Atlanta-Falcons-to-LA Rumor is Quickly Gone with the Wind
Two days later, a report that Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons NFL franchise, was recently approached by unnamed LA city officials remains the most viewed article on the Atlanta Business Chronicle website. Even though it quickly became clear after publication that a casual west coast inquiry does not signify a Peach Tree uprooting.
Still, it’s been fun to gauge some of the follow-up coverage. Commenters on Loganville-Grayson Patch seem to pretty much agree that frankly, they don’t give a damn if the team takes flight to Lalaland. ESPN football analyst Pat Yasinskas meanwhile warned this is already a tiresome and familiar drill:
The fact is the Los Angeles thing is going to come up any time a team is looking for public help for a new stadium or renovations. It already has come up in Charlotte, where Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson is looking for public money to help with renovations for Bank of America Stadium. It’s come up elsewhere and will continue to come up in other spots until Los Angeles does get a team.
Proving Yasinskas’ point, today comes a report that the Falcons are now possibly willing to up their part of the new-stadium financial ante. Looks like Arthur via that Chronicle report was simply firing, well, you know…
[Photo courtesy: atlantafalcons.com]
