Georgia’'s Sports Teams Heating Up

ATLANTA, October 23, 2008 - From the top of the largest cable-supported domed stadium in the world to the turf that is home to the winningest high school football program in history, Georgia's sports teams across the state provide electrifying entertainment for everyone. Grand venues along with great teams impress live audiences and add to the excitement. Take the Atlanta Braves, for example, who won an unprecedented 14 consecutive division titles – something no other professional sports organization has ever done – while moving into a new ballpark that was originally built for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. And even though baseball season is coming to a close, there are plenty of sports leagues and teams that have just started. Sensational rookie quarterback Matt Ryan is leading the Atlanta Falcons to some exciting victories this year, including a last-second, 22-20 win over the Chicago Bears, defying predictions and making Atlanta one of the promising teams in the NFL. With a new coach, a new quarterback, and a new general manager, Atlanta appears to be on the verge of becoming a full-fledged football powerhouse. But professional football is just the tip of the iceberg in the Peach State for fans who want to get out and see some action. The University of Georgia's (UGA) football team has spent the first part of the season bouncing around the top 10 spots in all of the major national polls; Georgia Tech is nipping at their heels with a strong record and some big wins; and defending Division II national champion Valdosta State University has proven itself one of the strongest Div. II football programs in the country, winning two of the past four national titles. And speaking of Valdosta, ESPN has officially declared the city to be 'TitleTown USA' because of its tradition of sports dominance. Stop by for some action at Valdosta High School, boasting 116 regional and state championships, many of them coming from its football team which has more wins than any other school in history. Or check out Lowndes High School, recently the state's most dominant football program winning 3 of the past 4 state titles. Every year the Georgia Dome hosts the highest attended and highest rated non-BCS bowl game, the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, which last year drew more than 75,000 spectators. Tickets are hard to come by: it has sold out for the past 11 seasons straight! There are even more football experiences, including Gwinnett's Georgia Force and the Columbus Lions, both arena football teams, and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Football National Championship at Historic Barron Stadium in Rome on December 20th. The Atlanta Hawks are back in action after an exciting finish last season, which ended after Atlanta won all its home playoff games against the eventual champions, the Boston Celtics, to push the series to a final game seven in New England. While the Hawks did not defeat the Celtics, they did boast the largest crowd ever for a Hawks game in Philips Arena, which was packed with over 20,000 cheering fans. Home games should be a blast again this year, with Georgians excited to see if the Hawks can repeat their playoff berth for the second time this century. The Hawks are not the only game in town: basketball fans have hundreds of high school, college, and professional games at their fingertips this season. The Atlanta Vision and Georgia Gwizzlies are American Basketball Association teams that play at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, and the Macon Coliseum in Macon, respectively. Georgia Tech and UGA have competitive men's and women's basketball squads, and games are always exciting to see in person. Hockey has a strong presence in Georgia, with a number of professional and semi-professional teams playing at different venues around the state. The Atlanta Thrashers compete in the National Hockey League in Philips Arena downtown, while the Gwinnett Gladiators and Augusta Lynx are both members of the 'Premier AA' hockey league in North America, the East Coast Hockey League. The Southern Professional Hockey League is also represented by the Columbus Cottonmouths. Many Georgia colleges have hockey teams, and student leagues for all ages have both boys' and girls' squads in all corners of the state. Dozens of racetracks dot Georgia's map, featuring everything from ¼ mile baked clay ovals to rambling, asphalt road courses. For decades, these tracks have entertained Georgians from the crisp mountain air to the salty coastal wind. Stop by the Roebling Road Raceway just 20 miles from downtown Savannah, with over 2 miles of challenging road course to contend with. Or, watch the Pep Boys Auto 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, the next race for the championship in the Sprint Cup Series. No overview of sports attractions to see this season could be complete without mentioning the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in Macon. Home of the state's 'best of the best' in sports, the museum features timeless moments and artifacts from more than 300 inductees, such as baseball legends Hank Aaron and Ty Cobb, golf prodigy Bobby Jones, racing's all-time most popular driver Bill Elliot, and college football's greatest individual award namesake John Heisman. At the museum, you can get a taste of all of the state's sports heroes. Georgia offers sports entertainment for everybody. Atlanta claims a professional level team grappling in every major sport currently in season. Far from being satisfied with a few professional teams however, Georgia has given rise to celebrated high school, semi-pro and alternative professional teams all over the state, giving people a unique opportunity to see quality sports competition in person, regardless of where they are. Find exciting sports filled day trips and weekend getaways on www.exploregeorgia.org. The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development.