Braves in fifth place?
No, this entry has nothing to do with the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves. Well, not directly.
I really wanted to comment about Sports Illustrated’s recently-released Fan Value Index. Of 30 MLB teams, the Atlanta Braves and Turner Field rank #5.
Full list of rankings are here, but I’m actually a little stunned that we’re as high as fifth considering these choice quotes:
The fans are famously flaky, a spoiled byproduct of too much winning. The most riled they get is when they unleash the PC-horrific Tomahawk Chop. A huge new HD scoreboard in center is distracting, but, all in all, Turner Field is a pleasant scoop of vanilla: Nice and clean, if not particularly exciting.
We got 44 points out of a possible 70 and we still got fifth place. Winning records, well-marked and plentiful restrooms, and good ticket prices helped us out. Our low point: a 2 out of 10 for the neighborhood surrounding the stadium.
What do you think? If/when you attend Braves games, do you feel like you get your money’s worth?
I agree with that assesment. The problem with the neighborhood is that it’s a giant parking lot. I’ve walked there a few times but it’s not fun. If only they could have put in an actual neighborhood like the old stadiums (Fenway, Wrigley). That’s the biggest difference between fantastic stadiums and run of the mill stadiums (most of the latest generation are decent facilities themselves).