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Loserville: How Professional Sports Remade Atlanta

Interview with author Clayton Trutor.

Pat Benson

© RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
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Clayton Trutor makes a huge splash with his new book Loserville: How Professional Sports Remade Atlanta. After speaking with Trutor, I felt compelled to check out his work. The book is the definitive account of Atlanta's professional sports origins and a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection between policy and play-making. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Here's what I know about the origin of Atlanta's professional sports, they went from zero to three teams in the late 1960s?

To four, I think you could even say five because they get a team in the original professional soccer league, the NASL. So in 1965, Atlanta had zero professional teams. The city leaders in Atlanta, the corporate leaders, and political leaders make very clear a part of their agenda is becoming a major league city.

By making big investments and rolling out the red carpet to all of the leagues, they are able to do so incredibly quickly. Nobody was able to acquire teams in the fourth major leagues as quickly as Atlanta did. They became just the ninth city to have teams in all four leagues in 1972.

So this was very much a deliberate play?

Absolutely, in particular, Mayor Ivan Allen. He's replacing a guy named William Hartsfield who had been in power for a quarter-century. He runs on a platform called 'Forward Atlanta,' which is about boosting Atlanta's national prominence. 

A major plank in his platform is called 'major league city and the need to build a multi-purpose stadium and also an indoor arena to lure major pro sports. They build Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium under his successor Sam Massell; the OMNI Coliseum is built too, which serves as the home of the Hawks and the Flames. 

How are these stadiums funded?

Public financing in both instances. A little bit different in each case. Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the city approves a property tax. This is never how stadiums get funded now. This is very primitive, very early on in this. 

One thing I say, you look at the title of the book, and people may view it as being kind of a negative title. It's meant to provoke a particular time in Atlanta's sports history when the teams are struggling on the field and in the box office. In terms of the missteps, there really hadn't been expansion cities before. But a city having all of these major league teams all of a sudden, nobody had really done this before either from a civic leadership side or from the managing or organization of a team side.

So mistakes were made. The city and county end up adding a property tax to pay for Atlanta-Fulton County stadium. They learn from it by the second time around with the OMNI. The city helps to finance it. They basically borrow the money to make it possible, but the teams, in particular, Tom Cousins, who owns both the Hawks and Flames (his organization), end up footing the bill for the stadiums.

By the time they built the OMNI, they had in place a system that was able to limit taxpayer exposure, and that's a huge credit to Mayor Sam Massell.

What was the public reception like to 'Forward Atlanta'?

Great enthusiasm! It was very much a top-down thing. The politicians, the corporate leaders, and the big newspapers were all huge boosters of the stadium plan. People were very enthusiastic when the teams got to town.

But in part, because you have so many teams coming to Atlanta so quickly, their honeymoon gets shorter and shorter. You have so much product so soon, you have a town full of transplants, and it's a profoundly suburban area. Also, the teams tended to struggle on the field too.

So I'm a believer that the past is prologue. Do you see any trends from that period that are still around today?

In the 1960s, Atlanta got professional sports teams because they were the most progressive city in the south. When you choose to be part of a national conversation culturally, you have to have to respond to these cultural norms nationally. 

Think about the voting rights stuff going on with the Braves (All-Star Game). If you're part of the national story, what's happening locally is going to exist in these other things happening around the country. In some ways, I see a replay in terms of that.

Alright, I'm cutting off the interview right there because it's not fair to give away so much of this incredible book. I spent twenty minutes speaking with Clayton Trutor and left feeling totally inspired. He shared stories about Pete Maravich, politics, and how the town got dubbed 'Loserville.' Be sure to pick up a copy of Loserville: How Professional Sports Remade Atlanta.

 Photos

Pete Maravich, Jerry West / © Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports

March 20, 1973; Atlanta, GA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jerry West (44) is guarded by Atlanta Hawks guard Pete Maravich (right) during the 1973 season at the Omni.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar / © Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports

Nov. 11, 1972; Atlanta, GA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33) shoots over Atlanta Hawks center Walt Bellamy (8) at The Omni.

Hank Aaron / © Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports

Apr 8, 1974; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves outfielder Hank Aaron (44) rounds the bases after hitting career home run #715 and breaking the all-time career home run record previously held by Babe Ruth at Fulton County Stadium against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Fulton County Stadium / © Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Jan 22, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Scenes from the 715 Wall site of Hank Aaron s historic home run on the former grounds of Fulton County Stadium a previous home of the Atlanta Braves.

Phiel Nieko, Ted Turner / © Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Phil Niekro (35) at a ceremony with owner Ted Turner (right) at Fulton County Stadium.

O.J. Simpson / © Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports

Dec 2, 1973; Atlanta, GA, USA. Buffalo Bills running back (32) O.J. Simpson in action against the Atlanta Falcons at Fulton County Stadium.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks for Sports Illustrated's All Hawks. He has covered the NBA for several years and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)".

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