To say that the teams in Atlanta are championship caliber would be a slap in the face of organizations such as the New York Yankees, or the Los Angeles Lakers–Teams who may have off years, but never consecutively. Those are teams that reload, not rebuild. Those teams always bring in fans, are the league leaders in shared revenue, and the main reason that their respective leagues continue to tweak the salary cap and luxury taxes. Centered in a city that some would call the Mecca of the southeast, it baffles out-of-towners why Atlanta has such a poor history of sports teams.
There are several factors at play when it comes down to the lack of support for Atlanta teams. The first thing that comes to mind is Atlanta is similar to a melting pot. Atlanta ranks well in the top half of U.S. metro areas when it comes to foreign born population. Why are the Yankees such a staple in New York? Because people born in New York tend to stay near New York, grow up in New York, and feel that continual tie to their city and their team. The bond is one in the same. Look no further than when big market teams such as the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and San Francisco Giants come to town. Turner Field gets packed out. During the 2010 and 2011 seasons the attendance ratings for our sports teams were; Hawks 19th/30, 22nd/30, Falcons 15th/32 twice, and the Braves 13th/30, 15th/30.
I’ve always looked at Atlanta as a place I go to be entertained, but not a place to live. With the cost of living considerably less only 10-15 miles outside of Atlanta, it makes sense to live outside the close proximity of stadiums. Add in the fact that Atlanta has some of the worst traffic in the United States and that adds to lack of butts in seats. The stadiums were designed to bring in extra revenue to areas of Atlanta and encourage growth in the surrounding areas. However, if look around Turner Field, there is nothing to do around that stadium. Not to mention if you live north of Atlanta, how much of a nightmare it is to get to and from the stadium?
Furthermore, looking at the sub-par management of Atlanta’s teams I feel is really the most important factor in getting people on the bandwagon in the first place. Ted Turner is the sole reason for any Atlanta sports success. In the early 80s through the 90s he made the Hawks relevant, as they were the only NBA team in the southeast. He made the Braves title contenders and reached well into his pockets to maintain it. The strange thing is the Hawks could have been contenders if it weren’t for terrible trades and even worse drafts. Look no further than Hawks former general manager Billy Knight, who I would go on to say set the Hawks back a decade during his five year tenure. Anyone remember when the Hawks passed on Chris Paul? What about when they traded the rights to Pau Gasol for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, or Rasheed Wallace’s one game Atlanta stint? Long gone are the days of Ted Turner owning the Braves. As every Braves fan knows, up until this year when the Braves acquired the Upton brothers, it was starting the feel that Time Warner and now the Liberty Media corporation looked at the Braves solely as a tax write-off, just an asset, not the heart of Atlanta, or the MLB’s longest continuing franchise.
However in the past few seasons the Braves, Falcons, and Hawks have all seemed to emerge back into the spotlight. The Hawks bringing in Danny Ferry has been their best acquisition possibly ever. He even convinced a Russian billionaire in Brooklyn that Joe Johnson was worth the astronomical contract he signed with Billy Knight (he’s not). Lately Thomas Dimitroff, with the blessing of owner Arthur Blank, has led the Falcons to title contenders this upcoming season.
So the question now arises, with success will Atlanta become a proud sports town? Or will the taste of success only steer the Atlanta semi-faithful away at the first sign of distress? I believe that the faithful like me are on the rise, and as our teams catch up, so will the love affair.
