First off I would like to say that I don't even know if this is a possibility. I don't know if there is some sort of binding agreement that says the Braves are bound to Atlanta. Secondly, I'm not promoting this idea. I've got no beef with Atlanta or its fine citizens. I was born after the Milwaukee era & the only Braves I have known are the Atlanta Braves. What got me thinking along these lines was the post about the new alternate uni's. I got on a Braves history site to try to find a uniform which matched the new ones. I discovered that the new uni's closely resemble the ones worn by the Milwaukee team of the early 60's. There was a side note that said that soon after removing the Tomahawk logo from the jersey that the team moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta.
And so the seed was planted. What if this is a sign? What if the Braves left Atlanta? Would there be weeping & gnashing of teeth? Sackcloth & ashes? Would there be heartbreak like when the Dodgers left Brooklyn or meh, no big deal? I started thinking which cities would be good candidates. Charleston has a rich southern heritage similar to what Atlanta has to offer but do they have the fanbase to support a MLB team? Then I thought Nashville would be a good fit since they already support an NFL team. Maybe they would go full circle & return to Boston? Maybe Boston could be like New York, hosting both an AL & NL team. And so I pose these questions to the TC faithful if you so care to partake. What if the Braves moved from Atlanta? Would you care or not? What city do you think would be a good fit if they ever moved? Thanks for the input.
This FanPost does not express the views or opinions of Talking Chop.
0 recs | 46 comments
I would imagine that the Rays would get moved before the Braves. Nationals would be my next guess but the new stadium has them in place for quite a long time.
Other than the Rays moving I cannot see any other team moving, especially the Braves…
Both Charleston and Nashville have minor league teams…
ebraves - February 7, 2012
I support the team, not the city. Never have and probably never will live in Atlanta, so the city they call home is irrelevant to me.
king of games - February 7, 2012
The Atlanta metro area is currently the 9th-biggest in the US (was 11th biggest a decade ago).
It has more than a million more people than the next closest metro area without an ML team (San Bernardino, etc.), though that metro area is really close to the Dodgers/Angels market.
The next largest metro area without a major league team is Portland (OR), which has 3 million fewer people than the Atlanta metro area.
Oh, but you might say, who cares about population? It’s media market that matters. Well, Atlanta is the nation’s 8th or 9th biggest media market—you have to go 10/11 spots down the list to get to the next closest without a team (Orlando).
Basically, it would be weird if the Braves left, because the destinations will most likely be worse for the franchise than Atlanta is, at least in the long run.
Ivan the Great - February 7, 2012
You say in the nation, so I presume that you aren’t including Canada. I think Vancouver could support a team.
MatM - February 12, 2012
Yeah, I have no idea how the whole “let’s bring Canada in” thing would work now. I mean obviously the Blue Jays still exist, but I don’t know much about the economics of relocating a franchise to Canada. The trend has largely been to move away from Canada, rather than towards it.
Mexico City could probably also support a team or two, and would not represent a much longer travel time for teams in the division (I don’t think so, anyway), but that probably brings its own myriad problems.
Ivan the Great - February 14, 2012
I could say the Triangle
could get a team. pretty big (and growing) media market, especially with the influx of Latinos in the past decade.
But that’s pretty far fetched.
JoelGuzman'sScout - February 16, 2012
BLASPHEMY!!!
Santaklose11 - February 7, 2012
Interesting question
I can’t think of any alternate destinations, for many of the reasons Ivan mentioned, but the question of how I’d feel if the Braves left Atlanta is a fascinating one, and one I admittedly can’t say I’ve ever even thought about.
At first blush, I’m sad to see the Braves go. The thought of not having a hometown team anymore is kind of disappointing. Now the closest professional team remains the Gwinnett Braves, and they’re not nearly as close and convenient for me to go to as the Ted is.
Upon further contemplation, I evaluate myself and see that I’ve detached myself a little bit from my sports fandom the last few years, because frankly I tire, and I tire others, with my unfavorable plight of rooting for sports teams. Not having the Braves nearby wouldn’t be so different from the time when I split with my last relationship, and I was mopey and bummed and even with homestands abound, I favored the comfortable solitude of air-conditioning, a big screen and a sixer. I love ballparks as much as the next enthusiast, but I don’t really want to be outside for 4 hours when it’s 101F outside sometimes.
Depending on where the Braves land next, it could be financially beneficial, or really financially beneficial. Not going to 30+ home games a year would be a good chunk of change, and if they moved to a market outside of MLB.TV territory, I could ditch the cable television I rarely watch and just get MLB.TV, which would save me even more money.
The Braves now being a destination team might bring some meaning back to going to games, if I had to legitimately travel for them.
In all, I’d care not having a hometown team any longer, but upon several lines of thinking, it’s certainly not the end of the world for me.
royhobbs - February 7, 2012
Hawaii.... Braves MUST move to Hawaii...
I’m all for the move, let’s write it in stone and make it happen tomorrow.
Klemson Krash - February 7, 2012
an east coast team going to hawaii to play
talk about a home field advantage
JHey1212 - February 7, 2012
the only player that would give us a hometown discount in Hawaii would be
Shane Victorino
airman in bama - February 8, 2012
Well, to keep with the "racist" nicknamed theme...
we could hire all white players and be called the Honolulu Haoles’ ( a racial term Hawaiians use for white people meaning “no life”).
ryan c - February 8, 2012
That's actually incorrect...
The word simply means “foreigner.”
The no breath, i.e. no life in your above statement, is actually two separate words, and one of the words (breath) is incorrectly interpreted in that as well. The inflection is different in the two forms of “ha,” and people have taken the wrong one to incorrectly interpret the phrase.
-C
cthabeerman - February 8, 2012
THE 808!!!
Cammando2317 - February 9, 2012
Why not discuss actual possibilites?
If the conversation is about moving a major league baseball team, you can start with Tampa. The A’s are also highly likely to move to San Jose.
The Braves are about league average in attendance. I’m not sure about their media, but the Braves radio network is the largest sports broadcasting network in the country (or so they say). Remember, dollars are necessarily found just by butts in the seats.
kalesi - February 7, 2012
Raleigh!!!!!!!
BravesRaleigh - February 7, 2012
Raleigh!!!!
Build the new park anywhere but in Cary though…..ugh Cary
CornerThug - February 9, 2012
Cary = Hell
take over and expand the DBAP? That’s a nice stadium. It could be pretty awesome. But, again, quite far fetched.
JoelGuzman'sScout - February 16, 2012
+1000
jnrumsey - February 18, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS3NpKFsF4g&feature=related
Adamal24 - February 7, 2012
Heres the deal
The Braves aren’t the prototypical big market team but in their own way they are.
Excluding Florida teams they are the ONLY team in the ENTIRE southeast. Moving the braves out of there would be a TERRIBLE business decision. Charleston’s metro population is 650,000. Nashville is twice that and Atlanta’s is 5,000,000. Do you see my point?
And yes I would be heartbroken.
anjinks - February 7, 2012
I think fans would revolt if the team was moved. There is no chance the Braves leave Atlanta.
Bedhead514 - February 7, 2012
dont see this happening, but if it did it wouldnt matter… the Braves are the Braves no matter where they play.
jdelsandro - February 7, 2012
All of this is pure speculation, so let me add this bit. If such a thing did happen, let’s assume that attendance has remained mediocre while our young franchise goes on a tear and starts winning (deep play-off births and a WS) . Very far-fetched but that would be the only condition that would warrant a change of location.
With that unlikely hypothetical scenario in mind, the team would have a real opportunity to create excitement to the degree that a franchise might become ingrained in the culture. Unlikely, given that the culture seems to have forgotten about baseball outside of Chicago and the Northeast, but still, size and excitement/city-wide cultural infiltration are both equally important.
And that’s really the point. To a very large extent Atlanta (as a population) is totally devoid of baseball culture. Now you might rightfully say that the South values sports more than other regions, so Atlanta should represent that and be more baseball friendly than the average city. This is true, but I didn’t have to detail how football oriented this region is. So these sports fans are far more likely to be college football fans than baseball fans. This is the lack of baseball culture I’m talking about. I mean compare us to Chicago (admittedly, Da Bears) or Boston or even New York (huge, diverse population with a strong baseball sub-culture, though I imagine a plurality of citizens couldn’t care less.)
Though Atlanta’s population is more than capable of strongly supporting a baseball team (and did so for years in the 90’s,) some level of excitement has gone and the culture has changed, and to a certain extent that is always going to limit attendance despite performance.
GumpBrave - February 7, 2012
Charlotte NC ??
I’m a little biased cause it would only be an hour away from where I live , but the team may be able to survive there . They have the Panthers in the NFL . The Charlotte Bobcats in the NBA . Then there is Charlotte Motor Speedway for nascar . And there is also the Z-Max Dragway for NHRA right across the road from the speedway . They do have a minorl league team affiliated with the White Sox in the Charlotte Knights . But I don’t know if that would affect the move or not . And every place I go to around here there is Braves fans .
bravesdude - February 7, 2012
Charlotte Seems Interested
After years of fighting, it seems as if the Knights are going to get an uptown stadium in Charlotte. The Charlotte media seems to think (or is trying to convience everyone) that this is the lead up to getting a major league team in Charlotte. I don’t know. Will be interesting to see. The Braves moving to Charlotte would be great!
chipperjonesforever - February 8, 2012
Charlotte would be a good choice IMO
Part of my reasoning for picking Charleston & Nashville in the post kind of lines up with Gumps observation of the importance of the need of a baseball culture for a team to thrive. Thanks to the TBS years the Braves became synonymous with the Southeast. As you well know & have seen with your eyes while living in Charlotte that is still the case. I live in Tn and go to single A Mets games just to catch some live local baseball. 9 out of 10 caps I see in the stands are Braves caps. Thus I felt the need that the team stay in that general region to be successful.
adc62 - February 8, 2012
I think the Braves already have an established fan base here and would totally support the team.
NCChopper - February 11, 2012
I could totally support that decision :-)
And it would allow me to go to a lot of games, whereas ATL is a 6-7 hr drive.
NCChopper - February 11, 2012
Same here .
bravesdude - February 11, 2012
No way they get the Braves
From Atlanta to Charlotte? Don’t see it happening. Maybe an expansion team though.
DopeFalcons - February 11, 2012
I think this whole discussion comes under the type of thing you would ask Santa for if he were real… ;-)
NCChopper - February 11, 2012
Wait a minute!!
Santa’s……not real?!?!
adc62 - February 12, 2012
HeHeHe….
NCChopper - February 13, 2012
Charlotte sounds good, what about Jacksonville?
Not sure about the metro size, but would Jacksonville be feasible?
George Allen - February 9, 2012
Jacksonville can
Facestealer - February 9, 2012
What level are the Jacksonville Suns?
CornerThug - February 9, 2012
Total mispost...
As I refute this idea a few post down >_<
Facestealer - February 9, 2012
There's no way.
Jacksonville can’t support an NFL team, there’s no way they could go for an MLB team. The only thing they’d be good for is competing with the Marlins and Rays to see who can have a lower attendance.
Either way, I’d support the Braves no matter where they move. At the end of the day, the Braves are just a sports team (though I love them to death) and it’s not the end of the world if they go somewhere else.
Facestealer - February 9, 2012
Charlotte’s population is around 1,750,000 compared to Jacksonville’s 1,400,000 .
bravesdude - February 10, 2012
MLB has been a complete and utter failure in Florida. Both teams are always fighting for last place in MLB attendance. Neither is in danger of relocation. There is no realistic reason to assume the Braves would move, nor to assume that an interested local buyer could not be found.
Life goes on without the Thrashers and I used to support them. Life would go on without the Braves too, but again, I’m not seeing this as anything to even consider as being likely.
Zontar - February 10, 2012
I think it already has been mentioned, but judging team exclusively based on attendance isn’t fair. And as far as the Rays are considered it is my understanding that their TV and radio are quite successful, and once their current broadcasting deal expires (sometime in the next 3-5 years, I think) they should see a tremendous financial gain.
MatM - February 12, 2012
I doubt the Braves ever move
They have a good market, a nice stadium and a lot of history/tradition, much of which has been established in Atlanta so it would seem odd for them to move. Personally, I think each team should stay where they are at (of course if the Phillies left, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it).
Disciple of Carolina - February 12, 2012
I don’t think the Braves would leave Atlanta, at least not anytime soon. I could see the Rays moving, however, but as I mentioned above, we’ll have to wait and see if their potential new media deal re-invigorates the team financially. But assuming that doesn’t happen and they do move, my personal choice would be for them to go to Montreal, so I could go to the games, but I do realize that is highly unlikely.
I do think that the Rays would be successful in Vancouver and I think it would be helpful to MLB as a whole. First, the leagues could be balanced; the Rays would join the AL West and then a NL Central team could be put in the AL East. (There could be other ways to re-arrange it, but it would be much easier with that additional Western team.)
I think team would be successful due to multiple reasons; the metro area is nearly 3 million, there is a large Asian population in the city, and that would give Canada a 2nd team, allowing a rivalry between the Rays and Jays to form.
MatM - February 12, 2012
The Disastros are already going to the AL West as of 2013, I believe, so there’s no need to balance leagues any longer.
Ivan the Great - February 14, 2012
The ONLY way I would be OK with this hypothetical situation would be if they moved to Raleigh or Charlotte. Of course those are based on selfish reasons. 6 hour trip to Atlanta vs. 1hour trip to Raleigh or 2 hour trip to Charlotte is a no brainer. But it would still be weird, I’d feel like a thief almost. A happy thief no doubt, but a thief. I’d much rather see an expansion team in Charlotte or Raleigh, which I would cheer for but my team would still be the Braves.
JForde - February 17, 2012
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