Braves Revenue On The Rise While Taxpayers Pay For SunTrust Park

SunTrust Park and its surrounding entertainment district helped the Braves make a $94M profit last yearGETTY IMAGES

Cobb County (Ga.) taxpayers "spent less on SunTrust Park last year than they did for the Braves’ opening season" at the new ballpark in '17, but the county is "still in the red on its largest investment in history," according to Meris Lutz of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. The county paid $5.8M out of its general fund for debt service and ballpark expenses in '18, which is down from more than $8M in '17, due "mostly to growth" in The Battery Atlanta. The numbers provided by the county do not include sales tax collected at SunTrust Park. Aside from the general fund, the county is paying more than $10M a year toward the ballpark "using other taxes and fees." Meanwhile, the Braves’ profit surged to $94M in '18. The biggest difference was a "sharp increase in taxable property inside The Battery, causing a bump to revenue collection" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 3/16).