"Atlanta Is The Worst Sports Town In America" (Auburn: transplants, hotels)

[db6709]

I completely understand that fan attendance at professional level games is lacking. But who is this moron to call us out, saying we'd rather sip sweet tea and eat barbeque? Screw him as well as ESPN for letting this moron blog.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/7429623/the-city-atlanta-worst-sports-town-america

[JC84]

I'm probably biased, being from a CRAZY sports-obsessed city (Boston) but that was one of the first things I noticed here. I mean the Thrashers just up and left and no one really cared. In any of the northern towns ,there would be rioting in the streets. Hockey aside, no one really gives a crap about their pro-sports teams here. I blame all the diverse loyalties to college football.

[lastminutemom]

It isn't just diverse loyalties to college football, but loyalties to a myriad of pro teams as well.

It is because there aren't many people that are really from here, and I would argue, that many of those same people don't think of Atlanta as home. Thus, they root for their "old" home team.

[mich2fla]

Originally Posted by lastminutemom

It isn't just diverse loyalties to college football, but loyalties to a myriad of pro teams as well.

It is because there aren't many people that are really from here, and I would argue, that many of those same people don't think of Atlanta as home. Thus, they root for their "old" home team.

That's us!

For college, we cheer for Michigan State (sorry Bulldog fans) and for pro sports, we occasionally follow the Detroit teams (Tigers, Lions and Redwings, not a fan of the NBA). Our family usually follow the Big Ten football and basketball teams.

[rmsmith1977]

This has been an ongoing issue with Atlanta sports. Braves games were relatively empty til 1991 when we won the NLCS, and now braves games are about 20k shy of a sellout other than opening day.

The falcons, well they are good one year then not the next. You never know what to expect from them. I do like watching them play but for a lot of people that grew up here they just didn't like the falcons because you knew they weren't going to ever win many games. Like me for instance, I like Denver because I grew up liking John Elway. I can't even tell you who was the QB for atlanta back in the late 80's and Early 90's.

I was one of the few that were upset to see the thrashers leave. I know attendance was down, but there was no effort by the front office to make that team a contender. So many of us were like, 'what's the point?'

Someone said earlier about college football. College football rules the south. There are reasons people 'donate' thousands of dollars just for the 'opportunity to purchase' season tickets. It's very obvious just by walking around and seeing the amount of college football t shirts, hats, etc. There is where the loyalty lies. People still support UGA even though their last national championship was in 1980 while i was anxiously awaiting my 3rd birthday. Why college football is immune to fans bailing out eludes me.

[nyte3k]

It also doesn't help when teams like the Hawks haven't had a superstar since Dominique Wilkins, and all of our pro teams can't finish the job in the playoffs.

This doesn't encourage transplants to the city to gravitate toward any of the local teams. And I also think for some odd reason, most people here rather watch college sports, regardless of the fact that they haven't been college students in 20+ years. :/

[brownhornet]

Is he lying? lol

[RandyWatson13]

Originally Posted by db6709

I completely understand that fan attendance at professional level games is lacking. But who is this moron to call us out, saying we'd rather sip sweet tea and eat barbeque? Screw him as well as ESPN for letting this moron blog.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/7429623/the-city-atlanta-worst-sports-town-america

Sorry you are a moron if you don't agree with it. This isn't the first time Atlanta has been called the worst or top 3 worst cities for sports.

[cqholt]

Being new to Atlanta I have fallen in love with the pro sports teams here. I was raised in South Florida watching Dan Marino and the Dolphins. But now I am a Falcons fan and if the 2 play eah other I just want a good game. Raised on Braves before the marlins came to town in 1993, so that switch isn't bad. NBA is all about the Hawks. I think the problem is too many transplants. Saw the same thing in South Florida, whenever Jets vs Dolphins the stadium was half and half. The younger generations are the only hope for popularity in Atlanta pro teams.

[testa50]

As others have said, Atlanta is very mediocre for pro sports, but it also probably has the best scene (maybe tied with Dallas) in the country for college football fans. Tons of Atlanta's growth has been of people from nearby states, and they often bring their college football loyalties with them. Go to any intown sports bar on a Saturday and this will be clear: you'll be fans from most SEC schools and lots of others too.

Why people consider pro sports "better" than college sports is a bit curious to me. Honestly I think college sports have more economic impact; Labor Day weekend 2012 is going to have two significant opening games held in Atlanta (Auburn/Clemson & Tennessee/NC State), which will probably lead to tens of thousands of hotel room nights and a ton of revenue for the city. The SEC Championship game speaks for itself, and the Peach Bowl is significant as well. Georgia Tech is worth a mention too, I suppose. And, unlike in some other cities, all of these events are held in Downtown/Midtown within walking distance of bars, restaurants, and hotels.

Pro sports, on the other hand, is mainly just fans from within the metro taking a day trip to the stadium and returning home afterwards--except in cases like the Chicago Cubs and stuff. Some die-hards follow their teams around, but not quite like in college football, where entire fanbases make a weekend out of coming to Atlanta to support their team.