At least they’re winning at something
Georgia’s major-league pro sports history has not, to put it kindly, given organizations like the New York Yankees, the Green Bay Packers or the Boston Celtics much concern that their championship luster is about to be eclipsed in Atlanta.
The Braves had a run of competitive success, with one breakthrough season and years of exasperating near misses. The mostly woeful Falcons have managed occasional playoff appearances and one Super Bowl loss (with the team’s defensive leader busted for solicitation the night before). The Hawks have been just good/bad enough for so long that easing into the NBA’s ridiculous Participation Trophy playoff bracket and getting unceremoniously bounced in the first or second round is as familiar a sign of spring in Georgia as azaleas and dogwoods.
But at least a couple of our pro outfits are recognized for being good at something.
The Atlanta Business Chronicle reported this week that a study by SportTechie lists the Braves and the Hawks as two of the most tech-savvy franchises in the big leagues in 2016.
The Hawks were cited for 3D court projection mapping, “Swipe Right Night” events, live streaming and state-of-the-art technology for player fitness and medical treatment.
The Braves were credited for being the first MLB team with a monthly subscription to live streaming of games, and for the team’s partnership with Atlanta Tech Village. The latter will be involved in “an all-fiber network [that will] help fans stay connected as they text, Tweet, Snap, share, post and stream video across social media and online” at the new SunTrust Field.
(Does it make one a Luddite just to watch a game now?)
Curmudgeonly wisecracks aside, these are indeed attractive amenities for enhancing the fan experience. But sportswise, they have their limits.
There’s no app for downloading a clutch hitter who won’t ground into another rally-killing double play, or strike out on a pitch in the dirt with one out and a runner at third. (Never mind a new GPS for reminding the Braves where Atlanta is.)
The Falcons aren’t on this list, but if they came up with software to generate a pass rush or eliminate red-zone turnovers, they’d surely make the cut.
Fan-friendly technology is a great sports drawing card. A winning team is an even better one.
Risk-reward ratio?
A few years ago, some Georgia moron was busted for hacking into, and stealing from, the accounts of a church. Yes, a church. We commented at the time that when it comes to betting against the house, this made even Vegas odds look generous.
Now another Georgian has been sentenced to the fed pen for stealing a cool half-million in a business that ostensibly manufactured replicas of the original Gutenberg Bible at about $12,500 each.
The soon-to-be inmate was convicted of sending false invoices, including bills for supplies, claiming to have finished more than 70 of the facsimile Bibles. (Shocker: He hadn’t.) Instead, he just lived off the money.
He’ll have a couple of years to think about it. Maybe a lot longer.
This story was originally published December 15, 2016 at 3:44 PM with the headline "At least they’re winning at something."