Cobb County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a request for $2 million to cover expenses for the Major League Baseball All Star game at the Atlanta Braves’ Truist Park in July.
Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said that the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to plan protection for visitors and that the economic impact of the All Star game could be at the lower end of the $37 million to $190 million range cited in a memo from the county’s finance director last week. Those numbers were provided by the Major League Baseball.
Commissioners approved the money for the safety measures Tuesday evening.
Earlier Tuesday, longtime Braves’ executive Mike Plant told commissioners that the game will be “the first global event” held in North America with full capacity crowds since COVID-19 caused major sports venues to close last year.
Even at a third of the crowd size that Plant projected, Cupid said the $2 million, which will mostly cover security costs, was a worthwhile expense.
“Safety to us is paramount,” Cupid said. “We are going to be not only on a national scene but potentially an international scene with this event. We just want to make sure that Cobb County is safe for our residents and our visitors, and that we continue to maintain our brand of being a well run county to the world.”
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