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Business

Dump Braves name? Ga. minor league team considers options

Attendance has fallen sharply for the Gwinnett Braves, a minor league team for the Atlanta Braves. The triple-A team’s general manager, North Johnson, said he’s looking for tactics to reverse the slide at Coolray Field north of Lawrenceville near the Mall of Georgia. MATT KEMPNER / AJC

Credit: Matt Kempner

Credit: Matt Kempner

Attendance has fallen sharply for the Gwinnett Braves, a minor league team for the Atlanta Braves. The triple-A team’s general manager, North Johnson, said he’s looking for tactics to reverse the slide at Coolray Field north of Lawrenceville near the Mall of Georgia. MATT KEMPNER / AJC
By Matt Kempner
Sept 6, 2016

There are two kinds of winning: on the field and in the box office.

The Gwinnett Braves, the Triple-A minor league team of the Atlanta Braves, just snagged a playoff berth. But when it comes to attracting fans to home games near the Mall of Georgia off I-85, the team is hurting so bad that the general manager is considering changing the team's name.

North Johnson said he's tried just about everything legal he can think of to get people into the stadium the county built for the team. But attendance is the worst of 30 Triple-A teams in the International and Pacific Coast leagues.

One issue: Some people apparently confuse the team with its major league parent downtown. What name would attract fans?

Checkout one of Johnson's name ideas and the government help he wants to get some games back on TV, in my latest Unofficial Business column on myAJC.com.

About the Author

Matt Kempner is an award-winning journalist who seeks out intriguing twists about people and subjects beyond what the AJC might typically cover. A former columnist and editor, his past assignments have included business investigations, energy, the economy, entrepreneurs, big business, consumer spending, politics, government and the environment.

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