By Ken Reed
Cobb County, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta) announced this month that it will be putting $300 million (some reports have pegged the figure even higher) in public financing towards a new stadium for the Atlanta Braves.
Meanwhile, the citizens of Cobb County are dealing with an $86.4 million school budget shortfall. The county will lose182 teachers and remaining school employees face five days of furloughs.
For $300 million, Cobb County could pay for 7,700 new teachers, or 6,421 new police officers. Instead of a new sports palace for the wealthy owner of the Atlanta Braves, Liberty Media, millions could be invested in parks and public transportation in Cobb County.
Here’s the kicker: The Braves’ current stadium, within the city of Atlanta, is only 17 years old. A new stadium can hardly be classified as a “need.”
Government officials’ priorities can’t get any more warped than this.
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
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