ATLANTA BRAVES
Team’s move justifies
a MARTA extension
While the Braves’ proposed move to the suburbs may be a big loss to the city of Atlanta, it may be a big boost for MARTA, which has long been eying potential construction of a line into Cobb County.
With the I-75 corridor already thoroughly bogged down with traffic each week day, Cobb only stands to be further inundated with cars going to and from Braves games if the new stadium is built.
Having a new MARTA rail line providing service to the stadium would help to lessen future snarls. Considering Cobb’s interstate lanes are already at capacity, the new stadium will absolutely necessitate a northwest MARTA extension being built. That’s one aspect of the Braves move a lot of people could look forward to.
WILL LANCE, ATLANTA
Shuttle buses could
address traffic woes
One way to decrease traffic and increase revenue from attendance at the proposed Braves stadium would be to create a sports shuttle bus. This shuttle would operate similarly to airport shuttles. Buses would arrive at designated locations throughout the metro area. There would be a minimum fee for passenger usage. After the game, the buses would return the fans to where they departed.
During non-school months, teams could contract to use idled school buses to reduce costs. During the games, the buses would be staged at a lot built at the time of the future stadium build. This transportation option would permit fans who can’t — or don’t want to — drive to attend games.
GEORGE SIMMS, GAINESVILLE
We know the teams;
what of their owners?
Instead of writing about the Braves doing this or the Falcons doing that, why don’t you write about the billionaires who own these teams? It’s not the teams that are making outrageous demands.
MICHAEL BROWN, STONE MOUNTAIN
Taxpayers should be
wary of stadium deals
The proposed Atlanta Braves stadium deal in Cobb County is a foul ball for taxpayers. Cobb residents should examine prior stadium deals in other cities — Pontiac, Mich., for example — to see the ill effects such a deal could have on our community in the long run.
Businesses with a for-profit mentality will often paint a rosy picture to municipal officials, who lack an education in financial markets, to convince them to sign on the dotted line. The Cobb stadium deal is no different.
The Braves deal does nothing more than re-allocate future tax revenues to business investors, rather than make those funds available for infrastructure improvements, road maintenance, education, police, etc. The Braves’ owners should borrow from the market by having an initial public offering, or by getting a bank loan — and perhaps they tried that already, but the banks see the deal as too risky.
DOUGLAS HOFFMANN, SMYRNA
