The Ted


Entrance to Turner Field, the former Olympic Stadium, Aug-1997.


The seating bowl is in line with other parks built during the 1990s.


The fan attractions in the outfield distract from, rather than enhance, the park.

Quick Facts: Rating: 3 baseballs
In 1996, the Games of the XXVI Olympiad visited Atlanta, who managed to outbid Athens (Greece, not Georgia) for the 100th anniversary Games. A new stadium was built just south of the existing Fulton Co. Stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies and events in athletics (track and field). Following the Games, Centennial Olympic Stadium was partially dismantled and rechristened Turner Field, for owner Ted Turner. The Braves began play here in Apr-1997.

The most notable, and distracting, feature of Turner Field, aka “The Ted”, is the “fan fun zone” in the outfield. Sure, an exploding Coke bottle for a home run is OK (Coca-Cola is the largest employer in Atlanta outside of the state government), but there is no real reason for a full arcade to dominate the landscape out there.

On the other hand, sightlines are reasonable at the park, and it’s a fairly pleasant place to watch a game, the tomahawk chop notwithstanding. It is a baseball-only park, with the NFL Falcons having moved to the Georgia Dome several years before Turner Field was completed.

Game # Date League Level Result
273 13-Aug-1997 National MLB Pittsburgh 2, ATLANTA 1
599 20-Jul-2003 National MLB ATLANTA 11, NY Mets 8
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This page updated 5-Sep-2007