Q&A on the News

Q: Could you give a brief bio of the Atlanta Sports Council?

—Lance DeLoach, Thomaston

A: The Atlanta Sports Council was named "Sports 2000" when it was created in 1985 by the Metro Atlanta Chamber and charged with the task of attracting sporting events to the city. Atlanta has hosted more than 50 major events since its inception, including two Super Bowls (XXVIII in 1994, XXXIV in 2000), the 1996 Olympic Games, two women's Final Four (1993, 2003), two men's Final Four (2002, 2007), the PGA's annual Tour Championship, MLB All-Star Game (2000), NBA All-Star Game (2003) and the NHL All-Star Game (2008), among others, according to its website. The men's Final Four is scheduled for Atlanta in 2013. "From 1999 to 2009, Atlanta saw $1.81 billion in economic impact and $73.6 million in direct government revenue through local and state sales tax as a result from the numerous sporting events it hosted," Eric Oberman, the council's vice president for business properties and communications, told Q&A on the News in an email. The council has a staff of five, including Dan Corso, the executive director. The board of directors is made up of more than 40 executives from the city's sports franchises, corporations and venues, among others. The Southern Company's Chris Womack is chairman of the board. The council manages the Atlanta Tipoff Club, which administers the Naismith Awards, a prestigious awards program for top collegiate and high school players and coaches. The council doesn't have a membership program, but "all members of the chamber are affiliated with the council," Oberman said.