The Worst Two Weeks in Georgia Sports History?

I ask the question, “Is this the worst two weeks in Georgia sports history?” The question has been poised several times on Twitter and I believe that I first saw it on Facebook. It all began on Sunday night Sept. 29 when our Falcons lost to the New England Patriots 30-23 at home despite the fact that they were 3 point favorites. Skip over to Saturday, October 5 when Georgia won a tight battle with Tennessee 34-31 but lost three playmakers to season ending injuries. Georgia Tech, on the other hand, lost to Miami 45-30 after it could not hold a 17-7 lead.

With no Falcons game on Sunday, October 6, we all stayed up fairly late to watch our Braves lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers 13-6. This was a game that was never close. It was a pivotal game that the Braves needed to win.

On Monday Night October 7, in front of a national television audience, the Falcons lost to the lowly New York Jets 30-28. The Falcons were a 10 point favorite and blew several leads. Expectations for another Super Bowl run started fading very quickly. I felt sorry for Tony Gonzalez and I wondered if he regretted coming back for another season.

Later that evening, the Braves blew an 8th inning 3-2 lead as baseball’s best closer, Craig Kimbrel stood in the bullpen and watched the 2-run homerun sail over the fence. I read that several people said that it was the first time that the Falcons and Braves seasons ended on the same day. Once again, huge expectations for the Braves and Falcons only to watch the opponents celebrate victories at our expense.

This Saturday, October 12 watched the Georgia Bulldogs hopes of a National Championship run fade with the sunset. Missouri waltzed in Sanford stadium a 7.5 point underdog and took advantage of Georgia defense that couldn’t stop a runny nose and made the most of four Georgia turnovers and won 41-26.

Later in the evening, Georgia Tech lost to BYU 38-20 for its third loss of the season. Once again, disappointment is the theme of Georgia Tech fans as their triple option offense sputters along.

To answer the question, yes. In terms of expectations, this has to be the worst 2 weeks in Georgia sports history. But, should it be a disappointment? There is a reason why Atlanta, Georgia has been given the name, Loserville. Our teams lose and lose often especially in the playoffs and big games.

The Atlanta professional sport franchises arrived in Atlanta in 1966. The Braves regular season record for its 48 years is 3,960-3,671, a .519 winning percentage. It’s a winning franchise but its playoff record is abysmal. The Braves are 65-75 in post season action and have lost 8 straight playoff series. The Atlanta Falcons regular season record is 313-406-6 which is a .436 winning percentage. Playoff record is no better than the Braves as the Falcons are 7-12 in post season action. The Atlanta Hawks are 1,806-1,846 with a .495 regular season winning percentage. The Hawks’ playoff record is 79-127 and have only won 13 playoff series out of a whopping 42.

Here are the other Atlanta sport franchise records: Flames 270-275-108 (.496), Thrashers 342-441-103 (.444), Atlanta Dream 110-122 (.474), Chiefs 97-107-51 (.480). Overall, all Atlanta professional sport franchises are 7,049-7,077-268 (.499). The Atlanta Braves have the only major professional world championship in 1995 but the Atlanta Chiefs did win the NASL in 1968. The Falcons made it to the Super Bowl in 1998 but the Hawks have never made it to the NBA Finals.

College sports, on the other hand, have been more successful than their professional counterparts. Going back to 1966, the Georgia Football team is 396-165-10 (.702) with one National Championship in 1980. Dating back to 1966, Georgia Tech’s baseball team is 1,632-869-4 (.652) and have a College World Series runner-up in 1994. Georgia Tech’s football team holds a record of 293-250-7 (.539) and have one National Championship in 1990. Georgia’s Baseball team from 1966 to 2013 is 1,306-1,136-6 (.535) with a CWS win in 1990 and a runner up showing in 2008. Georgia Tech’s basketball team is 769-671 (.534) during the same period and have two final four appearances and one runner-up in 2004. Georgia’s basketball team is 756-708 (.516) and have one final four appearance in 1983. Overall, Georgia and Georgia Tech’s six sport teams are a combined 5,152-3,799-27 (.575). It’s safe to say they are winners, but have only 3 national championships to show for it.

I believe it’s reasonable to expect victories from college sports teams but expecting playoff wins from our professional sports is something else. There used to be a bumper sticker in 70’s/80’s that said, “Go Braves and take the Falcons with you!”