Ok, I’ll admit it. We at InsiderAdvantage haven’t been particularly big fans of the Braves’ stadium move. After all, complete and utter lack of transparency and suppression of all dissenting opinion does not good government make. But Tuesday morning was not a time to dwell on the past, nay, the groundbreaking of the new Braves stadium, (and mixed-use retail area) was a time to look forward. Not necessarily forward at the imminent parking disaster that will befall a 40,000 seat stadium that only has room for 6,000 cars, or the traffic nightmare that may come from getting 40,000 raving fans into an area already packed during rush hour, but forward nonetheless. Forward toward a shiny new stadium and a shiny new partnership with Cobb County that is going to make somebody a whole lot of money.
As the Braves continue their annual slide toward October disappointment on the diamond, the front office brain-trust of the organization has been hard at work preparing for the new stadium’s groundbreaking, which took place on an overcast Tuesday morning in Cobb County. With such heavy hitters as Governor Nathan Deal, House Speaker David Ralston, MLB Commissioner-elect Rob Manfred, and Braves legend Hank Aaron all on hand, the importance of showing the world that the city, the state, and Major League Baseball itself are all behind the move was evident.
Braves CEO Terry McGuirk was first on the stage, welcoming the esteemed guests in the audience and painting a picture of the ‘beautiful’ mixed use retail and modern new ballpark that will cover what is now a one million square foot patch of dirt. Any good ballpark needs a good name, and with Ted Turner banished to his buffalo ranch in Montana, the Braves were left to search for a new namesake. A new sponsor, in fact, was one of the organization’s sticking points for leaving Turner, from whom they did not receive as much money as any other teams in the league do for stadium naming rights.
Enter Suntrust Park.
Suntrust Park may not have the same ring as Fenway or Wrigley, but that’s the world we live in now. Better that a truly local company, (its oldest corporate ancestor, the Trust Company of Georgia, was founded in 1891) than some multi-national organization who doesn’t care about anything other than the bottom line. Bill Rogers, the bank’s President and CEO, made sure that the crowd on hand was aware of that fact, saying that just as Atlanta is the home of the Braves, it is the home of Suntrust, and that both organizations are invested in the city, (or at least in Cobb County).
John Schuerholz, the team’s President, next took the stage and was quick to assure the audience that parking and ease of access were top priorities, and that they would not be issues going forward. The fact that he was light on those details is to be expected considering the Braves have not come close to resolving the parking situation. Nonetheless, Schuerholz and Rob Manfred who followed him both said all the right things about how the new stadium will be a fitting home for such a distinguished franchise.
Nathan Deal was on hand as well, using his time on stage to remind everyone that a new stadium means new jobs, (3,100 in fact) and that bringing new jobs to the state has always been his number one priority. No word on how many people will lose their jobs when Turner Field shuts its doors, but the day was about the Braves’ future in Cobb, not its past, (present?) in downtown Atlanta.
Cobb Commissioner Tim Lee has been the most scrutinized figure throughout the process, so it was fitting that he had the most to say. Lee aknowledged the fact that the stadium move had faced some opposition, but stuck by the notion that the bottom line was that the entire situation was going to create jobs and increase revenue. Hard to argue with that. “It’s a unique way to approach business” Lee said, “but here in Cobb County we’re unique”.
It will be years, if not decades, before anyone can conclusively say whether the Braves moving to Cobb was a good decision. Certainly the way the topic was breached and the way the decision was made were unacceptable, but a successful transition would surely heal all wounds. Should the parking situation be resolved, the fourteen access points to surrounding roads work as planned, and the retail center surrounding the stadium take off, the move will be seen as a resounding success and Tim Lee will be praised for his foresight. Should things not go quite as planned, whether that means traffic becomes a major issue or that a retail center that only sees major use 80ish times a year doesn’t make any money, Cobb residents are sure to wonder why they got stuck footing the bill for a stadium they never really wanted. If that’s the case, any and all elected officials who were complicit in the move will likely see their heads on the chopping block.
