Atlanta continues to have something going for it.
Not only that, but when Major League Baseball pulled the All-Star Game from Georgia over objections from the state Legislature two years ago, 610 metropolitan areas reportedly lost their chance to earn $100 million. There is no end in sight for millions of people. Pass restrictive voting laws.
Since then, Atlanta has acquired . . .
Well, everything.
Also included is another MLB All-Star Game.
It will come to town in 2025.
But let’s start now. The CBS Sports Classic was held Saturday at State Farm Arena, featuring four teams from among college basketball’s traditional elite. This tournament was held one week after another college basketball event called Holiday Hoopsgiving was held at State Farm Arena with Indiana, Auburn, Tulane, and Mississippi State.
Holiday Hoopgiving felt like the beginning of March Madness.
The CBS Sports Classic resembled a Final Four championship game.
The Atlanta Hawks’ 16,888-seat home went from full to full after Ohio State narrowly defeated UCLA 67-60 in the opener. That’s because No. 9 North Carolina State faced No. 15 Kentucky, and the Wildcats continued their habit of bringing many people from the Bluegrass State to road games.
Tar Heel Nation nearly matched the screams of Kentucky’s opponents in an 87-83 thriller against the Wildcats, serving a sellout crowd of 17,058.
Neither Atlanta’s business leaders nor the head of the CBS Sports Classic were offended by all this.
“Atlanta hosts some of the biggest events in sports, and we’re excited to bring the CBS Sports Classic here, featuring four of the nation’s most successful basketball programs,” CBS Sports said. Beth Burns, vice president of operations, told me. “This prestigious event, now in its 10th year, is held at world-class venues across the country, and we are pleased to add Atlanta’s State Farm Arena to that list.”
Consider also that Howard of the MEAC and Florida A&M of the SWAC competed at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the annual Celebration Bowl, just one block from the CBS Sports Classic. It is tagged with the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) National Championship Game.
That’s a big deal. Kamala Harris, a Howard University graduate who also happens to be the vice president of the United States, was among the 41,108 people who attended the nationally televised event at the $1.5 billion home of the Atlanta Falcons.
Now, let’s go back to Thursday, when there was more talk about Atlanta’s popularity among just about every decision-maker involved in the sport.
Soccer, anyone?
Atlanta is raising its hand not just because it features Major League Soccer’s Five Stripes (or Atlanta United).
Shortly after the United States Soccer Foundation (USSF) announced its move from Chicago to Atlanta in September, Falcons owner Arthur Blank donated $50 million toward the construction of a national training center at the new location.
And on Thursday, the same USSF officials announced that the opening doubleheader of the SheBelieves Cup will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on April 6, with many of the top women’s national teams participating.
Speaking of soccer, FIFA last month selected Mercedes-Benz Stadium to host the opening match of next June’s Copa America. The tournament is run by CONCACAF, which is comprised of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean national federation regions. CONCACAF also has CONMEBOL, which is made up of South American national federations.
It is wonderful.
Here are Atlanta Economy’s S0s for the world’s most popular sports: In June 2022, FIFA included Atlanta among 16 cities across North America to host matches during its 2026 Men’s World Cup.
Atlanta Sports Council President Dan Corso told reporters at the time, considering the impact hosting World Cup games would have on the local economy. They range from $1 million to $60 million, depending on the size and scale of the event. ”
It’s almost like there’s money to be made in hosting the Super Bowl, and Atlanta did it.
After the 1994, 2000 and 2019 Super Bowls in Atlanta, Blank told me and others that he wanted his city “back in the rotation.” He’s targeting the 2028 Super Bowl, his next chance at the NFL’s premier game.
Back to college basketball.
Atlanta lost in the 2020 Final Four due to the pandemic, but had hosted the tournament in 1977, 2002, 2007 and 2013. State Farm Arena is scheduled to host the South Regional tournament, although the next available Final Four berth is not in sight in the city. 2025 Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament.
golf?
Well, every April, the Masters and all the Bobby, Arnold, Jack, and Tiger vibes are held near Augusta, Georgia.
If you don’t want to consider that because it’s 145 miles to the east, there’s an annual Tour Championship held within Atlanta city limits. The winner earns the FedEx His Cup title and the PGA season begins.
Switching to sports, NASCAR announced in October that the opening round of the Cup Series playoffs would be held at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the first time ever in September.
The track will also host NASCAR races shortly after next season’s Daytona 500 kicks off in February 2024.
We didn’t even remind you that Atlanta somehow beat Toronto to win the 1996 Summer Olympics. Melbourne, Australia. Manchester, UK. Belgrade, Yugoslavia. and Athens, Greece, where everything was invented.
We also haven’t mentioned the phrase “College Football Capital of the World,” but just imagine where that is.
yes.
It’s the same location as the College Football Hall of Fame.
First, the SEC is college football’s premier conference, and its title game has been held in Atlanta since 1994.
Just last month, SEC officials announced that games would be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium until at least 2031 (after 23 years at the Georgia Dome). The current contract was scheduled to expire in 2026, plus an additional five years, and the new contract gives the SEC the option to continue playing games in Atlanta until 2036.
Atlanta is also home to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl since 1968, when it was known as the Peach Bowl.
The people running the bowl are also responsible for the Aflac AFL Kickoff Game (which was previously the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game before the Fortune 500 insurance company sponsored it in July). Typically, the game would be played against a strong opponent at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to open the college football season.
Gary Stokan has been CEO of the Peach Bowl for more than a quarter of a century, and since the Peach Bowl’s inception, the kickoff game has distributed $101.2 million in team payouts, with an average total team payout of $5.9 million per contest. told me that it is. Kickoff game before the 2008 season.
The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is also part of six bowls that rotate on a three-year cycle to host College Football Playoff (CFP) games.
The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will host its CFP semifinal game next season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, while the national championship game will be held at the same location in January 2025.
Of course it will.
I’m talking about Atlanta.
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