To the lineup of familiar ballpark promotions — Bat Day, Bobblehead Night and the like — the Braves are considering a sign-of-the-times addition: a gas giveaway.

At the onset of the team's peak attendance period — Memorial Day weekend through mid-August — the Braves admit they don't know how $4-per-gallon gas in a slow economy will affect trips to the ballpark. So far, they say the biggest impact they've seen from the economic downturn was a disproportionate number of season-ticket cancellations by customers in housing-related businesses. But with summer attendance typically boosted by out-of-towners, team officials now have a wary eye on gas prices.

Figuring some fans might prefer free fuel to, say, a bobblehead, the Braves are talking with gas retailers about a potential promotion in which gas gift cards would come with some ticket packages.

"We don't have anything [in place] yet," Braves executive vice president of sales and marketing Derek Schiller said. But he likes the idea as a way of "trying to appeal to those outer markets."

The idea reflects a recognition that pro sports is not immune to real-world economic pressures. In fact, several Atlanta sports entities have conceded in the past month that they are grappling with fallout from the economy:

• Ron Terwilliger, owner of the city's new WNBA team, the Dream, said the economy has hurt the sale of corporate sponsorships. Chairman and CEO of apartment and condominium developer Trammell Crow Residential, Terwilliger said the current economic environment constitutes a recession, even if it doesn't meet the technical definition of one.

He added that he doesn't think the economy will significantly impact his team's ticket sales because of the WNBA's relatively low prices. The Dream have sold out tonight's inaugural home opener.

• While the Falcons primarily attributed a sharp falloff in season-ticket renewals to last year's turmoil on and off the field, team president Rich McKay acknowledged the economy "has affected all of us in the sales business." In terms of sponsorships, club seats and suites, "We haven't seen negativity, but have seen people say, 'Give us more time to act,' " he said.

• Metro Atlanta's longtime stop on the PGA Tour is seeking a new title sponsor to replace AT&T, which pulled out after last week's event at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth. In a time of corporate cutbacks, finding a company willing to make the $7-million-a-year commitment has proven difficult, leaving the tournament's future in peril.

J.C. Bradbury, an associate professor of sports economics at Kennesaw State University, said he recently read a couple of articles suggesting that sports is recession-resistant. He's skeptical of that view. But he noted that consumer behavior can be tricky to forecast, even at current gas prices.

"Certainly, you would see that some of the people who [typically] come to Braves games from afar might not come," Bradbury said. "But gas prices might make other people say, 'Instead of going to the beach or to Disney World, let's go to a Braves game.' "

On balance, veteran Atlanta sports marketer Bob Hope figures the impact on the Braves will be "substantial."

"People will make fewer trips from Knoxville or Mississippi to Turner Field," Hope said, "and fewer people will be driving from Ohio to Florida and stopping for a game."

So far, at least, the Braves say they have not taken a hit from the economy.

"We are cautiously optimistic" about the summer, Schiller said. But he acknowledged: "This is the first time we've seen $4-plus a gallon out there, so we don't have any historical context on what the effect might be."

The team is bucking a trend in pro sports by generating more revenue from corporate sponsorships and advertising this year than last year, Schiller said. Announced attendance is roughly the same as last year at this point, and the team has seen no significant shift toward purchase of lower-priced seats.

Schiller said approximately 90 percent of last year's season-ticket holders renewed, but noted that those who didn't renew largely cited economic factors. A disproportionate amount of the non-renewals, he said, were by businesses touching the troubled housing market, "whether mortgage broker, real-estate attorney, builder, building-products supplier."

The Braves acknowledge the real test of their business is the next 2 1/2 months. And gas prices could be a particularly sensitive issue, because the Braves draw from a larger area than most teams, particularly when school is out.

Fifty percent of single-game ticket sales over the past five years have been to people who live more than 50 miles from Turner Field, according to Braves data. Thirty percent of the single-game tickets have been sold to out-of-state fans — mostly from Alabama, Tennessee, the Carolinas, north Florida, Mississippi and Virginia. Twenty percent have been to Georgians who live outside metro Atlanta.

The out-of-town contingent typically peaks for summer weekend series.

David Meckley of Dothan, Ala., said his town is full of Braves fans who often make summer trips to Turner Field, 200 miles away. But he thinks gas prices will put a crimp in those plans for many this year, including youth groups that typically arrive on diesel-guzzling buses.

"At these prices, you're making a big effort to come," said Meckley, a longtime fan. "If you have an out-of-state tag, I think the Braves should let you park free."

As fuel and food prices and home foreclosures mount, sports teams hope they have added value as a respite.

"When the economy is tight and people are worried about their mortgages and all these other things," Schiller said, "selling a Braves game as a getaway for three or four hours — I think that's a valuable thing for us to be offering."