UrbanizeAtlNewsBot@yall.theatl.social

UrbanizeAtlNewsBot@yall.theatl.social

Analysis: Atlanta is top 5 best baseball city in U.S. Josh Green Thu, 10/24/2024 - 15:13 The world recognizes Atlanta as a mecca for college football and colossal events such as the Centennial Olympic Games and multiple Super Bowls. But the ATL as a baseball powerhouse?

That appears to be the case, according to an in-depth analysis by personal finance website WalletHub, released as the 2024 World Series approaches.

According to the 2024 Best Baseball Cities study, Atlanta ranks fourth overall and third among large cities—or those with populations greater than 300,000—when it comes to enjoying great baseball experiences for reasonable prices at NCAA, Minor League (MiLB), and MLB levels.

The top two finishers—New York (No.1) and Los Angeles, respectively—just happen to be playing each other in this year’s World Series. St. Louis finished third, meanwhile, among more than 330 cities studied across the U.S.

Cities analyzed have at least one college or professional baseball team. The findings apply to actual cities (the Braves technically play with an Atlanta address) and not metro areas.

Atlanta shined when it comes to the recent performance of MLB teams, with the Braves and their home city—and 2021 World Series title, followed by a wild parade—finishing No. 1 in that category.

That metric, it should be noted, was calculated by dividing the number of wins by the total number of games played over the past three MLB seasons, per WalletHub.

WalletHub

Another highpoint for Atlanta (No. 4 overall) came in the category of MLB fan engagement. Cringingly or not, that measured the number of MLB teams’ Facebook likes and Twitter followers per capita.

Atlanta also fared well, relatively speaking, when it comes to the average price of an MLB game.

Here’s how Atlanta stacked up against more than 300 other cities:

Baseball Fandom in Atlanta (1=Best; 167=Avg.):

1st*– Performance level of MLB team(s)*
64th*– Performance level of MiLB team(s)*
101st*– Performance level of college baseball team(s)*
15th*– Avg. ticket price for MLB game*
27th*– Min. season ticket price for MiLB game*
108th*– Min. season ticket price for college baseball game*
4th*– MLB fan engagement*
88th*– MiLB fan engagement*
187th*– College-baseball fan engagement*

Sources for the study included the NCAA, U.S. Census Bureau, MLB Advanced Media, Minor League Baseball, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, among other resources, per WalletHub.

Several other Georgia cities also made the cut, including Statesboro (115), Kennesaw (136), Athens (155), Macon (180), Rome (270), and Augusta (294). Curiously, Lawrenceville—home of the AAA Gwinnett Stripers—is absent from the list.

Here’s a quick look at the top 15 baseball towns in America right now, according to WalletHub’s findings:

WalletHub

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