With both SunTrust Park and Mercedes-Benz Stadium "slated to open next year, the Braves and Falcons are in the marketplace concurrently selling sponsorships, suites and season tickets," and sometimes the two stadiums "seem to be battling for the market’s attention," according to Tim Tucker of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. But both teams "insist they don't consider themselves in competition with the other." Tucker noted the Braves and Falcons organizations "get along well, which allows them to occasionally cross-check schedules for major stadium developments." Braves President of Business Derek Schiller said, "If it's a big enough announcement, we try to do a little bit of due diligence to see whether or not they have some sort of really big announcement (at the same time)." Still it is unusual "for a metro area to have two stadiums opening in the same year." AMB Group CEO Steve Cannon said, "We're not worried about making our splash versus them making their splash. We're not worried about grabbing mind-share in terms of folks' attention. We believe there is room enough for (the Braves) to launch their stadium their way, the right way, and that doesn't concern us whatsoever." Tucker noted the dual facilities "don't appear to have hurt the Braves or Falcons in sponsorship deals." After "putting its name on the Braves stadium, SunTrust extended a long partnership with the Falcons by signing a new deal that will put the bank's name on one of the field-level clubs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium." Coca-Cola "also has sponsorship deals with both stadiums," but a "number of companies have narrowed their focus to deals with one or the other." Falcons President & CEO Rich McKay said, "We've co-existed with the Braves and the Hawks for a long time -- and very successfully. We don't view ourselves as competitors" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 6/25).
SPRING FLING: In Florida, Laura Layden noted Collier County may be "back in the game" to land the Braves' new Spring Training home. The team in early May "called off a face-to-face meeting between its representatives and county leaders because the county couldn't meet the tight deadline" for having a ballpark built by spring '18. Braves Vice Chair John Schuerholz sat down with County Manager Leo Ochs on June 1 and confirmed the Braves' "renewed interest in relocating its spring training operations in Collier County, saying it's now willing to wait a year longer to play" in a new ballpark. In a follow-up letter, Schuerholz wrote, "Our timeline has changed a bit in that our goal is to be in a new spring training facility for the 2019 MLB spring training season." Schuerholz noted that the new timeline means the team would have to score "a definitive agreement with a new partner by the end" of '16 or early '17. Today, Ochs will ask county commissioners to "allow county staff to evaluate the opportunity and to report the results back to the board for action" (NAPLES DAILY NEWS, 6/23).
