I listen to a lot of Sportstalk. A LOT of Sportstalk. I usually start the day with 790 the Zone and drive home listening to my friend Buck and his partner, Kincade. I can't listen often but I also enjoy Chuck and Chernoff on 680 in the afternoon.
One of the questions that is consistently asked has to do with the ATL and its lack of passion for professional sports. The answer is multi-faceted but also simple and straightforward.
I bring this up because it is a weird time of year. College basketball is winding down and the Final Four is established and will be played out this weekend. As a sports fan, I'd have to say that once UGA
got beat (alas in the first round), my interest level dropped to about a 1. Today is also the start of MLB. Hooray! I am excited about that and the way the Braves played last year, there is certainly reason for optimism. Frankly, I am excited about the Braves because my son is excited about the Braves. It is also important to note that college baseball doesn't move the meter much, for me, nor for the area as a whole.
On top of all this, the NBA will soon be in playoff mode. My boy and I are going to see our favorite team tomorrow and it isn't the Hawks. It is the Celtics. That's right, this Georgia boy's favorite NBA team isn't the local one. I do feel a little guilty about that.
So with all this going on, let's look at the lack of interest (compared to other places) when it comes to pro sports in this city.
1. Most of the people who live here are from someplace else. See my earlier post for more. Atlanta is a melting pot of Americans from all over the country and even those who grew up here are typically casual toward the local teams.
2. This town is as crazy about sports as the next place but there are other forces which 'steal' from that passion that might otherwise go toward the Atlanta teams. You have already guessed the main force - college football. Following my passion, UGA football, is a 12 month enterprise. After the season, there is excitement centered around recruiting. Following that, there is spring practice to monitor. And then the Braves and the golf tournaments enjoy the spotlight until college football season rolls around again. Which leads to ...
3. Rivalries! Braves don't like Phillies, nor Mets. Falcons don't like Bucs, nor Saints. But do these rivalries register on the national meter? NO! Because in the broadest sense, we think like a state! We think like 'we' are Georgia and 'they' are Florida. The boys from our state can beat the boys from your state. Now transfer that thought pattern to the northeast. People from Boston do not like people from New York. People from Philly do not like either. And so on and so forth. They 'think' like cities.
I've been to several big league ballparks and my favorite is Fenway. What occurred to me there was they do baseball like we do college football - with passion and a strong sense of identity invested.
3. Atlanta pro sports do not have the history that other cities have. Attending the games hasn't been passed down through the years as it has in other places. Therefore ...
4. It isn't important enough for us to win! I heard an interview with Bill Curry once where they asked him if Alabama would ever be back. This was right after they fired poor Shula. "Alabama will be great again because it's so important to the Alabama people that they be great again." Put simply, it isn't as important to us that the pro teams do well as it is in most other cities. And it trickles down from there that the ownership doesn't hear a whole lot of complaining and the standards are lowered. Pretty simple, huh?
Take me, a lifelong Braves fan and someone who would love to see the Braves do well this year. Now, what if they don't? "Hopefully, we'll do better next year." Compare that to a Sox fan. They're supposed to have the strongest team in all of baseball. What will the fan reaction be if they miss the playoffs? Heads will roll! There's your difference.
5. Other forces? Well, what will you be doing this Saturday? I'll be playing tennis and going to a little league game or tournament. In fact, almost all my spring and fall weekends are jam packed with activities that often involve sports, just not pro sports. We enjoy (nearly) year round weather conducive to outdoor activities.
A local tennis pro explained to me one time why Atlanta (a tennis-crazy city by the way) can't attract a major tournament. His answer? Everone interested in tennis is out PLAYING! How is this different from other cities? I don't know the answer to that but I do know that ALTA has 80,000 members and it seems we are far too busy to put a whole lot of time and energy into following any more than 1-2 teams.
6. Culture The media gives the Atlanta fanbases a bad rap sometimes because our fans aren't as vocal. If you've been to Turner Field, you know what I'm talking about. Very family oriented or social-oriented depending on your station in life. And you may love the Braves but it would be considered uncouth to berate the opposing players the way they do in Fenway. I'm just saying that often what comes across as ambivalence is just a quieter fan adhering to the established, if unwritten, 'rules'.
OK, maybe that wasn't as simple as I thought but I think I got most of it!
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