be trademarked and it doesn't sound like the city can claim it acted in good faith.) Can the city change the name of Turner Field to something unflattering?

[OldPhiKap]

Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

[Duvall]

Good point, although in a thought experiment, do you think a 55k capacity Fenway Park (just add giant new upper decks!) would have attendance problems? I doubt it.

Probably not. I think the Red Sox are an outlier, though.

[-jk]

Absolutely disgusting abuse of public funds. The public pays for the investments in a private enterprise. This only deepens my disdain for Atlanta sports teams. May the Braves yet again not win in the Playoffs. The Red Sox have been winning in the Playoffs lately, without the public buying the owner a new stadium every few years.

(Gas on the fire...) Where do you stand on the Olympic efforts?

-jk

[weezie]

We have a ferris wheel and a merry-go-round and over 3 mill attendees/season.

Carry on...