Should you be eating or drinking anything now, please swallow before reading further. Don’t want you to blow coffee through your nose, or do a donut spit-take when you hear this announcement:
The Braves want fan input on their new ballpark in Cobb.
The team announced earlier this month the creation of a fan advisory board for the new park that was sprung on those same fans like a summons and scheduled for play in 2017. According to the announcement, the 20-member board will provide folks “the opportunity to offer thoughts and insights on the ballpark and development design, plans, processes and entertainment activities.”
No, really, after so thoroughly circumventing the public throughout negotiations to move to the Cobb cloverleaf, after sticking their hands in the taxpayers’ pockets without their consent, now the team is concerned about residents’ opinions?
(Here we refer you to the Sunday-Monday AJC series that peered into the secret talks between Cobb County and the Braves).
There was no public vetting of the deal. No healthy debate over whether public funds should be allocated to a private enterprise. No laying out of benefits and risk. But they sure would like Cobb residents’ opinion about the color scheme.
This project is a monument to the back-door deal. But if you’d like to chip in on the design for the front gates, here’s a chance.
Think of this stadium as your child. You played no part in its conception. You were kept in the dark throughout the pregnancy. You weren’t there for the birth, although you did get a slick announcement afterward. You were trusted with none of the important details of bringing this entity to life.
But, oh, joy, you might get to pick out a pair of cute booties now, as you begin paying the bills.
There, see, you matter.
