Why Do Elite Groups Support The Growth Machine Hypothesis?

The growth machine hypothesis is very controversial, but it is also interesting to talk about. The majority of the elite groups as well as politicians make decisions based on the growth of their respective cities all the time. The elite groups have the majority of the say in regards to the growth of the cities in which they reside or work in. Politicians and these elite groups may be divided on political issues, but will usually agree that their cities need to be “growing” and when I say growing I mean urban development. (Logan&Harvey, 2007) I for one do not agree with the growth machine hypothesis, but I do understand how and why the elite groups do support the growth machine hypothesis. The elite groups are only out for their best interest,
which is to make more money with anything they are trying to build even if it hurts people. I do understand that cities are made to have growth, but there should be a better more moral way of doing it. I also know that not everyone can benefit from the growth machine, but still think that the elite groups need to make sure that the majority of people support the decision. People are affected badly sometimes with this urban growth and they can lose their beloved property and even be out of a job they once had.
I chose to concentrate on the Atlanta Braves move to Cobb County in 2017 as an example of a political decision in urban space. The Atlanta Braves have been in the Atlanta city limits since the city got the Braves in 1966 The Atlanta Braves have always been an Atlanta icon and have represented the city well. Recently, the Atlanta Braves organization has come up with a plan to move the team north to Cobb County. The new ballpark is scheduled to be open in 2017. I will say as a Braves fan that this new ballpark is exciting, because of all the perks and the fact that it is brand new. I am questioning a lot of things about the Atlanta Braves move to Cobb County. First I have found that Cobb County is asking for a lot of money for this new ballpark. Cobb County is looking to spend around 450 million dollars on this new ballpark. (Tomlinson, 2013) Spending that much money for a new ballpark is just insane when the old ballpark is just fine and is not that old. I find it interesting that Cobb County has been cutting other jobs such as teaching, but will build a ballpark for around 450 million dollars. (Tomlinson,2013 It is ridiculous that a county would place so much importance on a sports stadium instead of using that money for more important things such as peoples salaries, etc. (Tomlinson,2013) The upgraded new ballpark is a cool thing and I can see that something new is exciting, but I do not agree with it spending that much money. This is not a good thing because residents of Cobb County, including myself, are going to have to come up with money to pay for the new stadium. I do not think it is right to have to pay tax on a stadium even if that stadium has a lot of businesses surrounding it. I see that this new stadium is good for Cobb County’s economy, but it does not help the area where the old stadium was. The people that once worked at the old stadium will now be forced to commute north to go to work. My argument here is that people that worked at the old stadium in the city may not be able to work at the new stadium, which is about 15-20 miles away. I also argue that it is wrong to change venues just like that without the consent of the people it affects the most. I do know that once again the power elite are just making decisions that is based on what they can get out of it not the people.
It is also interesting how race plays into the decision to move from the inner city to the more affluent suburbs.
The city of Atlanta is known for being a historically African American city and Cobb County is around 65 percent white. (Tomlinson, 2013) I think race plays a role in the move because a majority of the Braves fans live north of the city in the more white sections of Metro Atlanta. It seems like the Braves move is only going to benefit the white fans that live north of the city and will make transportation a lot more difficult for the black residents that make up a majority of the population south of Cobb County. (Brown, 2013) Transportation has been an issue for the Braves for years because the stadium does not have a rail line coming to it. (Brown, 2013) The elite groups have used transportation as an excuse but I think that they want to separate the black fans from white fans. It seems like that they want to move the stadium away from an urban environment to cater to the more rural white fans. Another major factor about why this change is not good to me is because ticket prices are most likely going to go up (Tomlinson, 2013.) The move has not gone over that well with some of the people I have talked to because of the cost of the stadium and that the old stadium is not that old. People I have talked are just surprised that the stadium inside the city limits is now going to be in the suburbs. Another factor in the growth machine with the move of the Braves is that the richer suburbs near 285 will now get more jobs and benefit greatly and the area around the old stadium will lose a lot of jobs and other places. The main argument in my opinion by the elite groups is that the new stadium will be nicer and won’t be in a rundown section of town and I think that gets people excited about something new. When this stadium is build I think that there will be more negatives than positives. I think that the people kept the area around the stadium down just to
bring up this argument and that businesses could have easily bring in more stuff that attracts fans around the old stadium. From my experiences I have seen the city of Atlanta change bad neighborhoods around the city and turn them into a walking community or a community with parks that offer people something other than a rundown neighborhood. I really think they could have just kept the old stadium and could have just made changes to the area and to the stadium itself. In conclusion, I do not agree with the Atlanta Braves move to cobb county and think that it is morally wrong to just up and move somewhere without the consent of the people it affects.

Works cited:
"Braves Stadium FAQ." Braves Stadium FAQ. N.p., Aug.-Sept. 2014. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.
"Braves History." Atlanta Braves. Atlanta Braves, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2014.
Brown, Eric. "The Atlanta Braves' Move To Cobb County Is About Race, Not Transportation." International Business Times. Http://www.ibtimes.com/atlanta-braves-move-cobb-county-about-race-not-transportation-1470814, 14 Nov. 2013. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.
FoxAtlanta Staff. "Braves Leaving Turner Field, Building New Stadium in Cobb Co." Myfoxatlanta.com. Fox 5 Atlanta, Oct.-Nov. 2013. Web. Sept.-Oct. 2014.
Gillooly, John. "Cobb County: Home of the Braves - CUMBERLAND - If County Chairman Tim Lee and Atlanta Braves President John Schuerholz Get Their Way Cobb Will Be the Home of the Braves by 2017. That Was the Bombshell News Item out of Left Field That Rocked the Me..." The Marietta Daily Journal. The Marietta Daily Journal, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 26 Sept. 2014.
Logan, John R., and Harvey Luskin. Molotch. Urban Fortunes: The Political Economy of Place. Berkeley, CA: U of California, 2007. 50-51. Print.
Scott, Rose. "The Braves and the Move to Cobb County." WABE 90.1 FM. Http://wabe.org/topic/braves-and-move-cobb-county, 22 Sept. 2014. Web. 26 Sept. 2014.
Tomlinson, Tommy. "13 Ways Of Looking At The Atlanta Braves' Move To The Suburbs." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 26 Sept. 2014.