Atlanta Braves moving to Cobb County

[pierre]

Anyone have attendance numbers over the last 5-10 years?

It'll be near 75/285, about 20 minutes north of Downtown.

You can check the attendance here. The Braves have been at about the middle of the league for a number of years.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/attendance

And Turner Field has a big capacity so there are usually alot of empty seats. I assume this new park will have a bit for intimate setting.

[pierre]

Not really, this is kind of the opposite of the trend. 30 years ago it was the big thing to build stadiums in the suburbs, but since the 90s it has been much more common to build them in the urban center.

I agree with the above. But even Turner Field was not really in a true urban setting.

[KenFSU]

Anyone have attendance numbers over the last 5-10 years?

It'll be near 75/285, about 20 minutes north of Downtown.

You can check the attendance here. The Braves have been at about the middle of the league for a number of years.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/attendance

And Turner Field has a big capacity so there are usually alot of empty seats. I assume this new park will have a bit for intimate setting.

42,000 seats for the new park.

[tufsu1]

wow...this is absolutely ridiculous....first the Falcons need a new stadium 20 years after the GA Dome opened, and now the Braves need a new one even though Turner Field dates to 1997.

All of the money in the Atlanta region is north of downtown and the stadium is located south of the city.....I thought the Braves were trying to address that situation when they moved their AAA franchise from Richmond, VA to Gwinnett County....perhaps the writing has been on the wall.

btw, any comparisons with the Jaguars and downtown Jax are not appropriate....apples and oranges

[billy]

The failure to effectively redevelop the surrounding area is a factor in this, not to mention transit issues.
So much for having a Camden Yards style retro facility without understanding how successful historic ballparks actually functioned with their neighborhoods.

[KenFSU]

Anyone have attendance numbers over the last 5-10 years?

It'll be near 75/285, about 20 minutes north of Downtown.

You can check the attendance here. The Braves have been at about the middle of the league for a number of years.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/attendance

And Turner Field has a big capacity so there are usually alot of empty seats. I assume this new park will have a bit for intimate setting.

42,000 seats for the new park.

With a 60 foot statue of Cobb County's most famous resident that outfielders must play around:

[tufsu1]

http://www.peachpundit.com/2013/11/11/atlanta-braves-plan-move-to-cobb-county-by-2017/

The Braves stadium situation is like the Jaguars to an extent. A downtown stadium and a suburban fanbase. The Braves saw the writing on the wall and went where the fans were. It is only a matter of time before the Jaguars decide a stadium somewhere off 295 is a necessity.

The Braves play 80 games a year at Turner Field, the Jags play 10, there is a big difference.  From what I've heard, transportation around Turner Field leaves much to be desired. 

the lack of a direct MARTA connection was somewhat of an issue....but it was less than a 1 mile walk from one of the stations and there was a shuttle.

Not sure how this could possibloy be better

[thelakelander]

Cobb County?  Is Turner Field really outdated?  I still remember the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Somehow I doubt attendance will shoot up as a result.  Atlanta is like Miami. For a variety of issues, they suck as sports towns. A ballpark in congested Cobb County isn't going to fix that problem.

[duvaldude08]

wow...this is absolutely ridiculous....first the Falcons need a new stadium 20 years after the GA Dome opened, and now the Braves need a new one even though Turner Field dates to 1997.

Same thing I said. THIS is why the public has such harsh feelings towards professional sports franchises. This is an absolut waste of tax payers dollars, seriously.

[tufsu1]

Cobb County?  Is Turner Field really outdated?  I still remember the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Somehow I doubt attendance will shoot up as a result.  Atlanta is like Miami. For a variety of issues, they suck as sports towns. A ballpark in congested Cobb County isn't going to fix that problem.

I agree Lake...but here's the logic Braves management is using...click on the map showing ticket sales for 2012...note that almost their entire core ticket holders are north of Turner Field

http://homeofthebraves.com/overview/#prettyPhoto

and as I said before, a map of Jags ticket holders would not look the same

[fsquid]

Seems like the trend has been baseball stadiums being built in town and football ones being built in the suburbs recently.

[KenFSU]

Here's a view of the new location, as taken from an adjacent office building:



Also laughed at this "artist's rendering" of the new park's skyline view:

[Charles Hunter]

They can use this as an opportunity to shed the offensive-to-some Native American "Braves" - they could become the Cobb County Crackers! 

[Wacca Pilatka]

They can use this as an opportunity to shed the offensive-to-some Native American "Braves" - they could become the Cobb County Crackers! 

It wouldn't be a first... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_Crackers

[Kerry]

The traffic in that area is some of the worst in the United States.  No public transportation, no one living near-by, and already congested roads; good luck with any game starting before 8PM.  If this is a ploy to get a new stadium in downtown Atlanta I say call their bluff and let them move.  If they try to stay at Turner Field they should jack the rent up on them.