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The Sporting Statues Project ‘The monuments erected by a people… reveal who the people really are.’ Kirk Savage, Monument Wars: Washington, D.C ., the National Mall, and the Transformation.

Why Aaron stayed in Atlanta and Cobb didn’t go to Cobb County: when baseball statues meet ballpark relocation

The Sporting Statues Project North America’s Baseball Statuary

Project goals and progress 258 subject- specific statues Documenting statuary: www.sportingstatues.com or statue groups Statue databases for UK sport, US baseball, world 46 statues with cricket, and world football. Providing context for case anonymous studies, a resource for further research collaborations subjects (contact us if interested!), a site for disseminating 225 distinct research – and some entertainment! subjects depicted 95% of statues Developing theory around existence and form: erected since 1990, 75% since Ten papers and book chapters published, collectively Further information on every statue at 2000 assessing genre history, design, process, motivations, and www.sportingstatues.com subject selection.

North America’s Baseball Statuary North America’s Baseball Statuary

With 144 (56%) of subject-specific statues, as well as 17 anonymous statues, MLB ballparks are the most common location. Only the A’s, the Location types Mets*, the Marlins and the Rays** don’t have at least one ballpark statue!

MLB/MiLB Ballpark? City/Town of birth? School/College? Franchise or National Museum/Hall of Fame Gallery? Graveyard? Commercial?

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North America’s Baseball Statuary Moving statues?

However ballparks are not What happens to ballpark statues when a permanent. In past 30 years, 23 franchise leaves the ballpark? franchises have moved to a Move with the franchise to its new home - Moveable new ballpark, some twice! For Stay where it is - Immovable many this is their third or fourth Move somewhere else - Removeable home in franchise history…

Moving statues? Moving statues?

Decision on what happens to statue when a As of March 2021, 32 potential statue moves franchise moves is related to ownership of the associated with ballpark move statue. Ownership may be contested between… 28 statues moved with franchise (most recently, the franchise Ryan, Vandergriff, fan memorial at Texas Rangers) fans local residents 4 statues didn’t move… city authorities

Robinson Kerr Aaron Cobb

Atlanta Braves Atlanta Braves

Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966 Moved next door to Turner Field (Olympic Stadium) in 1996 Atlanta mayor Ivan Allen saw Major League sport as key to At this time the Braves already had progressing racial integration three statues: Ty Cobb (1977), Hank and boosting the city’s profile Aaron (1982), Phil Niekro (1986) and prosperity Fourth statue, Warren Spahn added Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in 2003 (AFCS) was typical 1960s multi- use concrete bowl stadium - but built in a central location

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Atlanta Braves Atlanta Braves Statues

In 2013 Braves announced move out of city to a In 2015, the Atlanta media began to report disputes new ballpark in Cobb County, for 2017. Why? regarding the fate of the Aaron and Cobb statues… Traffic problems Mostly white fans, mostly drawn from Northern suburbs as opposed to majority black districts by Turner Field Desire to create ballpark village with retail/hospitality/real estate around ballpark Turner Field surrounded by freeways and districts seen as unsuitable for such development… Ty Cobb, 1977 (Felix De Weldon) Hank Aaron, 1982 (Ed Dwight Jr)

Atlanta Braves Statues Atlanta Braves Statues

Ty Cobb, 1977, by Felix de Weldon. One of earliest Cobb never played for Braves or in Atlanta ballpark statues Reputation tarnished by (largely fraudulent) Funded by banker/politician Mills B Lane Jr, who biographies planned a series of statues to celebrate Franchise at time had no obvious heroes to be Georgian sporting heroes bronzed - apart from Hank Aaron At that time the Braves Braves’ owner Ted Turner publically questioned (and NFL franchise who the city’s decision to erect a statue of Cobb shared the stadium) were struggling… Turner suggested that, if he ran the city, the statue might be replaced with one of Aaron

Atlanta Braves Statues Atlanta Braves Statues

Hank Aaron, 1982, by Ed In 2014 Braves said they were taking Aaron, Dwight Jr Niekro, Spahn statues with them to Cobb County $85000 cost raised by City wanted Aaron statue to stay at Turner Field, public donations and which was acquired by Georgia State Uni’ (GSU) fundraising events Fans divided, but largely embarassed by dispute Statue gifted to public body Aaron drawn into row “On one hand, I think the statue who managed the stadium should be wherever the baseball park is, wherever the Depicts Aaron hitting his Braves are playing… but on the other, the statue was paid 715th home run at the AFCS for by fans… so if you had to think about it, it all belongs to Atlanta, to the people of Atlanta”

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Atlanta Braves Statues Atlanta Braves Statues

In 2016 city authority claimed to have found Meanwhile Braves declared that they were not documentation proving they owned the statue taking Cobb statue with them – because they didn’t own it! The Braves argued that Aaron should decide statue’s fate, City Authority didn’t want it either… but faced with negative Nor did GSU… publicity in putting a city hero in an impossible position they In the words of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, backed down and “Everybody wants The Hammer, commissioned a new Aaron nobody wants The Peach” statue for their new ballpark

Atlanta Braves Statues Conclusions

The Ty Cobb museum in his home town of Statues act as political symbols, monuments not Royston, GA were very upset by this! just of celebrated figures, but to values that society wishes to preserve and celebrate, and, They asked for the by dint of absence or removal, those they wish statue to be moved to forget or ignore to Royston, and it was re-erected The Braves’ intentions for their statues upon there in 2017 their move from Turner likewise tell much about which parts of their past they wanted to celebrate at their new ballpark

Conclusions Conclusions

Ty Cobb’s statue was removeable, his legacy Since erecting Cobb’s statue, treated as best forgotten Atlanta Braves acquired franchise heroes, and no Braves did not attempt to claim ownership, longer needed a tainted home- unlike with Aaron’s statue state legend for reflected glory Cobb’s statue inherited from a past in which his To reinforce this point, after sullied reputation was possibly less embedded arriving in Cobb County the Unsurprising that the city of Atlanta/the stadium Braves unveiled a statue of authority didn’t fight to retain the statue either Bobby Cox, their most successful manager

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Conclusions Conclusions

Cobb’s transmutation to ‘hometown hero’ mirrors Cobb gives Royston an identity, a unique brand, non-franchise-funded baseball statues, often a sense of place and history found in small towns, where a home-grown The rehabilitation of Cobb’s sculpture forms part sports star is biggest claim to fame (e.g., Christy of Royston’s campaign to rehabilitate Cobb Matthewson in Factoryville, PA) Coinciding with Charles Leerhsen’s recent Civic-sited sports statues are less common in big research that supports a more cities, where there will be a wider choice of generous interpretation of potential heroes from politics, industry and Cobb’s life, rescuing his statue provided celebrity - and where political considerations over a perfect opportunity for who is honoured may face greater scrutiny further civic boosterism

Conclusions Conclusions

Osmond (2007) describes statues as ‘hollow The arguments over the original Aaron statue at icons’ – they can simultaneously hold different Turner Field cut to the heart of conflicts around meanings for different groups - which is part of who actually owns a sports organisation their appeal to sports organisations Fans regularly visiting Turner Field, and A sports statue allows different communities that therefore seeing Aaron’s statue, were a largely coalesce around a sports organisation to distinct entity from residents living within walking simultaneously perceive ownership of the distance of Turner Field but who rarely visited team’s heritage, identity and territory, so moving the ballpark (and, indeed, from out-of-town fans that statue disrupts multiple claims and who interact purely through broadcast media assumptions, reopening divisions and conflict

Conclusions Conclusions

Aaron’s statement that “the statue was paid for by Given Aaron’s status as a black hero and barrier fans… it all belongs to all Atlanta”, so conflating breaker, and the predominantly afro-American these groups, made little sense when donations ethnicity of Turner Field’s neighbouring districts, were collected in 1982, but even less in 2017 this might seem surprising Ironically neither the Braves nor the stadium Yet with the stadium site marooned within authority sought opinions of fans or local residents freeways, few local residents would encounter the for or against the statue being removed statue unless attending a ball game Nor were fans or local residents particularly vocal A monument invisible to a community cannot in terms of organised protests, threads on social become symbolic media or comments reported in the media

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Conclusions Conclusions

Civic figures were the most vocal in the statue One can never ignore issues of race in Atlanta dispute, notably the mayor and stadium authority Million dollar sports franchise with predominantly No economic motivation to keep statue. Artwork white ownership and fans, were leaving a majority was gifted to them. In fact a maintenance cost black city for a prosperous suburb - and trying to take the statue of a black hero with them The stadium authority most likely fought to keep the statue for symbolic political reasons This offered the city authority a free hit in terms of Braves deserted Atlanta city for suburbs being seen to defend black interests. If they were unable to keep baseball in Atlanta, they could at Aaron’s statue became the possession that divorcing couples fight over with far greater venom than its least retain baseball’s and Atlanta’s black heritage material value merits

Conclusions Conclusions

The replacement Aaron statue is a more New Aaron statue at Truist Park depicts this same appropriate totem for the Braves new home… scene, carrying this achievement to a new site Aaron’s statue at Turner Field, and the plaque that Plaque lists just Aaron’s accompanied it, carried multiple messages name and sculptor Ross heroic figure, Rossin, neglecting both the site and city of Aaron’s barrier breaker, monumental homer, and specific moment of record-breaking glory – Aaron’s his role in the integration 715th home run, an individual feat that could be cast as of a populace previously segregated along racial a Braves’ achievement lines

Conclusions Conclusions

Truist Park is in outer-suburbia: the precincts …but also the suitably sanitized environment, surrounding it, whilst built in a retro style, are new which has none of the edginess, grime, or wear Other MLB franchises have built retro ballparks, and tear of true urbanity essentially faux-heritage stadiums, within authentic The new Aaron statue at downtown locations Truist Park, similar in style to The Braves built an entire that left in Atlanta, but cleaner, faux-heritage neighbourhood shinier, on Braves’ land around their ballpark! and under their ownership, is the perfect fit They control of all aspects of this ersatz locale, most crucially income streams…

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Forthcoming Book Chapter The Sporting Statues Project Stride, C.B. (in press) Movable, removable - or Dr Chris Stride and Dr Ffion Thomas immovable? Baseball statues and ballpark relocation. In Resources and publications: Ramshaw, G. & Gammon, S., ed. Baseball and Heritage: Articles (academic and populist) and the statues People, Place, and Promotion. Bloomsbur y Academic, database can be found at www.sportingstatues.com London, UK. Contact details: [email protected] @sportingstatues @ChrisStrideFIO

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