People have been talking around this since the announcement of the Braves move to Cobb County last week, but today Neil deMause of Field of Schemes asks the question directly: are the Braves leaving Atlanta because their primarily white fans hate going to the predominantly black and, allegedly, crime-infested neighborhood in which Turner Field sits?
It’s the sort of thing no one would ever cop to. And the sort of thing where merely asking the question is likely to be looked at as needlessly provocative. But it’s also a fair question given how frequently one sees comments, tweets, etc. from Braves fans that -- perhaps even subconsciously -- evince a greater comfort with being in the burbs than the city.
My personal view: the move is primarily about money and goodies given out by Cobb County on which the Braves would be silly to pass up. But there is definitely a sense out there that a lot of Braves fans will be happy to avoid what they perceive to be the ghetto on their way to see a ballgame.
