Atlanta Braves Announce Shocking Move To Cobb Galleria/Cumberland Mall Area

First initial reaction: Holy Shit.

Second reaction: I love it.

I've been an Atlanta Braves fan since my family moved down south from Maryland back in the early 80's.  I used to go to games in the old Fulton County Stadium when there were only a couple of thousand people in attendance.  I've also been to sold out games there in the early 90's and have enjoyed games at the Ted since 1997.  But the game day atmosphere and surrounding area is fucking horrible.  I'm sorry to burst your bubbles fellow Braves fan but it just is.  Go to Camden Yards or Wrigley Field or Fenway Park or Petco Park or St. Louis or Coors Field or even San Francisco.  There is actually stuff to do around the stadium like visit a pub or a store and enjoy the game day atmosphere without fear of being mugged.  Yes even in Baltimore you are less likely to be mugged around Camden Yards than Turner Field.  This is a very smart move by the Braves.

Also since 2004 I've lived over in the Vinings/Smyrna area until recently moving to Alpharetta (two weeks ago).  The Braves will move there in 2017 and there are plenty of amenities, restaurants, and daily activities to do in the Cobb Galleria area instead of just seeing a ball game.  Attendance should go up dramatically not only because it's a new stadium but it's a lot more convenient to get to for people looking to buy season tickets.  Look the commute to the current stadium sucks.  And yes traffic all around metro Atlanta blows but I guarantee you will have a lot more people in attendance from the Kennesaw, Woodstock, Alpharetta, Roswell, East Cobb areas that are so vital to bringing in money for the Braves organization.  It's a business move for sure and it's a smart one.

It will be sort of difficult to say good bye to The Ted especially since it's only 16 years old (opened in 1997).  But there is nothing really unique or homely in regards to it currently.  Camden Yards, Wrigley, Fenway, Petco, etc all have unique features that make it feel like it's a part of history and the community.  The Ted always felt out of place in my opinion.  It was originally built as the Olympic Stadium and converted to the Braves home one year after.  It just never felt like a stadium where you could build fond family memories.  Honestly I was always worried about leaving after dark with my daughter in tote.

Now I just can't wait till 2017 to see the new stadium.  Hopefully the Braves do it up right and make it look like a Camden Yards or a Wrigley Field and not that monstrosity in South Florida. Don't make it bigger than 40K in seats and have plenty of parking around it. You got to have a designated "tailgating area" with grass and tables. Make it warm and inviting and not like a concrete jungle.  The good news if you don't want to tailgate or eat at the new ballpark you can walk from plenty of restaurants such as Cinco's, PF Changs, Hooters, Maggiano's, Stoney River, Tilted Kilt, etc.

 What are your thoughts on the Braves moving out of Atlanta?

For more info on the Braves move into a new stadium in 2017 visit their website HOMEOFTHEBRAVES.COM