Gravitating Towards Atlanta Sports Teams
Growing up in Pensacola, Florida, I was only a six-hour road trip from Atlanta. During this time, my godparents lived in the suburb of Chamblee, which is inside the I-285 loop on the northeast end. Because they were the closest family members by distance, we usually made the trip up at least once a year. I always enjoyed my time in Atlanta. My uncle would take me to one of the museums or to Braves games, back when they played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. I went to my cousin’s wedding. These were trips I looked forward to.
Much of my core memories of Atlanta revolve around the Braves. I went to three games in the early ‘ 90s and watched many more over the years on TV when they were on TBS. In many ways, Atlanta is the de facto capital of the Deep South. For a long time, Atlanta was the only city in the South with major professional sports teams. I never really considered Texas as being the South, as it always felt like its own thing, and culturally, South Florida felt foreign to me in a way Atlanta did not. If you know anything about Florida, it’s the further north you are, the further South you get.
I ebb and flow with where I think I’ll eventually end up. I’ve professed my love for the Pacific Northwest many times on this blog and do have an affection for its sports teams. However, I always question if I would ever be able to afford living in the area, as housing and everyday living costs rise faster than they do just about anywhere else in this country. So, I’ve always kept heading south again as an option as well, and Atlanta is always on the radar due to my familiarity with it. With that, I’ve always kept a list of teams down south I’ve rooted for, namely the Braves and the Florida Gators. Logistically, rooting for these teams works better for me as games usually come on at 6PM and are done easily by 9PM, which is nice for someone who’s often required to be up at 5AM. In comparison, west coast sports don’t often start until 9PM in my time zone and will end closer to midnight, which makes it harder to follow those teams. If I’m truly going to fully invest in something, it’s more likely to be the one I can catch the most of. Side note, it’s ironic I’m writing this now as the Braves are about to start a series in San Francisco, where the games will start at 9PM. That said, that’s not the norm for the Braves.
The Braves have been my team since the late 80s. The first game I attended was in 1990, when they were terrible and there were barely 4,000 people in the building that June afternoon. Since then, the Braves have been a model of success, winning more division titles in the last 30 years than anyone else and two World Series championships. There are good reasons to watch this club.
As for the rest of Atlanta’s teams, it’s been back and forth for me. Aside from the Braves, the rest of Atlanta’s teams have been inconsistent. In fact, Atlanta sports are synonymous with epic failures, especially the NFL’s Falcons, who famously blew a 25-point lead to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. More recently, the Hawks were blown out by 51 points by the eventual champion New York Knicks back in April. Atlanta has had its share of blowouts, embarrassments, and not-quites through the years.
Still, as the Southern city I identify the most with, there’s an attraction there. I’ve been finding myself dipping my toes into its sports scene again, led by the Braves, but also checking in on the Hawks and the WNBA’s Dream. I’ve taken interest in the Falcons offseason (which I’m happy to see former Gator Kyle Pitts will be playing there a few more years), and will likely check in on Atlanta United FC.
It’s a combination of a city with a cool culture to me with logistics based around time zones. I would say I’m a casual fan at this point, outside of the Braves, but we’ll see where this thing goes.
