Clippings Monday, October 12, 2015 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Angels claim Cunningham off waivers from Braves

By David O'Brien - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Braves lost outfielder Todd Cunningham on waivers Friday to the , who claimed the 26-year-old rookie switch-hitter as their first player-personnel move under new general manager Billy Eppler.

Cunningham hit .221 (19-for-86) with four doubles, two stolen bases and a .457 OPS (.280 OBP) in 39 games in 2015, including 16 starts in left field, two in right field and one in center. The Jacksonville, Ala., native is strong defensive outfielder, particularly in left. His only other major league experience came in 2013, when he was 2-for-8 in eight games.

A second-round draft selection out of Jacksonville State in 2010, Cunningham spent most of the past three seasons in Triple-A, batting .261 with two homers, nine stolen bases and a .663 OPS in 375 plate appearances for Gwinnett in 2015.

Attendance, TV ratings follow Braves’ record down

By Tim Tucker - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Add these to the ugly statistics compiled by the worst Braves team in a quarter-century: the largest drop in the major leagues in local TV ratings and the second-largest drop in home attendance.

The Braves’ TV ratings in the Atlanta market plummeted 36 percent from 2014 levels, the largest percentage decline by any MLB team in its local market, according to a study by Sports Business Journal. And announced attendance fell by an average of 4,048 per home date this year, more than for any team except the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Braves’ total announced attendance of 2,001,392 was their lowest since 1990 and down almost half — 48 percent — from the franchise’s record high of 3.88 million in 1993. This year’s average of 25,017 per home date was down 14 percent from last year and down 20 percent from 2013.

In their next-to-last season in Turner Field, the Braves ranked 24th among the 30 MLB teams in attendance, compared to 18th in 2014 and 13th in 2013.

Per MLB policy, the Braves’ announced attendance represents tickets sold, not the number of people in the stadium. The Braves, like most pro sports franchises, don’t release their actual attendance figures. But multiple season-ticket holders have said the crowds appeared noticeably smaller than the announced figures for much of this season.

The Braves drew an average local TV rating of 1.81 on Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast (formerly SportSouth), meaning 1.81 out of 100 households in the Atlanta market watched on average, according to Sports Business Journal’s study of Nielsen ratings. The study didn’t include the final week of the season, when the Braves’ ratings were even lower, ranging from 0.5 to 1.3.

The Kansas City Royals had baseball’s highest local TV rating (12.33), while the had the lowest (0.82), according to SBJ. The Royals’ ratings were up 90 percent from last year and the White Sox’s was down 29 percent.

The had the highest home attendance (3.76 million) and the Tampa Bay Rays the lowest (1.25 million). The only team with a sharper attendance decline than the Braves in either average per home date or percentage, the Phillies, dropped 6,449 per date from 2014.

The Braves’ declines in attendance and TV ratings came as the team posted a 67-95 record, its worst since 1990, in the wake of trades that shed payroll and star-power while mostly bringing back prospects. The Braves ranked lower among MLB teams in player payroll at the start of this season (23rd) than in any season since the 1980s. The Braves are counting on their 2017 move to SunTrust Park in Cobb County to help boost attendance despite higher ticket prices. The Braves haven’t publicly disclosed all prices in the new stadium, but season-ticket holders have said lower-level seats between the dugouts are tripling in price, albeit with new premium amenities.

The Braves’ announced attendance was 3.46 million in their first season in Turner Field in 1997.

SunTrust Park will have about 41,500 seats, compared to Turner Field’s 50,000.

TRACKING BRAVES ATTENDANCE

Some highlights and lowlights of the Braves’ attendance history in Atlanta:

Year / Attendance / Comment

1966 / 1,539,801 / Team’s first season in Atlanta

1975 / 534,672 / Lowest attendance for a season in Atlanta

1979 / 769,465 / Eighth consecutive season under 1 million

1983 / 2,199,935 / Team’s first season over 2 million in Atlanta

1990 / 980,129 / Lost 97 games and finished last in division

1991 / 2,140,217 / The worst-to-first season

1992 / 3,077,400 / Franchise’s first season over 3 million

1993 / 3,884,720 / Still the franshise-record attendance

1997 / 3,464,488 / First season in Turner Field

2004 / 2,322,565 / 7th consecutive year of attendance declines

2007 / 2,745,210 / 3rd consecutive year of attendance increases

2013 / 2,548,679 / Won 96 games and division title

2015 / 2,001,392 / Lost 95 games; lowest attendance since 1990

Note: Before 1993, the announced attendance was the actual turnstile count. Starting in 1993, the announced attendance has been the number of tickets sold, whether used or not.

Atlanta Business Chronicle

Atlanta Braves Foundation makes 'all-time high' donation to 48 local non-profits

Phil W. Hudson - Staff Writer - Atlanta Business Chronicle

The Atlanta Braves Foundation will donate nearly half a million dollars through donations and grants to 48 local non-profit organizations.

The Braves reported that during the 2015 calendar year, its foundation raised $400,000, an all-time high, through annual programs such as the Atlanta Braves Foundation Weekend, Foundation Golf Classic, 50/50 Raffle and auctions throughout the season.

The 2015 Atlanta Braves Foundation Grants recipients and initiatives:

- Alive Ministries will purchase food and toiletries for the Save It Forward Initiative, which services children and families in need within the Cobb County School District.

- Anti-Defamation League will support the “No Place for Hate” anti-bullying initiative in schools.

- Arthritis Foundation will sustain and expand the Juvenile Arthritis programs and services, and improve the quality of life for families living with juvenile arthritis in Georgia. - Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities will provide a comfortable “home away from home” for 10 families who will travel to Atlanta to receive medical care for their children through the Adopt-A-Family program.

- Attachment & Trauma Network will support an interactive Therapeutic Parenting Skills Building Weekend for parents of traumatized/attachment- disordered children.

- Big Brothers Big Sister of Metro Atlanta will support initiatives for Bigs and Littles including Mentoring Toward College, Healthy Living/Big Fit, and Mentoring for Children of Prisoners.

- Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta will integrate healthy living values into an edible landscape community garden at Anderson Boys & Girls Club.

- Brian Jordan Back to the Future Foundation will support Camp Jordan, a free baseball clinic for more than 200 disadvantaged children.

- Bright Futures Atlanta will integrate technology into the after-school and summer programs.

- Camp Kudzu will support the diabetes management overnight summer education camping programs for children and teens with Type 1 diabetes.

- Camp Sunshine will enrich the lives of Georgia’s children with cancer and their families through year round recreational, educational and support programs.

- Center for Pan Asian Community Services will help disadvantaged Hispanic youth receive a high school diploma or a GED and obtain meaningful work through after-school and summer workshops.

- Center for the Visually Impaired will support programming specific to health and fitness education in the STARS After School Enrichment Program and STARS Summer Enrichment Camps for visually impaired students.

- Center for Working Families will support the development of “Dunbar University,” which promotes school readiness and family enrichment and healthy relationship workshops.

- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta will provide more than 600 bike helmets for the Safe Kids coalitions to distribute in an effort to promote bike safety.

- Christian Aid Mission Partnership will provide new shoes and backpacks filled with school supplies for disadvantaged youth.

- Cobb Alchohol Task Force will facilitate a Sources of Strength program in Marietta Middle and High Schools focusing on social issues such as bullying, substance abuse, suicide and violence.

- Cobb Community Foundation will provide diapers of all sizes to non-profit organizations and families in need.

- Cobb County Public Schools Educational Foundation will focus on college-readiness preparation by providing tutors and counseling for SAT/ACT exams and college planning during an after-school enrichment program.

- Cobb Health Future Foundations will support the Media Smart Youth Program that educates youth on media, physical activity and nutrition.

- Cool Girls Inc will support after-school Girls Clubs, Saturday fitness field trips and summer fitness programs.

- CURE Childhood Cancer will provide family meals at the Aflac Cancer Center through the Open Arms program.

- East Lake Foundation will purchase educational materials and program supplies for the RISE After School Program that serves children at Drew Charter School.

- Georgia Avenue Community Ministry will fund the Urban Recipe Food Cooperatives which feeds low-income families.

- Jack & Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation will help fund the WOW! Program, which provides memorable vacations for families dealing with cancer.

- Just Us Girls will increase educational support for girls, including SAT and ACT prep, etiquette classes and college tours.

- L.E.A.D. will support the organization’s year-round baseball and life-skills development program for middle and high school students in Atlanta.

- LaAmistad, Inc. will provide flash cards and books for students to utilize during the school year and the summer.

- Latin American Association will support the health and wellness component of the Latino Youth Leadership Academy.

- Lekotek of Georgia will provide children with limited mobility access to the world of play, learning and communication using only eye movement.

- Lutheran Services of Georgia will support the week-long day camp experiences for refugee children impacted by trauma. - Marietta Police Athletic League will fund the PAL EXCEL program designed to tackle the problems of childhood obesity and grant access to sports and recreation for low income families.

- Maynard Holbrook Jackson High School Athletic Boosters will provide an indoor retractable batting cage system, a baseball L-screen, and batting tees for baseball and softball athletes.

- Must Ministries will provide toys and essential winter items such as blankets, underwear, socks, hats, gloves, scarves, books and school supplies for youth and their families in Cobb and Cherokee counties.

- Piedmont Healthcare will support a low income family nutrition education program.

- Rally Foundation will support the Family Emergency Fund, which offers financial relief to families that have a child actively undergoing cancer treatment.

- Reach Out and Read will provide children’s books in pediatric waiting rooms to encourage literacy.

- Reconnecting Families will supply furniture, clothing, camps for children, and other basic household needs for disadvantaged families.

- Ser Familia will fund the Strengthening Families program which focuses on parenting skills, children’s life skills and family skills.

- Special Olympics - Georgia will help offset costs for youth to attend the Special Olympic Georgia State games.

- The Center for Children & Young Adults will provide dining tables and chairs for a youth shelter.

- The U.S. Fund for UNICEF will empower Atlanta-area kids to get active and help save the lives of children around the world this spring by taking on a unique challenge that will allow them to learn about the issues faced by their peers in other countries and make a difference just by running, playing and having fun.

- Tomorrow’s Champions will provide opportunities for girls to learn the fundamentals of softball and life skills.

- True Colors Theatre Company will provide free in-school theatre arts workshops for high school students.

- Villages at Carver Family YMCA will support the youth baseball initiatives at the Atlanta Braves Youth Baseball Academy.

- YWCA of Northwest Georgia will support summer programming for the children in YWCA’s domestic violence shelter and transitional housing.

- Youth Empowerment will support the YELLS Community Action Cafe, Afterschool Program, and Summer Programs for youth.

- YWCA of Greater Atlanta will provide new materials for the Early Learning Academy.

Since its inception in 1994, the Atlanta Braves Foundation has given $6 million to the community.

NPR Atlanta

Braves Didn’t Have Anyone For Fans To Root For, Analyst Says

By SHELBY LIN ERDMAN • OCT 9, 2015

The Atlanta Braves had an undeniably miserable 2015 season, winning just 65 games and losing 95.

Braves team president John Schuerholz talked about it last week during a Fox Sports South telecast.

“I’ve been here 25 year with this organization, and it’s the worst year I’ve experienced in my life with this organization and I’m sure the fans feel the same way,” Schuerholz told Fox.

But he also explained that the bad year wasn’t exactly unexpected, even though, he said he understood why fans were upset about it.

“This was a year that by design, we knew that we had to make some very aggressive and tough moves to get this organization positioned so that we could pivot in the fashion and in the direction we need to go, which is a positive direction like the Braves always have done,” Schuerholz said.

Making matters worse for the team, 2015 ticket sales were also down, hitting a 25 year low, as fans stayed away in droves.

“I think the biggest problem this past season was, not only the team was losing, there was really no one for fans to root for,” Atlanta sports journalist Brian Jones, with 24/7 Sports, said during an interview on “Closer Look.” “The team was just so different from where they were in the beginning of the year, when it comes to personnel,” Jones said.

“The fans, they didn’t know, they didn’t have anyone to support going forward,” he said.

Jones discussed the Braves, some of the players, and pro and college football on “Closer Look.”