In Milwaukee, the Braves’ attendance had fallen precipitously from its highs of the late 1950s, and Bartholomay felt the market’s potential was geographically limited because of the two Chicago teams nearby. The Braves seemed to be the logical one.” Atlanta made it perfectly clear to me that given a preference, they wanted a National League team. “The two teams that had leases that were about to run out at the time were our team and the Indians. … To make a commitment to build a stadium on spec with no team involved was pretty gutsy, to say the least. “Atlanta was going to take the lead in a lot of things - the new economy and the new South and whatnot - and part of that was professional sports. “They made it very clear that the stadium was going to be completed, with or without a tenant,” Bartholomay recalled in the 2015 interview. It was at the 1963 MLB All-Star Game in Cleveland that Bartholomay started to think seriously about relocating the team to Atlanta. Atlanta sent a delegation to the All-Star festivities to make sure MLB understood that the city wanted a team and would build a 50,000-seat stadium for it. His group bought the Braves in 1962 from Lou Perini, who had moved the franchise from Boston to Milwaukee in 1953. “And I think (major-league sports) helped make Atlanta what it is today.” “Frankly, we thought it was a very great opportunity for baseball, 100 years after Reconstruction, to kind of lead professional sports on a regular-season basis into the southeastern part of the United States,” Bartholomay told the AJC in 2015. The Braves' arrival was followed five months later by the debut of the Falcons, an NFL expansion team, and 2-1/2 years later by the relocation of the Hawks from St. Bartholomay would come to meet all 10 commissioners in MLB history, working closely with many of them.īartholomay was just 37 years old when the Braves moved to Atlanta, becoming the first big-league sports franchise in the Southeast. As a kid, Bartholomay met the first baseball commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Bartholomay was captain of his high school basketball team, but even then he liked baseball better.īartholomay’s parents were friends of the Wrigley family, longtime owners of the Chicago Cubs. His father and grandfather were successful in the insurance brokerage business. 11, 1928, grew up in Winnetka, Ill., just outside Chicago. I'm as enthusiastic (about the sport) now as I was then." "I was an honorary Cubs bat boy when I was 9 years old. "Baseball has been a great part of my life," Bartholomay said in a 2015 interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was chairman of the Braves’ board of directors until 2003, when he became chairman emeritus, and was a trusted confidante and adviser of high-ranking Braves and MLB executives through the years. Throughout Turner’s ownership, and then Time Warner’s and Liberty Media’s, Bartholomay was actively engaged with the Braves, often traveling to Atlanta from his Chicago home or elsewhere to attend games or meetings. He loved everything about it, including the hot dogs.” I think he got energy just from being at the ballpark. “Baseball was his truest passion, and how lucky for him he got to work in his passion,” Niemie, one of Bartholomay’s five children, said Thursday. But Bartholomay’s enthusiasm for baseball - and especially for the Braves - remained strong four-plus decades after selling the team. He gave me advice about certain things.”īartholomay’s ownership group sold the Braves to Ted Turner for $11 million in 1976, in part because some of the partners’ enthusiasm for their investment had waned. “He is going to surely be missed,” Aaron said. “He was dearly a friend of mine. He helped me out a lot. But, recalling Bartholomay’s leadership in bringing the Braves here, Aaron said: “If it had not been for Bill, it would have a whole different ballgame.” If not the Braves, Atlanta obviously would have gotten another major-league baseball team at some point. He was very excited for opening day.”īartholomay, a Chicago insurance brokerage executive, led a group that purchased the Milwaukee Braves for $6.2 million in 1962, decided in 1964 to relocate the franchise to Atlanta and fought Wisconsin court battles to complete the move in 1966. “He toured the new facility and thought it was incredible. “He met with the players and had dinner with all of the Braves front office,” she said. Niemie said the annual trip to spring training meant a lot to her father. And I appreciated everything that he did for me.” He really loved the ballclub,” Aaron said Thursday.
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