SPOTLIGHT BASEBALL
BRAVES’ NEW WORLDWORDS BY SANDRA CARR
Disney’s Wide World of Sports finds a brave prize in its Cracker Jack box
In the Hollywood movie Field Of Dreams, Kevin Costner plays a farmer who builds a baseball diamond in the middle of a field in Iowa after a mysterious voice tells him, "If you build it, they will come”. This is pretty much what happened for real when Disney-which has spent 80 years making dreams come true-decided to build a showcase baseball stadium and sports complex in Orlando, Florida.
Less than a decade ago, sports fans in the region were confined to watching their favorite games on cable and network TV. If you were a basketball fan, then Orlando Magic covered your bases, but basketball aside, there was precious little sports action.
So the Walt Disney World Resort decided to entice fans by building a multi-million dollar, 200-acre sports complex. The Wide World of Sports Complex was officially opened in 1997 and now hosts more than 30 sports covering everything from soccer to tennis, athletics and even wrestling. Most of all though, its Cracker Jack Stadium gives baseball fans a venue to be proud of.
When information about the complex was sent out to a number of Major League Baseball teams before the stadi um opened, one team in particular expressed an interest. "The Atlanta Braves were looking for a site to relocate our spring training facilities because our long-term affiliation with the community of West Palm Beach was coming to an end,” says John Schuerholz, executive vice president and general manager of the Atlanta Braves. The team had shared their facility for the past 20 years with the Montreal Expos.
"It gave the Braves a chance to move a little bit closer to their fan base in Atlanta,” says Bill Hofheimer, managing sports editor with Walt Disney World’s media relations. "It also gave them their own state-of-the-art facility.”
After discussions it became clear that Walt Disney World and the Atlanta Braves were a perfect fit. "We shared the same goals,” says Hofheimer. "We want to offer a great guest experience and put the best team on the field.”
The Atlanta Braves opened the Complex with an exhibition game against the Cincinnati Reds on March 28th, 1997, and the stadium has been its permanent spring training home ever since.
The stadium’s unique design features green tile roofing and art deco touches that conceal a state-of-the-art facility with towering archways, deep seating bowl, classic lighting and first-class turf. With over 9,500 seats, four luxury sky boxes, and two open-air suites, the double-decker stadium is the tallest of all Major League Baseball spring training sites, and creates an atmosphere loved by fans and players alike.
"My personal view is that it is the best physical plant for training that exists in all of baseball,” says John Schuerholz, executive vice president and general manager of the Atlanta Braves.
The Disney and Braves teams have taken on different roles in order to ensure there’s always a great game. "The Braves basically handle the baseball side of it,” says Hofheimer. "The travel secretary works on the schedule during spring training as he would during the regular season when the Braves schedule their games at Turner Field. The day-to-day operations, logistics and facility management is done by our staff at the Complex.”
The two organizations regularly discuss ways to make spring training bigger and better. "Every year it seems the Braves are adding more and more elements, such as giving kids the opportunity to run the bases after all the home games,” says Hofheimer. Business aside, the fans enjoy having the opportunity to watch their favorite teams play in Orlando. "The Braves have a very passionate fan base and every year they become more and more familiar with the spring training operations and our facility,” says Hofheimer. "The Cracker Jack Stadium is a great plac e to watch spring training baseball games. You’re right on top of the action.”
The move has proved an outstanding success as visitors to Disney World Resort inevitably find their way to the stadium. Bar a blip caused by heavy rainfall in 2001, attendances have risen every year since the move. Last season, fans regularly packed the stadium and set a record with an attendance of over 136,000. Back in 2001, 11,000 fans packed the house when the Braves played the St. Louis Cardinals, the 2000 NL Division Champions. The presence of the Cardinals’ Mark McGwire, who hit 70 home runs the year before, no doubt helped.
With the acquisition of pitcher Tim Hudson, a lifelong fan and local boy, and the Braves looking to extend a record 13 consecutive division championships, there’s every expectation that new records will be set this season.
"Fans are becoming more familiar with our spring training experience.
But it’s not just about marketing, it’s also the benefit from the Braves being so successful,” says Hofheimer. In fact, it’s a dream come true.
Baseball fans can watch the Braves at Disney’s Wide World of Sports’ Cracker Jack Stadium during the 2005 spring season from March 2nd-31st. Season tickets or individual tickets can be purchased by calling 407-939-1500. The facility is located at 8669 Commodity Circle in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
2005 ATLANTA BRAVES SPRING TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Wednesday, March 2 - 1:05 pm Atlanta Braves vs. Georgia Tech
Friday, March 4 - 1:05 pm Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Sunday, March 6 - 1:05 pm Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets
Tuesday, March 8 - 1:05 pm Atlanta Braves vs. New York Yankees
Wednesday, March 9 - 7:05 pm Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros
Thursday, March 10 1:05 pm Atlanta Braves vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Saturday, March 12 - 1:05 pm Atlanta Braves vs. Detroit Tigers
Tuesday, March 15 - 1:05 pm Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Wednesday, March 16 - 7:05 pm Atlanta Braves vs. D.C. Baseball
Friday, March 18 - 1:05 pm Atlanta Braves vs. Cleveland Indians
Saturday, March 19 - 1:05 pm Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Sunday, March 20 - 1:05 pm Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Car dinals
Monday, March 21 - 1:05 pm Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Car dinals
Saturday, March 26 - 1:05 pm Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets
Tuesday, March 29 - 7:05 pm Atlanta Braves vs. Detroit Tigers
Thursday, March 31 - 1:05 pm Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros
Dates, times and opponents are subject to change