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The Atlanta sports market is fractured in a lot of ways. First of all you have college football which is like a religion in the South......that isn't happening in New York and Boston....so sports fans are more focused on their professional teams in those cities.....UGA has 104,000 at Sanford Stadium on Saturdays....Boston College has 34,000...there's only so many sports dollars to go around. Add to that the fact that Atlanta is a transient city.....there's more folks from New Jersey in my neighborhood than native Southerners. In Boston and Cleveland you have folks that haven't left their neighborhoods for three generations....cheering for the Red Socks or Browns is all they have to do. Atlantans get up on Saturday morning with too many choices. We are a great sports town....its just that the market is so mixed. If the Falcons or Braves or Hawks put an interesting winner on the field (see Falcons 1981 or Braves 1991) the city responds in a big way.
I hear the point about how well UGA does, and how people up north aren't as into College as in Georgia, and I agree with that. But (maybe I'm just a hard critic of home because I only want great, not good) I don't give them that pass... There are plenty of other places that support BOTH College and Pro sports teams... Take a look around Texas to begin with...
2nd, I once had the whole "transient city" opinion as well, but I think I'm kind of numb to it now... After having lived in several other "transient cities" and observing the difference in how the people there support home as their #1 made me look back at Atlanta with a sad face... It's not the people FROM NYC and Jersey and Chicago that are Yankees, Giants and Bears fans that bother me... It's all of the people that are FROM Atlanta and have never even been to the city they support as their #1. I hear ALL THE TIME (after questioning people), they'll say "I support the Falcons, unless they play the Raiders" and I say, "But, why is that your #1 team? Are you from Oakland or LA?" and they say "No, I'm from College Park. I don't know, I just like the way they play football..." To me, it's okay to LIKE another team, but I don't understand putting them above your home team, UNLESS there is a bitter reason you side against your home team (like so many DC fans that are Cowboys fans to spite the Redskins). DC is just as transient. Everyone there is from somewhere else... Sure there are still a LOT of 3 generations deep DC families, but there are still MANY MANY transients. That's the nature of government and military cities. But still, in DC, I find that a LOT of people tend to adopt the local team support because "well, I've lived in Maryland for 12 years now..." AND the seemingly outnumbered locals that are really from the DMV (DC, Maryland & Virginia) tend to like other teams but still hold DC 1st. While living in San Diego, sure they also have issues with attendance and San Diego is definitely more of a transient city than Atlanta, BUT the natives typically hold Chargers and Padres as #1, no matter who else they like... They may LIKE the Angels (because they are the best So Cal team) BUT, if the Angels play the Padres, I rarely hear the same "I'm a Padres fan, unless they play the Angels" sentiment as I do in Atlanta. That sentiment hurts my fan heart... It's an excuse to riding a band-wagon to me.
3rd, the "if they put a winner on the field" argument is a falsehood... When the Thrashers were GOOD, and YES, they had a GOOD year with Ilya Kovalchuk, nobody cared... And it's not like Atlanta doesn't have enough transplants from up north to have hockey fans... If Atlanta can't find Hockey fans, then neither should TAMPA, MIAMI, RALEIGH, NASHVILLE, DALLAS, PHOENIX... BUT, those cities do just fine... When Atlanta Braves won the World Series, there were playoff games in front of non-sell-out crowds, while the teams they were playing against WERE selling out (so it wasn't a "well it's Post strike bitterness around the nation"). Fans were getting over the bitterness of the strike when their teams were in the playoffs, except in Atlanta. 81 wasn't the Falcons' big year. It was 80. But the Falcons' BEST year was 98, and yes I will say I was proud to be a Falcons fan that year. THEN, it all crashed in 99, just adding to Atlanta's top ranked miserable cities for a sports fan...
Quote:
Originally Posted by gatornavymike
Im back in the New York area now but spent ten years in suburban Atlanta and disagree with those who say Atlanta is the worst sports town. I had freinds from Atlanta that were Bulldog fans but also liked the Braves,Hawks and Falcons. I knew people from other states like me who supported Atlanta teams. I remember meeting people who were suprised that there were so many people like me who were from other places but rooted for Atlanta teams.
This is good to hear... As a matter of fact, I don't live in Atlanta now (I travel). I have been seeing a LOT of new Atlanta fans springing up all over the place in recent years... And guess what. Everytime I meet one (and it's getting more and more often, because I'm that fanatical fan that wears something Falcons, Braves or Hawks related at least 3-4 times every week, every single day if I can help it, since the mid 90s... I have ties, socks, shirts, hats, watches, duffle bags, car decals, you name it), I always ask them a few questions: 1) Are you from Atlanta? 2) How long have you been a fan? and 3) What do you think about our fanbase? To #1, I've been getting "Yes" or "I'm from GA" but I've also been getting answers that surprised me, like: "No, my husband is from there so I became a fan with him" and "No, my dad is from there and so I just grew up with them." To #2, I almost always hear people claim they've been a fan since the 80s or 90s, and I always feel skeptical and think "Well, where were all of ya'll back in the early 90s when I was walking around with my hat that read "Black Pack" on it and getting laughed at?" And to #3, I almost always hear the same answers as well... "Our fans suck! What are they doing in Atlanta, cheering for other teams?!?" (So, I find that I'm not alone in my disappointment of what I see of Atlanta fans on TV).
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by northwinds
I guess most of you folks weren't around for the 1991 "worst to first" Braves season and their first trip to the "World Serious" (as my six year old son at the time called it)......the entire city was into it.....buildings lighted up at night with their lights in tomohawk patterns......people coming in to work red-eyed in July and August as the Braves fought the Dodgers and Giants for the Western Conf. championship with late night road games to the West Coast.....the tomohawk chop in old Atlanta Fulton County Stadium with thousands of tomohawks going to the beat in unison......750,000 people in downtown Atlanta for a World Series losing team.....please someon tell me if they were able to 'scalp' a ticket to the first world series game in the ATL......I was there that night and there was not a ticket to be had at any price....and I've scalped a lot of tickets in my time.....it was a magical run that the whole city was involved in.....
I remember that year vividly, but my memories and loyalties were quite different as I was still in the Twin Cities at the time and following the Twinkies all year long. I think it was a hell of a Series, tho, and even though I hated the neon tomahawks with a passion, I have to respect the fact that the Braves gave the Twins almost as much as they could handle.
I remember that year vividly, but my memories and loyalties were quite different as I was still in the Twin Cities at the time and following the Twinkies all year long. I think it was a hell of a Series, tho, and even though I hated the neon tomahawks with a passion, I have to respect the fact that the Braves gave the Twins almost as much as they could handle.
The Twins cheated, they used that white roof and those white twinkie towels to an unfair advantage. That series was so close small stuff like that can make a big difference. The Braves got robbed. I always say we should have two titles, that first was supposed to be ours.
Look, Atlanta sports has been DIRECTLY attached to my heart since the late 80s, and it has been an unhealthy, miserable ride to this point, but I can't help but keep coming back year after year because to me, fanhood (for those in a sports town only) is something that chooses YOU. Like family. You don't choose who your crazy Uncle is going to be. You don't get to choose who Mom and Dad are... So no matter how terrible your family is, how sad they make you and how much you wish you were raised in a different family, you can never NOT make them family. No matter what, they are still your blood... That's how I feel about fanhood... I was chosen to be a Falcons, Braves, Hawks and Bulldogs fans... No matter what, no matter where on Earth I move, I can never change the past that I am and will always be from Atlanta. Therefore, Atlanta is my family... If I were to every place my #2 team (The Ravens) over the Falcons, that would be just as bad as slapping the mom that gave birth to me, and spitting on the father that raised me just because I like someone else's parents.
With that being said (again, maybe I'm just hard on my teams because I want the best), being an Atlanta fan is miserable at many times, so I can clearly understand how someone would call it the worst sports town. Atlanta's sports track record is so full of disappointments (and unusual disappointments at that), that I can see how so many jump ship, or just never got on board. I see, but don't understand.
From the Dominique trade for Manning in the middle of the Hawks' BEST year, to the epic Braves September playoff pursuit collapse, to the Olympic bombing, the Ice storm Super Bowl that got the league to not want to consider Atlanta anymore, the Olympic bid bribery scandal, the epic Hawks game 7 butt whoop'n by the Celtics (largest lead in game 7 history), 2011 Falcons loss to Green Bay, Falcons lose to Giants in 2012, Falcons lose to Broncos in Super Bowl allowing ESPN commentators to claim Atlanta's presence in the Super Bowl was a fluke and more deserved by Vikings, Chris Chandler admitting he played in the NFC Championship intoxicated, Falcons kicker with a drinking problem and played drunk, Michael Vick's dogs, Bobby Petrino aka Satan's Little helper, Jamal "give me more money then I'll break my leg" Anderson, Mike Vick not giving his all until he left the Falcons & admitting he played high in Atlanta, Olympic IOC Commissioner not giving Atlanta the "the best games ever" snub, the claim that Atlanta games were too commercial, the UGA ranked #1 for ONE DAY just to get embarrassed by Alabama, Braves up 2 games to 0 on Yankees in World Series then losing 3 straight at home and losing series 4-2, Kirby Puckett's Walk-Off homer in game 6 of the 91 World Series, John Rocker, Roddy White's Katrina comments, Losing the Atlanta Flames, Atlanta Knights and Atlanta Thrashers, Atlanta Dream's disappointing loss, 14 years staight of Divisional wins & only 1 victory, and a whole list of being the team on the other end of someone's success story (Hence, Drew Brees breaking the yrds record while playing ATL)...
Not that we haven't had GOOD times, because we have had many (and most are college related)... BUT the misery has been far greater.
Keep in mind, that usually when sports reporters consider Atlanta a terrible sports town, they are speaking for the big 4 PRO Sports, not College. Too many GOOD College sports towns for college sports to count for anything, even though that's a big deal in GA.
Fact is, Atlanta has seen 156 Pro Sports seasons with only 1 championship... NO OTHER Pro Sports city even nears THAT ratio... NOBODY. Closest is Seattle with 113/1, but they had a championship back when they were ONLY 17 Pro seasons in... 17/1!!! It took Atlanta 93 Pro seasons before 1 championship... 93/1!!! Yikes. Now it's 156/1. Not even Cleveland touches that...
The Twins cheated, they used that white roof and those white twinkie towels to an unfair advantage. That series was so close small stuff like that can make a big difference. The Braves got robbed. I always say we should have two titles, that first was supposed to be ours.
I CONCUR!!!
That was the Braves' series!!! **** YOU KIRBY!!! WHEREVER YOU ARE!!! **** YOU!!!!!!! (We would have went from worst to 1st and ended it in Game 6, were it not for him)...
We should have beat the Phillies in 93 to make it to the WS also (the year we won 104 games! and edged out the Giants by 1 game!!! That was a huge disappointment to have had that race with the Giants just to make it to the playoffs, then lose to the Phillies!)
That 93 team was one of the BEST teams EVER!!!!
Tom Glavine, Steve Avery, Greg Maddux, Fred McGriff, Chipper Jones, Ron Gant, David Justice, Javy Lopez, Ryan Klesko, John Smoltz, Kent Merker, Mark Wholers, Terry Pendleton, Deion Sanders, Rafael Belliard, Otis Nixon, who else... WHAT A TEAM!!!
Last edited by Psykomonkee; 01-11-2012 at 11:44 PM..
That was the Braves' series!!! **** YOU KIRBY!!! WHEREVER YOU ARE!!! **** YOU!!!!!!! (We would have went from worst to 1st and ended it in Game 6, were it not for him)...
We should have beat the Phillies in 93 to make it to the WS also (the year we won 104 games! and edged out the Giants by 1 game!!! That was a huge disappointment to have had that race with the Giants just to make it to the playoffs, then lose to the Phillies!
That 93 team was one of the BEST teams EVER!!!!
Tom Glavine, Steve Avery, Greg Maddux, Fred McGriff, Chipper Jones, Ron Gant, David Justice, Javy Lopez, Ryan Klesko, John Smoltz, Kent Merker, Mark Wholers, Terry Pendleton, Deion Sanders, Rafael Belliard, Otis Nixon, who else... WHAT A TEAM!!!
LMAO, I hated Kirby Puckett from that moment on.
Mike Stanton was on that team, and I think Sid Bream was too. I was young but I kinda remember he got hot after they turned him into a pinch hitter. Like he got pissed the Braves benched him after they got McGriff. Those early to mid 90's Braves squads had some of the best pitching staffs ever in baseball.
I remember that year vividly, but my memories and loyalties were quite different as I was still in the Twin Cities at the time and following the Twinkies all year long. I think it was a hell of a Series, tho, and even though I hated the neon tomahawks with a passion, I have to respect the fact that the Braves gave the Twins almost as much as they could handle.
One of the greatest....if not the greatest....World Series. And people forget about the seven game NCLS against the Pirates that led up to that World Series.....Steve Avery and John Smoltz were like 21 and 22 years old and throwing shut-outs and one run games...it was unreal......Avery had two 1-0 wins in the series and Smoltz had another......easily the greatest NLCS ever......and the Braves should have won the World Series in game six......oh well....memories
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
11,334 posts, read 26,089,277 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oldschoolChevy
The Twins cheated, they used that white roof and those white twinkie towels to an unfair advantage. That series was so close small stuff like that can make a big difference. The Braves got robbed. I always say we should have two titles, that first was supposed to be ours.
Mike Stanton was on that team, and I think Sid Bream was too. I was young but I kinda remember he got hot after they turned him into a pinch hitter. Like he got pissed the Braves benched him after they got McGriff. Those early to mid 90's Braves squads had some of the best pitching staffs ever in baseball.
YES! I think you're right! Mike Stanton and Sid Bream...
How about the 96 team?!?!
Marquis Grissom, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, Fred McGriff, Ryan Klesko, Javy Lopez, Jermaine Dye, Jeff Blauser, Steve Avery, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Greg Maddux, Danny Neagle, Mark Wholers, Mike Stanton, John Rocker... MONSTER TEAM!
OR the 99 team
Javy Lopez, Ryan Klesko, Brett Boone, Ozzie Guillen, Chipper Jones, Brian Jordan, Andruw Jones, Otix Nixon, Kevin Milwood, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, etc...
As a fellow New Englander who lived in Atlanta for my grad school years, I completely agree with you. The best part was, though, I got wicked cheap tickets to see the Red Sox when they came to Atlanta. Plus, ~70% of the stadium was Red Sox fans.
Ditto. There is no comparison in Atlanta to living in New England, as far as sports goes. In New England, you have a 5 1/2 state region (CT is split) all rabidly rooting for the Sox, Pats, B's, and C's. College sports are almost a non-issue. You get the occasional Boston College fan or other fan who goes to one of those schools, but you don't have random people driving with UMass license plates or walking around with UMass t-shirts.
Here in Atlanta, the pro sports are definitely second fiddle, and I think there is something lost. In New England, you may not know someone, but if you meet a new person, you almost always have something in common if you talk sports. Depending on season, you can always get a good conversation going about the Sox or Pats, or the Bruins or Celts. It's engrained in people and passed from generation to generation. You don't even get that same passion in Atlanta around college football, since people aren't cheering for the same teams.
Go to a sports bar in NYC, Chicago, Boston, Philly on any night of the year and you will probably find a game on and just about the entire bar is passionate and cheering that one local team. It's just nothing near the same here in Atlanta.
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I think it was a hell of a Series, tho, and even though I hated the neon tomahawks with a passion, I have to respect the fact that the Braves gave the Twins almost as much as they could handle.
