Sports in Atlanta

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Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta United FC match in 2018

Sports in Atlanta has a rich history, including the oldest on-campus

Atlanta also played host to the second intercollegiate football game in the South, played between the A&M College of Alabama (now Auburn University) and the University of Georgia in Piedmont Park in 1892; this game is now called the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry. The city hosts college football's annual Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and the Peachtree Road Race, the world's largest 10 km race. Atlanta was the host city for the Centennial 1996 Summer Olympics, and Downtown Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park
was built for and commemorates the games.

Rugby ATL of Major League Rugby, and most recently the Atlanta Vibe of the Pro Volleyball Federation
.

Atlanta was previously home to the Atlanta Flames (1972–1980) and the Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2011) of the National Hockey League . The Atlanta Gladiators are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Duluth, Georgia. The Gladiators play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. They play their home games at Gas South Arena, approximately 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Atlanta. There was also the Atlanta Blaze (2016-2019) of the now defunct Major League Lacrosse. (1999-2020)

Major league sports

Club Sport League Venue (capacity) First
season 		Moved to
Atlanta 		Titles in
Atlanta
Atlanta Braves Baseball MLB Truist Park (41,500) 1871 1966 2 (1995, 2021)
Atlanta Falcons Football NFL Mercedes-Benz Stadium (71,000) 1966 N/A —
Atlanta Hawks Basketball NBA State Farm Arena (18,100) 1946–47 1968 —
Atlanta United
Soccer
 MLS Mercedes-Benz Stadium (71,000) 2017 N/A 1 (2018)
Georgia Swarm
Box Lacrosse
 NLL Gas South Arena 2004 2016 1 (2017)
Atlanta Vibe Volleyball PVF Gas South Arena 2024 N/A

Baseball

The

2025 Major League Baseball All-Star Game which will be held at Truist Park
.

The Braves'

minor leagues. The Atlanta Black Crackers (I) and Atlanta Black Crackers (II) were Atlanta's Negro league
teams from 1919 until 1949.

American football

The Falcons have been Atlanta's

Mercedes Benz Stadium, playing their first pre-season game there on August 26, 2017.[3] They have won the division title six times in two different divisions (NFC West and current NFC South), and two conference championships, going on to lose to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII (following the 1998 season) and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI (following the 2016 season). Super Bowl XXVIII, XXXIV, and LIII were hosted in Atlanta with the first two taking place in the now-demolished Georgia Dome
.

The

Georgia State Stadium
, but the league's football operations were reportedly suspended and the team folded.

Basketball

The Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association have played in Atlanta since the 1968–69 NBA season. The franchise began in 1946 as the Buffalo Bisons, briefly playing in Buffalo, New York, before moving to Moline, Illinois and becoming the Tri-Cities Blackhawks. The team moved to Milwaukee in 1951, then to St. Louis in 1955, where it won its sole NBA Championship (as the St. Louis Hawks). A decade after winning the NBA title, in 1968, the Hawks came to Atlanta.[4] The Hawks have won six division titles and 18 playoff series since moving to Atlanta.

The Hawks' NBA G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, is based in College Park (immediately southwest of Atlanta).[citation needed]

The

Philips Arena with their NBA counterpart; however, the Dream moved to McCamish Pavilion on the campus of Georgia Tech due to renovations of Philips Arena conflicting with the WNBA schedule during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. After one more season in State Farm Arena (after the Philips was renamed during the renovations), they moved their home games to the new Gateway Center Arena for the 2020 season.[citation needed
]

Soccer

Atlanta was selected in April 2014 for an expansion team to join Major League Soccer (MLS) and begin play in 2017.[5] The team, operated by Falcons owner Arthur Blank (co-founder of The Home Depot), shares Mercedes-Benz Stadium with the Falcons and is named Atlanta United FC.[6] Atlanta United won the MLS Cup in 2018. In 2018, Atlanta United launched its reserve team, Atlanta United 2, in the USL Championship.

The Atlanta Chiefs competed in the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967 and the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1968 to 1973 and again from 1979 to 1981. Founded in 1967 as a charter member of the NPSL, the club was the brainchild of Dick Cecil, then Vice President of the Atlanta Braves baseball franchise who was the Chiefs' owners. The Chiefs capped off the 1968 season by defeating the San Diego Toros in the NASL Final 1968 at Atlanta Stadium in front of approximately 15,000 spectators. In doing so, they became both the first champions of the NASL as well as the first major professional sports franchise in Atlanta to win a championship.[7] For the 1973 season, the team played as the Atlanta Apollos.

The

the new soccer-specific stadium that it shared with Kennesaw State University in the northern suburb of Kennesaw. WPS played its final season in 2011 and folded just before its scheduled 2012 season; the Beat folded along with the league and are not part of WPS' effective successor, the current National Women's Soccer League
.

Atlanta was previously home to the

Atlanta Silverbacks of the North American Soccer League and the Atlanta Silverbacks Women in the W-League
. In 2007, the men's Silverbacks had their best season, advancing to the USL Finals against the Seattle Sounders. The women's Silverbacks won the league title in 2011. Both teams briefly ceased operations after the 2015 season, the men's team due to lack of ownership in the NASL and the women's team because the W-League ceased operations. New ownership came to the rescue prior to the 2016 seasons, as both have resurfaced in the NPSL and WPSL, respectively.

The United States Soccer Federation will move their headquarters to Atlanta and began planning in 2023.

Ice hockey

In 1972, The OMNI became home to the Atlanta Flames of the National Hockey League. The Flames qualified for the playoffs six times in eight seasons, but failed to win a playoff series. In 1980, the team departed for Calgary, Alberta, where it currently plays as the Calgary Flames.

In 1999, the NHL returned to Atlanta in the form of the Expansion

Philips Arena. The Thrashers won the Southeast Division in 2006–07, but were swept in their only playoff appearance. After eleven seasons in Atlanta, in 2011, the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and became the current Winnipeg Jets
.

From 1992 to 1996, Atlanta was home to the short-lived

Quebec City, Quebec, and became the Quebec Rafales
.

Since the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, their former ECHL affiliate in Duluth, Georgia, the Atlanta Gladiators, became the area's only professional hockey team. The Gladiators moved to Gwinnett County in 2003 after seven seasons as the Mobile Mysticks, and has won three division championships, and a conference championship since 2006.

Tennis

Every July, Atlanta hosts the

ATP Tour 250 men's tennis tournament. The event is part of the US Open Series and serves as an important tune-up to the US Open
.

Box Lacrosse

In 2015, Atlanta became the furthest south major league

St. Paul, Minnesota, to Duluth, Georgia, and renamed the team to the Georgia Swarm.[8] In the four (full) seasons in the Atlanta market, they have made the playoffs each year, including winning the National Lacrosse League Cup in 2017.[9]

Rugby union

Atlanta is home to many

Rugby ATL was revealed on February 26, 2019.[11] In 2023, the team relocated to Los Angeles
.

Other rugby union teams include the Atlanta Harlequins, who ranked number two in the United States in Division 1 for women's clubs under

World Rugby Women's Sevens Series in the sevens version of the sport, but that event has since moved to Las Vegas
.

Volleyball

Atlanta is home to the Atlanta Vibe, a member of the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF). Atlanta was named as the third PVF franchise on February 16, 2023,[13] and later signed the first athlete to the league in Kentucky Wildcats' standout Leah Edmond.[14] The team's official name and branding was announced on August 4, 2023, at the AVP Tour, Atlanta.[15] The team, owned by Rally Volleyball's Colleen Craig - the league's only current female majority owner - will play its inaugural season in 2024 at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Ga.[16]

Other teams

Club Sport League Venue Founded Titles
Atlanta Dream Basketball WNBA Gateway Center Arena 2008 0
Atlanta Gladiators Ice hockey ECHL Gas South Arena 2003 0
Atlanta Reign Overwatch Overwatch League Coca-Cola Roxy 2018 0
Atlanta United 2
Soccer
 MLS Next Pro
Fifth Third Bank Stadium
 2018 0
College Park Skyhawks Basketball NBA G League Gateway Center Arena 2019 0
Gwinnett Stripers Baseball
Triple-A East
 Coolray Field 2009 0
Atlanta Rhinos Rugby league North American Rugby League Atlanta Silverbacks Park 2014 1 (2017)
Atlanta FaZe Call of Duty Call of Duty League Gateway Center Arena 2019 1 (2021)

Field Lacrosse

In 2016, Atlanta fielded its first professional

Fifth Third Bank Stadium. The team made its first MLL playoff appearance in the 2018 season.[17] The Blaze later ceased operations in 2020.[18]

Rugby league

Atlanta Rhinos, formerly of the USA Rugby League, now in the professional North American Rugby League represent the city at rugby league. The club was formerly linked with English Super League club the Leeds Rhinos.

Other sports

In the

Infinite Energy Arena in suburban Duluth since the franchise relocated from Nashville
in 2002 until 2012.

The Atlanta Kookaburras are a successful

SEAFL and USAFL National Championships
.

Atlanta is home to two of the nation's Gaelic football clubs, the Na Fianna and Clan na nGael Ladies' and Men's Gaelic Football Clubs. Both are members of the North American County Board, a branch of the Gaelic Athletic Association, the worldwide governing body of Gaelic games.[19]

College sports

Atlanta has a rich tradition in collegiate athletics, with two

NCAA Division 3
program.

Georgia Tech

Bobby Dodd Stadium

The

Georgia Tech
.

Georgia State

The

1996 Olympics before being converted to Turner Field, a baseball stadium for the Atlanta Braves
.

Kennesaw State

The

ASUN Conference (ASUN). KSU did not start a football program until 2015. Since the ASUN did not sponsor football at the time, the KSU football team joined the Big South Conference.[21] For the 2022–23 academic year, the ASUN became an FCS football-sponsoring conference, and Kennesaw State moved its football membership to the ASUN.[22] In October 2022, Kennesaw State accepted an invitation to join the Conference USA, which includes transitioning the football team to the Football Bowl Subdivision, effective in July 2024.[23]

Emory University

Atlanta is also home to the

Team USA
, and gold medalist in the 4x100-meter medley relay.

Tournaments and events

Running races

Giving itself the nickname "Running City USA",[24] Atlanta hosts several popular road running events. The annual Peachtree Road Race is the world's largest 10 km race.[25] Other annual races include the Atlanta Marathon and the Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon.

Tournaments hosted

Atlanta was the host city for the Centennial

NCAA Final Four Men's Basketball Championship in April 2002, April 2007, and April 2013. Atlanta will be one of the eleven US host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[26]

Atlanta Motor Speedway

Other events

Racing facilities include Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) NASCAR race track in Hampton, and Road Atlanta in Braselton. In 2005 Atlanta competed with other major U.S. cities for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. In March 2006, Atlanta lost to Charlotte, North Carolina.

In golf, the final

The Tour Championship, is played annually at East Lake Golf Club.[27] This golf course is used because of its connection to the great amateur golfer Bobby Jones, an Atlanta native. The current champion is Viktor Hovland
.

Atlanta also was the home to the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling hosted two Starcade events, held each Thanksgiving night, by WCW. Atlanta also hosted WrestleMania XXVII in the Georgia Dome on April 3, 2011.

References

  1. ^ "10 Oldest Baseball Teams in America" oldest.org
  2. ^ Ringolsby, Tracy (June 19, 2017). "Braves' 14 straight division titles should be cheered". MLB.com. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  3. ^ "Falcons fans awed by new Mercedes-Benz Stadium". Ajc.com.
  4. ^ "A Franchise Rich With Tradition: From Pettit To 'Pistol Pete' To The 'Human Highlight Film'." Atlanta Hawks. Retrieved on April 29, 2008.
  5. ^ Falkoff, Robert (November 16, 2007). "Commissioner outlines league goals". Major League Soccer, L.L.C. Archived from the original on April 1, 2008. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
  6. ^ "Falcons making progress on MLS for Atlanta". Ajc.com.
  7. ^ Hummer, Steve (March 9, 2018). "Remembering soccer's Chiefs, 50 years after they won it all". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  8. ^ "Swarm lacrosse team moving to Atlanta". Star Tribune. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  9. ^ Gabriel Burns, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Georgia Swarm wins first Champion's Cup, Atlanta's third major league sports title". ajc. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Major League Rugby confirms Boston and Atlanta for 2020 - Americas Rugby News". www.americasrugbynews.com. September 21, 2018.
  11. ^ "ATLANTA'S NEW MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY TEAM PICKS A NAME". USMLR.com. February 26, 2019. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  12. ^ "AHWRFC". AHWRFC. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  13. ^ Federation, Pro Volleyball. "Pro Volleyball Arrives In Atlanta". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  14. ^ "Edmond Becomes First Player to Sign Professional Volleyball Federation Contract – Pro Volleyball Federation". Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  15. ISSN 1539-7459
    . Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  16. ^ Almanov, Talgat (2023-07-21). "Gas South Arena announced as new home for Atlanta women's pro volleyball team". www.atlantanewsfirst.com. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  17. ^ Blaze, Atlanta. "Atlanta Blaze History". Atlanta Blaze. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  18. ^ "MLL Announced It Will Cease Operations of the Atlanta Blaze". Major League Lacrosse. February 16, 2020. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  19. ^ Ladies Gaelic Football Na Fianna Atlanta, retrieved on November 12, 2009.
  20. ^ "Bobby Dodd Stadium At Historic Grant Field :: A Cornerstone of College Football for Nearly a Century". RamblinWreck.com. Georgia Tech Athletic Association. Retrieved March 24, 2007.
  21. ^ "Kennesaw State Football Joins Big South Conference as Associate Member" (Press release). Kennesaw State Athletics. September 4, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  22. ^ "KSU Reveals 2022 Football Schedule". Kennesaw State Athletics. February 22, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  23. ^ "Kennesaw State to join Conference USA in July 2024". ESPN. October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  24. ^ King, Michael (3 July 2018). "Atlanta named 'Running City USA' because of AJC Peachtree Road Race". WXIA-TV. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  25. ^ Shirreffs, Allison (November 14, 2005). "Peachtree race director deflects praise to others". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  26. ^ FIFA announces hosts cities for FIFA World Cup 2026™
  27. 2013–14
    , The Tour Championship is once again the final event of the season.
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