Memo to Mr. Blank: Atlanta is a COLLEGE football town
Let me begin by saying that I have all of the admiration in the world for Mr. Blank, Rich McKay and the Falcons franchise. I’m not a pro football guy but I recognize a good organization when I see one.
So understand that what I’m about to say is with all due respect:
Have you people totally lost your minds?
McKay, the Falcons’ President, told the AJC yesterday that the Falcons’ first preference for a new stadium would be an open air facility that is still on the campus of the Georgia World Congress Center. The Georgia Dome, despite its renovations, just doesn’t quite do it for the NFL franchise any more. When I see facilities like Jerry Jones’ new playpen in Dallas ($1 billion) and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy (site of this year’s Final Four) I understand. It’s about generating revenue outside of ticket sales. I’ve got no problem with that.
But Mr. McKay told the AJC that building a stadium with a retractable roof is too costly (presumably the cost of a new building would be shared). So the Falcons basically throw this problem back in the lap of the folks at the Georgia World Congress Center who, if the Falcons get what they want, would have to continue to maintain the Georgia Dome in order to hold on to a bunch of signature events.
Several points here:
1. To Mr. Blank and Mr. McKay: This ain’t Dallas. It ain’t Philly or New York or St. Louis or Minnesota. This is Atlanta, Ga., and no matter how many football games your franchise wins—and I hope you win them all—Atlanta is and will always be a college football town. And a lot of these college football fans are your customers. You don’t want to hurt college football in this town and this has the potential to hurt college football. It would be a bad PR move.
2. If Atlanta is dumb enough to be a part of building an open air stadium without a retractable roof, then the champagne corks will start popping in Birmingham. Because you can bet that they’ll figure out a way to build a ball park to get the SEC championship football game to come back (the first two games were played in Birmingham in 1992 and 1993). And you can bet that New Orleans would be putting together a bid and sprucing up the Superdome. A big part of what has made the SEC championship game one of the great success stories in sport is that weather is not a factor. Weather has been a factor for the Big 12 and the ACC and the results on those championship games has been mixed at best. The SEC, in my opinion, will not play this game in an open air stadium.
3. Then there is a little basketball event called the NCAA Final Four, which is coming back in 2013. It’s clear that in the future the rotation for that event will be limited to a few cities with the building and infrastructure to support it. With a domed facility like Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy, Atlanta would still be in that mix. Without it you can write off post-season college basketball in this town. The NCAA has too many good options. The ACC and SEC Tournaments may or may not want to come to Philips Arena. They have other good options as well.
4. The Chick-fil-A Bowl people have grown that event into one of the best after the BCS level. They are positioning that bowl to get into the BCS picture if things change after the next four-year cycle. Right now Dallas has an edge with Jones’s magnificent stadium. Take the Georgia Dome away, or build a downtown stadium without a retractable roof, and Atlanta has no shot at being a part of those discussions.
5. Here is my bottom line. I know the NFL is powerful. I know that people sell their souls to keep the NFL franchise happy. But it is not the only game in this town. There is a reason why Indy, Dallas, Houston and Glendale, Ariz.—all NFL towns—built stadiums with retractable roofs. The people involved saw the bigger picture. I’m just assuming that Rich McKay said a retractable roof would be too costly because he and the Falcons want the city to pick up a larger portion of the tab on the stadium. Hey, that’s business. But Atlanta can’t go for that bait or the city has to realize that the cost is worth it. It can’t be short-sighted.
My recommendation: Do exactly what Indy did. It kept the RCA Dome in place and built Lucas Oil Stadium right next to it. The transition was pretty seamless and now Indy has one of the best setups in the country. If there is a Big Ten championship game in the future, it’s a pretty good bet that it will be in Indy.
Let’s get it done. This decision is too important.
By the way: I am right or am I wrong about Atlanta being, first and foremost, a college football town?
Please follow me on Twitter:
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
287 comments Add your comment
and futhermore
May 20th, 2010
2:08 pm
We need to have a retracable roof. This way we get the best of both worlds: outdoor football & Super Bowls. After all the best games are outside in the element of the weather, so regular season should be outside. I gave up season tickets pretty quickly after they moved into the Dome, it is too sterle an atmosphere for good ball. Keep the Dome all all other sports and events. The city needs to revenue, as dpes the hotels, restraurants, etc… Revenue from Super Bowls would help pay for retractable roof, by both Blank and ATL.
CATlanta
May 20th, 2010
2:09 pm
I totally respect Mr. Blank and what he’s accomplished with the Falcons so far. With that said, let’s not put the cart before the horse. Focus on putting a consistently competitive team out on the field year in and year out and then concentrate on a new facility. I for one would not want to pay the extra cost of a ticket to an already overpriced product to watch the Falcons in a new stadium in hotter than Hades September or chilly December/January.
You gotta remember folks, this is Atlanta- not Chicago, Pittsburgh, Green Bay or Boston. We don’t like the cold weather down here, that’s why we live in Georgia. The Dome isn’t a bad venue and can host many different events without concerns for the weather. 72 degrees room temperature and dry is just fine by me. Besides, I think we need that revenue from all these events right now, especially the way the economy is.
Don't Really Care
May 20th, 2010
2:11 pm
Reading these posts inclines one to realize that those of us that have been to outdoor games in ATL in December know that the average temp of 55 doesn’t hold. The Dec games at the Peach Bowl were frigid, windy, uncomfortable games. Tailgating was horrible. And the same can be said for Falcons games.
The SEC & ACC would play no matter the weather? Of course they would. But the point to be made is that the telltale advantage that ATL has over every other SEC & ACC venue, save New Orleans, is that the game is played inside. You can bet your sweet a** that B’Ham and every other Southern city will be lining up to try to get the SEC Championship game if it moves outdoors.
The best guarantee that was ever given for a football game was made by Whit Hawkins, the 1992 Peach Bowl Chairman, when he said that the City of ATL absolutely promised no rain, no snow and a temperature of 70 degrees. Only in the Dome.
Rob in ATL
May 20th, 2010
2:15 pm
The people who complain about the owners whining about money do not see the big picture. The city of Atlanta and the state of GA stand to lose a lot, too, if Blank builds a stadium elsewhere. They city would lose a ton of tax revenue and operating the Dome would become a financial drain on the state.
Barnhart is an idiot
May 20th, 2010
2:19 pm
Who makes the most money for the state in the GA Dome??? It is the Falcons!!! I don’t want to see Florida, Alabama or any other school celebrate in Atlanta after winning the SEC Champ. game. If Falcons want to build a new stadium in order to keep up with the rest of the league, so be it. NFL is #1 league in the USA, makes most money, biggest television contracts, etc. GA Tech football is irrelevant on national stage, UGA is in Athens, so please tell me how city of Atlanta is a college football town??? You’re an idiot Barnhart. Alabama is in Tuscaloosa, UF is in Gainesville, LSU in Baton Rouge, need i go on??? Big cities are pro sports cities, period. Just because most of the graduates live in the big cities and follow their college football teams, doesn’t make it a college football town!!! For all you stupid people saying Falcons are irrelevant, look at the numbers. That might have been the case in the past, but not anymore. Our franchise is valued in top 12 in the NFL, worth according to Forbes. Go Falcons!!!
FalconsFan
May 20th, 2010
2:28 pm
Tony,
You are right about Atlanta being a college town, but this is only due to circumstance. UGA has been around since the 1780’s, Tech since the 1880’s, Falcons football? The 1960’s. There is a definite advantage that those two college’s have over the Falcons, it’s nature for locals to lover the Dawgs and Yellow Jackets more, they’ve been around longer. Travel to a city like Washington or Dallas and NFL football is more a part of the landscape of life. The Falcons are relatively new compared to the history of this area.
Tide Rising
May 20th, 2010
2:29 pm
Rob,
If a cost/benefit analysis could show fairly conclusively that we would reap financial reward by building a new stadium then yeah I would probably be for it. But I just don’t see how a new stadium is going to bring in any more tax revenues than what the Georgia dome brings in now. I just don’t see it. Is the new stadium going to somehow pack in more fans than the Georgia dome which at 72,500 is already one of the larger venues in pro football? Where does all this extra money come from if the number of fans attending an event whether it be in the Georgia Dome or an outdoor stadium come from? Last I agree with some of these other fans in that the whole reason for living in Georgia is for the warm weather. Who wants to sit outside when its in the 50s or lower in late December?
I would sit in hell if it were the only way to watch an Alabama football game and I suspect a lot of dog fans feel the same about UGA football. But if its the last game in December and the forecast is 30 degrees, windy and with rain I’m not sitting in an outdoor stadium to watch the Falcons. Sorry but I just aint doin it. And its not just me. There are a lot of Atlanta warm weather folks who wouldn’t do it either. It may make us poor pro fans but it is what it is.
Move the Falcons
May 20th, 2010
2:29 pm
The falcons need to move to Gwinnett County—plenty of cheap land for a huge stadium and plenty of parking for tailgating. Get out of that dumpy area downtown with all the homeless and other rif raf. Gwinnett will pay whatever it takes—they can easily raise taxes to get $600 mil if needed.
FalconsFan
May 20th, 2010
2:30 pm
CATlanta,
Something you’re missing, Rich McKay takes care of things like new stadiums and season tickets, the GM in Thomas Dimitroff is focused on winning games and developing players… both jobs can be done at the same time.
FalconsFan
May 20th, 2010
2:31 pm
Move the Falcons… are you willing to pay for those taxes? Are you willing to have MARTA running through your neighborhood? Didn’t think so.
Slinger
May 20th, 2010
2:32 pm
I am a Falcons season ticket holder. I bought them to sit inside after enduring year of games outside (selected opponents/single game tickets.) If they build an open air stadium I will not renew, plain and simple. Too many bad weather days in November and December to endure again….
Waste of money
May 20th, 2010
2:33 pm
1st, I can’t believe that they are already talking about replacing the dome. Do we replace our houses after 18 years? There is absolutely nothing wrong with the dome and we shouldn’t be spending tax dollars in this enonomic environment to build a new stadium. If the Falcons want to spend the money to generate additional box revenue, then fine. But then it’s their risk not the tax payers.
2nd – I remember having season tickets to the Falcons in Atlanta Fulton County stadium. There’s nothing more miserable than sitting in pouring rain in 35 degree temps.
Keeper
May 20th, 2010
2:33 pm
JL is right — World Cup is being totally overlooked here. Which does not surprise me in the least — this is a football blog, not a futbol blog. But in terms of economic impact (immediate and ongoing prestige), it absolutely has to be factored in, because Atlanta will get whacked as a host city with the current dome. We’re on the list of finalist cities, but we will NOT remain there in 2018 or 2022 without a new venue. Fortunately, we’ve got plenty of time.
Most of you might not care, and that’s to be expected. But for perspective, as passionate as the South is about college football, that’s how passionate the entire world (outside the U.S.) is about their football — even more so, I’d wager. Sure, you don’t build a stadium for an event that you’ll host just once any more than you build a church based on Christmas Day attendance — except for the fact that this event’s impact would essentially pay for the retractable roof.
And that’s ALL this PR salvo is about — who pays. If Arthur got a financial windfall from the SEC championship or the World Cup, you can bet he’d be all over a retractable roof. He doesn’t. He’s first and foremost doing what’s best for the team he owns, and telling everyone, “if you benefit from those other events, you pay for the part-time roof.” Pretty much the same as every other pro franchise owner in that regard — hardly a surprise.
Soccer and the Falcons stadium proposal | Atlanta Soccer News
May 20th, 2010
2:35 pm
[...] my former AJC colleague Tony Barnhart wrote this morning, without a weather-proof venue, Atlanta risks losing a lot of events that have become a vibrant part of the city’s sports [...]
Otto
May 20th, 2010
2:35 pm
idiot: GA Tech football is irrelevant on national stage, UGA is in Athens, so please tell me how city of Atlanta is a college football town???
So all those UGA fans live in Athens?
..or do they sit in traffic coming out of Atlanta
Tide Rising
May 20th, 2010
2:35 pm
cajdawg,
Clearly you are a very cosmopolitan guy. Your demeaning statements about the entire citizenry of Birmingham show what an educated, fair minded, not to mention enlightened person you are.
ugakev
May 20th, 2010
2:37 pm
The world cup is a once in a lifetime opportunity Just like the 96 olympics were. If we get a nice new retractable dome I say that really enhances atlantas chances for the world cup. With that being said i also would like to see the stadium built to where you can see the cities backdrop but if the falcons want to keep up with the big boys they obviously have to have a retractable roof. Also they could build their stadium further north and just keep the dome goin . Blank has money!!!
jcwfalcon
May 20th, 2010
2:37 pm
Depends on what college you are talking about. People in the south love college football more than pro. Heck, all they have had is the Falcons for most of the last 40 years, and they have stunk overall.
So when a big SEC or SEC vs ACC game is in town, all the hicks come from all over to come to the big city to see their team. Its a big draw. IMO, the same thing would happen if the Steelers played the Colts in week 1 at the Georgia Dome.
Also consider the jackets play in a stadium that seats, what, 35-40K? And they dont sellout every game. The Falcons dont always sellout either, but their low is about what the Jackets get for their biggest game. On a good day the Falcons have close to 80K. I say this and I pull for the Jackets.
This is an SEC football and UGA football town first. Then the Braves or Falcons depending on who has a winner. Then the Jackets. Then the Hawks. No mention of the Thrashers. Atlanta doesnt care.
Take a sampling of talk radio. Its SEC, UGA, Braves, Falcons. Sometimes they wont really speak of the Jackets, Hawks, etc for weeks at a time. They hardly go a day without discussing the Falcons. Point being, before you declare it a college football town exclusively, consider the elephant in the room that the GT Yellow Jackets play football IN Atlanta, and the number of people that care are less than the people who care about the Falcons.
SaintsLSU
May 20th, 2010
2:39 pm
The Superdome was built in the 70s, been renovated several times, is very outdated, has been severly damaged from hurricanes, yet is still a great place to go for a football game. And it gets pretty loud in case you haven’t heard. The new retractable domes are so big, that its impossible to get them loud, taking away the home field advantage. Doesn’t matter though, Falcons fans are pretty mild, so getting the dome loud is not top priority for them. The GA Dome should be fine for the Falcons for now.
observer
May 20th, 2010
2:40 pm
Atlanta is a college football town only when uga and gt are having good years. And, a lot of us could care less if the sec championship moved to Birmingham, N.O., or Starkville. Since uga is seldom in the championship game most of the people who go to that game are from out of town. If uga people want a domed stadium let them build one in Athens. After all, we hear all the time about how much money uga has. Maybe they could also get the B-Ball final 4 and the World Cup in Athens. Absolutely, I think the Falcons should go for a new outdoor stadium, but suggest they move it out of the ghetto.
kgator79
May 20th, 2010
2:41 pm
My guess is all these fans who say playing the SEC championship outdoors and in the elements dont experience their school in that game too often. I remember those games in Birmingham when Florida played Alabama. It was cold and rainy. Nobody wants to experience a championship game like that. You play it indoors so there is no advantage one way or another based off of weather.
Ben Roethlisberger
May 20th, 2010
2:42 pm
Atlanta is a Steelers town- that’s what I tell all the co-eds.
World Cup
May 20th, 2010
2:44 pm
Message to atlanta–this corrupt, poorly run city is not getting the world cup. The falcon slicks are putting out that idea to get city money to build their stadium. After the olympic fiasco, the international sports community wants nothing to do with atlanta. Mark it down. But, Blank will tell you different–he wants your money!!!!
Shug
May 20th, 2010
2:46 pm
Atlanta is a football town (and baseball too), and football fans want to watch football outdoors. A dome detracts from the experience. For gosh sake, don’t build another dome or even a retractable roof monstrosity.
And for more gosh sake, the Bowl-Formerly-Known-As-The-Peach-Bowl should have no say in the matter.
Kyle
May 20th, 2010
2:51 pm
Sorry Tony but one Superbowl win would change that pretty quick. That being said I don’t think we have to worry about that happening even though we do have the right people from the top down to make it happen but I’m from here and know how it works for Atlanta. One Championship and even that was a strike shortened year so I’m not sure if you really count that one or not.
richtfan
May 20th, 2010
3:07 pm
Tony,
The Falcons were right about one thing—they need to be playing in an outdoor stadium as opposed to that concrete condom called the GA Dome. Football for real men is played outdoors no matter what the weather is. Now, the Falcons were wrong saying that they want to stay downtown near the World Congress Center. Who cares? They need to move those games to the suburbs where crime is lower and the drive is easier.
d
May 20th, 2010
3:09 pm
it should be open air stadium and it should be outside of 285. open air stadiums keep wimps at home and only real football fans in the stands. no bs family fair, this is football, and less people there that just wanting to be seen. outside of 285 so we can have friendlier more helpful stadium employees, that don’t have a chip on their shoulders towards people just because of the color of their skin. retractable roofs are for idiots that can’t make up their minds if they want to be a wussy today or not. football should be football!!!!!!!!!!!!! keep the dome for the wimps that like to watch their sports in an office setting.
Shady
May 20th, 2010
3:12 pm
Tony you are a f-ing retard. Winning is all we care about.
Keeper
May 20th, 2010
3:13 pm
@World Cup: the city government has nothing whatsoever to do with the decision. Zip. Nada. Zilch. International sports community lusts after Coca-Cola, Delta, UPS, Home Depot, Coca-Cola, and Coca-Cola. If you haven’t noticed, the next two World Cups are in South Africa and Brazil, whose respective governments make Atlanta look like the gold friggin’ standard. Given Atlanta’s sponsor base and airport, the ONLY question mark is the venue.
nativefalcon
May 20th, 2010
3:14 pm
Thank you M. Barnhart,somebody has some sense, retractable is the only way to go, there are alot of falcons fans that WILL NOT GO TO games if its nasty out, remember were southerners, and don’t like nasty weather. Also the way Arizona has a real grass field and you can roll it in and out of the areana and not to mention in playoffs you can close the dome for noise effect. Its not like the Falcons besides the GWCC can’t get a compnay like Home Depot to help sponsor it, Call it Home Depot field. We want a retractable dome Mckay.
Otto
May 20th, 2010
3:15 pm
Kyle, I doubt it. I watched the Falcons play in a Superbowl well I should say I watched the commercials and was busy working on a college project while the game was on.
One World Series win really changed things for the Braves?
SEC football will always be king in SEC states and ACC basketball will be king in North Carolina no matter what the Charlotte NBA team does.
Otto
May 20th, 2010
3:18 pm
d, Cobb will not have the stadium. Gwinnett will be just as bad and the employees may not even speak English.
Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired
May 20th, 2010
3:18 pm
Good luck to those of you that have tried, in vain, to enlighten these GA hicks.
As they have stated several times on this blog, the tax dollars that will be used to build the new stadium will come from the hotel taxes paid by those tourists visiting the city of Atlanta and staying in a hotel. Subsequently it is important to have a mixed use venue that can accomodate lots of varying events which will continue to bring in the tax revenue.
A retractable roof or keep the current dome and refurbish it again.
Paulitik
May 20th, 2010
3:23 pm
We should look at Seattle’s Qwest Field, but a bigger version of it. It’s Open Air, but has an enclosed feel. Best of both worlds. Football in the elements, and fan friendly to protect them from them.
macchiefs
May 20th, 2010
3:25 pm
Tony, I agree with all of your column except for the part about Atlanta being a college football town. Atlanta is a “Flavor of the Month” town. Whatever is hot at the moment is what Atlanta is all about.
SaintsLSU
May 20th, 2010
3:28 pm
Kyle, you never know. Three great words in sports. Nobody thought the Saints would ever win a SB. Don’t get me wrong, I hope the Falcons crash and burn as always, but in the immortal words of KG “Anything is possible!!!”
Bama Boy
May 20th, 2010
3:30 pm
Here’s a novel thought Update the Georgia Dome To a retractible roof
stadium Hmmmmmmmmmm!
Casey
May 20th, 2010
3:37 pm
Atlanta is not a pro football city? What about the 68,173 average attendance in 2009. Don’t talk about UGA ticket sales. UGA IS IN ATHENS, NOT ATLANTA! YOU MORONS!
Mike
May 20th, 2010
3:38 pm
Tony: you’re being extremely naive here. I’m sure the Falcons want the most state of the art stadium that money can buy, and that would include one with a retractable roof. All of these other arguments regarding ancillary events, like the ones you and everyone else have raised make it very easy for the Falcons to now say, “hey, we wanted a bargain basement open air stadium, so if you want one with a retractable roof, which would add $300 million to the price tag, you guys will have to pick up that tab on your own.” You’re just building the momentum that they WANT to have built.
Hanging My Head
May 20th, 2010
3:42 pm
Otto-I will respectively agree to disagree with you without requesting you move. I’m from Atlanta so I’m entitled to critique the culture as much as you. To just pigeon hole ourselves to just being a “college town” in my humble opinion is narrow minded. Many cities around the country would kill to have not one but FOUR professional teams. And I know our pro teams haven’t been the best run organizatios. However, to have them in your city isn’t an entitlement, its a priviledge. It says something about how leagues perceive your city. Hosting the Olympics isn’t something that’s given to small towns. So when I hear that we, a city of 5 million, is just a college town, I cringe because most cities with comparable populations find ways to support its pro teams. This is no knock on the following cities, but we’re not Clemson. We’re not Tuscalosa. We’re not Gainesville. We’re not a TOWN as Tony puts it. We’re a metropolitan city with millions…regardless of where those millions come from.
By no means am I saying that folks shouldn’t enjoy college sports. My Saturday’s wouldn’t be the same without them. However, I wonder when will this city embrace what it has evolved into?
joe hyatt
May 20th, 2010
3:45 pm
I would much rather see a pro game than college. half the college games are blowouts! whats the fun in that? High school ball is better than college ball!
Eric
May 20th, 2010
3:45 pm
There’s nothing wrong with the GA Dome. I like it just the way it is. I hated watching football at Fulton County Stadium. And I especially hated it in the cold and rain. I never liked the idea of taxpayers building stadiums for millionaires to play a game in. I still feel that way. No taxpayer funds for a new stadium! And I agree with Tony on every point.
Bonnie Dean
May 20th, 2010
3:54 pm
Why is Rich McKay care about the cost anyway? Its sure not his money. Atlanta is certainly a city that could afford an open dome. We may not be Jerry Jones but we need to stay in the same class with him. We can make more money on other events if we have the retractable dome. Suck it up McKay and look at the city not your small brain. The attendance would be back like it was at the Fulton Stadium. Tickets left on cars and when you came back they were still there.
Astro
May 20th, 2010
4:01 pm
So, with an open-air stadium, Blank and McKay have given up on the idea of EVER having another Super Bowl in Atlanta.
This has to be a bargining ploy. Arthur has never been known to be cheap, and Home Depot stock has been going up lately.
Another thing, the World Congress area is finally turning into the mixed use entertainment area, the Underground has failed to be for the last 25 years. Build a state-of-the-art retractable roof stadiun next to the Georgia Dome, so the area can keep growing.
No Go
May 20th, 2010
4:03 pm
Watching another mediocre falcons team play on a cold, wet day in November or December, in Blank’s taxpayer paid $500 million stadium????? Not thanks. I’ll stay home. But, he’ll still be rich, with that free stadium and all the ticket money, concessions and parking!!
Toshie
May 20th, 2010
4:03 pm
Who ever said that Green Bay and Chicago are laughing at us is way off. I have been to games in both places and they get just as cold and wet as anyone else. Chicago was 17 degree below when we played them up there. You should have seen the fans shaking and cussing. They hate it just like we do. I know my 10 tickets are not a lot but like I said before I will not purchase them for an outside stadium.
Bravesfan79
May 20th, 2010
4:06 pm
When college football becomes relevant with the addition of a playoff system, THEN “Mr College Football” can talk trash about a REAL SPORT. Im a fan of GT and UGA, but lets face it, the BCS makes the season so freaking boring because there are only 5 or so teams every year that have a chance to win it all.
If the Braves and Nationals both missed the playoffs yet played in a “bowl” a week after the season… who would care!? Yet you chumps blindly support college football, which screws over the fans and players. Heres a idea… stop supporting the meaningless bowls, and college football might finally become relevant among the major sports again!
Atlanta is a PRO sports town! At least among us smart enough to recognize what real sports and competition is all about.
Shankit
May 20th, 2010
4:06 pm
Dallas is not a college town? SMU?
Houston is not a college town? Univ. of Houston
Both sell as many college football tickets as
Atlanta.
Dr. Warren
May 20th, 2010
4:09 pm
Of course the college football writer will say Atlanta is a college football town. Give us a consistent NFL winner, and it will be more of an NFL town. It’s outrageous the Falcons play in that oppressive dome. We’re 1200 miles south of Foxboro, and those people sit outside. I grew up going to every Falcons game at the Stadium, and I remember being miserably cold only two or three times, one of those being the infamous playoff loss to Dallas.
ATL
May 20th, 2010
4:10 pm
Hangin my head
Last I check, small towns don’t host national or world famous events (ie Super Bowls, Olymipics). Granted you did give credit, however, your opinion doesn’t make sense. But then again, everyone is entitled to an opinion. Last I check, a so called “big city” that you mention lost their bid to host the Olympics.