DEL.ICIO.USNFL Playoffs: Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals
Falcons’ rise makes Atlanta an NFL city again
Tormented by losing seasons, local sports fans enjoying surprising run
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friday, January 02, 2009
As is natural anywhere, Atlanta loves a winner. Trouble is, for too many seasons the city has looked for love in all the wrong places. Like the Georgia Dome, Philips Arena and, lately, Turner Field.
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Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com
The Falcons’ surprising turnaround has been a treat for fickle Atlanta sports fans.
RELATED FALCONS LINKS
- Schedule • Beat Blog • Standings
- Pages: Matt Ryan • Michael Turner
But, Saturday, on the special occasion of the Falcons first playoff game in four years, it is time to uncork much pent-up affection. These birds are riding the thermals of a surprising 11-5 campaign, and are taking a finicky fan base with them.
They have installed satellite on the Falcons bandwagon so the passengers might watch this afternoon when the team plays at the Arizona Cardinals. The Falcons are even slight betting favorites on the road.
So, this is what it’s like to live in an NFL city.
The first-year quarterback, inexperienced with Atlanta’s hot-and-cold running sports passion, is getting spoiled. “The fan support has been unbelievable,” Matt Ryan said last week. “It has gotten better as the year has gone on. I appreciate the energy they’ve brought.”
The sports bar owner knows better the fleeting nature of this Falcons frenzy, recognizing a rare opportunity when he sees one.
“It’s a reason for optimism, a good boost for the city, and a good boost for us,” said David Clapp, owner of Dantanna’s in Buckhead, as he prepared for a busy Saturday.
The identity of the Atlanta sports fan is the subject of regular debate. One time he is getting ridiculed by visiting media for not selling out Braves postseason games in the late 1990s, early 2000s. Another he is being hailed for turning Philips Arena into a game-bending asylum during the Hawks playoff series against eventual champion Boston last season.
Fact is, given the transient nature of the city paired with the often-disappointing output of its franchises, fan loyalties are bound to go in and out with the tide.
“Atlanta is not like the traditional sports towns,” said Bob Hope, a veteran sports marketer. “Sports become part of a city’s heritage over a long time. It’s part of the gradual growth and building of a city. Atlanta got big before sports got here. You’ll never have a Cubs or a Red Sox situation here where the majority of fans will follow them regardless of how they do.”
Look around, fortunes change so quickly.
Before last season, the Hawks were in the NBA’s longest playoff drought — an eight-year span that included three head coaches and a divisive ownership struggle. They were a community afterthought. Now, 21-10 entering Friday night, you can’t get to your seat without stumbling over a rap star.
Their 14-year postseason streak finished in 2005, their off-season spent watching the New York Yankees buying up every available difference-maker, the Braves seem to be toying with inconsequence.
And what of the Thrashers, the rumored hockey team of Atlanta? They squandered the goodwill of an NHL All-Star Game visit and a 2007 playoff appearance faster than a drunk goes through a Jack Daniels miniature.
In such a fickle setting, the lesson for the Falcons is to take nothing for granted. It’s their turn at the head of the Atlanta sports table now, so enjoy. Especially after the Michael Vick/Bobby Petrino horrors of 2007.
After all, this is the franchise with the mind-boggling distinction of not producing back-to-back winning seasons over its entire 42-year history. Even given the popularity of the NFL, its hold on Atlanta is as tenuous as any team.
Each week of this season as the Falcons spit in the eye of the disbelievers, the fans’ appetite grew. The announced Georgia Dome “sellouts” became increasingly sellout-ish, fewer empty seats visible.
By last Sunday, the final home game of the regular season, the evidence of newfound excitement was everywhere.
On the very top row of the Georgia Dome sat native Georgian, Army Specialist Ryan Carter, and his wife Santana. They were visiting from Fort Campbell, Ky., he just back from Iraq.
“For me, this is all about him making up for lost time,” Santana said.
“What better way to come back?” Ryan wondered.
Even those who have ventured nowhere are reconnecting with these Falcons. There is an attraction to this team that seems to have as much to do with its makeup of earnest new management and solid new players as with its results.
“I think (the fans are) coming around. I think that, like the team, it is a work in progress,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said.
“I think people now have a lot more reason to not only hope, but believe, this team is going to be much more competitive in the future,” he said. “I think they’re coming back; they’re becoming believers.”
It’s not just the city’s professional teams that are subject to fan capriciousness. Consider the two highest-profile programs at Georgia Tech.
Under first-year coach Paul Johnson, the football team re-energized its base this season. The team’s allotment of Chick-Fil-A Bowl tickets sold out in hours (the Yellow Jackets then went on to lose by 35 points to LSU).
Meanwhile, for the first time since making a Final Four run in 2004, Paul Hewitt’s rebuilding Tech men’s basketball team is not sold out at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. What would be unthinkable just a couple seasons ago is now a marketing must: A special partial ticket package still available for the entire home portion of Tech’s ACC season.
“Being in Atlanta, we all live on a roller coaster,” chuckled Tech’s associate athletic director for public relations, Wayne Hogan. “It’s a wild ride every day.”
Keep your hands inside the car, hold on tight, because now it’s the Falcons who are driving this great southern scream machine over the next rise.
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Comments
By Thalia
Jan 3, 2009 8:38 PM | Link to this
"This just in, Atlanta is no longer an NFL city! How quickly things change, losers!"
lol, oh please, just because Atlanta lost tonight does not mean that we are not a NFL city anymore. I (and any reasonable Falcon fan) am not worried at all about that loss. We were playing a team that was out for blood and we fell prey to them. It can happen to any team. But look at how we got there. A brand new team in every aspect. A new QB, Coach, GM, starting rusher, corners, etc. Ryan went over 3,000 yds. in his first season, White was a top receiver, Turner was a top rusher and Abraham was one of the leaders in sacks. So what if Arizona won? Kudos to them, it was long over due. I wish it wasn't against my team, but you lose some and you win some. I'm a Falcons fan for life. I was with them during the Vick fiasco, the Petrino betrayal, and that 4-12 season. I love them when they're down and I love them when they're up. I'd even love them if they had Detroit's record. Atlanta is here to stay and I guarantee that you will see us (and our division actually) become some of the best teams in the NFL.
By Norm VanBrocklin
Jan 3, 2009 7:42 PM | Link to this
Atlanta a NFL city again after Falcons rise? Not For Long
Same ole Falcons
Po ole Falcons
By Steve
Jan 3, 2009 6:59 PM | Link to this
This just in, Atlanta is no longer an NFL city! How quickly things change, losers!
By BA
Jan 3, 2009 2:32 PM | Link to this
As a former Pittsburgher, Atlanta cannot even compare. I wish the falcon's well, but Atlanta is far from an NFL town is diehard fans. In a real NFL town, the stadium is filled every week, regardless of the playoffs.
By Derek
Jan 3, 2009 12:56 PM | Link to this
Who cares about college towns? The south and the mid-west. It may put you on the local regional map, but I assure you the rest of the country can care less. College is just a warm-up to the big leagues. The only thing I care about in college, is who shines and is going to make it to the pro's. What school wins is moot, as it doesn't mean squat in the big picture. Get over your college days already, it's old news. Nobody cares.
By Steve
Jan 3, 2009 12:52 PM | Link to this
Atlanta was a joke with Vick as QB. I ever understood the hype for him. Being an outsider from CA without any biases, it was obvious the guy had accuracy problems and his only upside was running the football. That doesn't win games, as Matt Ryan should be a prime example. Now you have a team that plays like a team. Vick's getting busted was the best thing to ever happen to your football organization, since it seemed that was the only way you'd be able to shed that dead weight and get over the hump to play some real ball. I still think the Cardinals will come out on top in this game, but the Falcons are a much better team now and will become better in the future without ball hog Vick holding you back.
By willdave
Jan 3, 2009 9:48 AM | Link to this
"This used to be an NFL town until the Falcons turned their back on the greatest player ever."
"Free Mike Vick," you should be ashamed of yourself for posting such outrageous comments just because you can't get over your devotion to that convict. Atlanta was an NFL town in 1978, when we went to the playoffs for the first time ever. This was an NFL town in 1980, when we won our first division title ever. This was an NFL town in 1998, when we went to the SB for the first time ever. And, yes, this is an NFL town again after this team has miraculously overcome the downfall that your loser QB caused. My point is, this team has enjoyed success before Vick, and it has been and will be successful without him.
"The greatest player ever"? Even you know that's not true. In six seasons, Vick never developed as an accurate passer, won an MVP, guided the team to consecutive winning seasons, or took the team to a SB. A resume like that doesn't even qualify him to be considered as the greatest player of his era, much less of all time.
"The thought of a black man dominating the sport in a KKK part of the country is just to [sic] obvious."
That statement is as defamatory as it is blatantly false. First of all, Vick never dominated this sport. He was generally considered as "exciting" and full of "potential," but was never regarded as the best QB in the NFL. Next, if most of the fans in this region were truly guided by racism, why did they embrace Warrick Dunn during his days here? Why is Lawyer Milloy respected as one of the true leaders on the team? Why is Michael Turner the toast of the town? Why was Roddy White able to overcome his early struggles and become a Pro Bowl receiver? The fact of the matter is, most sports fans nowadays only care about a player's talent and character. Vick had a little of the former and none of the latter. That's why he is no longer here and will never be back. Cry me a river, build me a bridge and get over it!
GO FALCONS!!! PLUCK THOSE CARDINALS!!!
By UGA is so last year
Jan 3, 2009 7:27 AM | Link to this
Wayne Hogan conitnues to provide the 'PC' statements and never will admit the real reason the seats are empty for the Ga Tech Basketball games. A terrible coach and a group of players he recruited that never learned how to shoot the ball through the hoop. Ah...the team with the most points wins! 16 of 33 free throws made versus UVA. Aargh! They don't call them 'free' Hewitt (and Hogan) for nothin!
By Vick Fans Are Mad
Jan 3, 2009 1:13 AM | Link to this
I'm so tired of these '"Vick Fans" that wish ill on The Falcons because his foolish butt is in prison,he did it to himself ! What kind of fool would risk a 100 million plus contract to see dogs chew up on each other! There may have been a racist element as to how he was treated by some fans but the fact is that Vick was inadequate as a quarterback because his first and only option was to run.
...... Good Luck Falcons....
By Skydawg
Jan 3, 2009 1:04 AM | Link to this
Whoever created this poll obviously doesn't know Atlanta sports. Atlanta is a college football town. Always has been, always will be. And not even an option to vote for it. Once again shows how misinformed the AJC is. Sheesh!
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