That Time Ted Turner (Briefly) Considered Changing the Braves Name

At the time of acquiring the Atlanta Braves, Ted Turner had an idea that they'd join the flock of other local sports names

When Ted Turner acquired the Braves, he considered a name change | Image originally published by the Atlanta Constitution

The Atlanta Braves mourn the loss of their former owner, Ted Turner, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 87. Upon his death, many started to look back at the stories that helped shape his legacy. One story that arose involved a brief idea that he didn't act on.

When he was finalizing his purchase of the team in 1976, Turner admitted he was considering a name change. He already had one in mind: The Eagles. While this is a name that immediately makes one think of the NFL team in Philadelphia, and then maybe Emory, Turner had a logical reason behind the choice.

For starters, Turner had nothing against the name Braves. According to the Atlanta Constitution, which has since merged with the Atlanta Journal, it was part of a vision to change the whole image of the team. He also felt that local teams of the same feather should flock together.

"That would tie in with the names of our other teams, the Hawks, the Falcons," he said in 1976. "I am thinking about changing the name, though, although legally, it would take a year to get it done."

A column in the paper the following day jokingly noted that the Firebirds would be more appropriate since Atlanta also had the Flames of the NHL.

At the time, the Atlanta Constitution lent some defense to the notion of changing the name. The team had gone through multiple names in its history, and they had abandoned the name "Braves" before. They've been the Beaneaters, Red Stockings, Reds (which has since been claimed elsewhere), Red Caps, Doves, Rustlers, and, mostly infamously, the Bees.

The Braves had been the name since 1941, though they went by that name previously from 1912 to 1935. Apart from a bee-related hiatus, they had been using the name for nearly 60 years. It was the name of the team when Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews and Warren Spahn represented them, and it had traveled to three different cities.

However, the name didn't have the same association with winning that it does now. While they won the World Series twice, along with four pennants and a division title with the name, they were mostly known for being a mediocre team.

They played second fiddle to the Red Sox in Boston, regardless of name. Following their appearance in the World Series in 1958 and their divison title in 1982, the Braves saw postseason action once in 1969. That was also the only time during that multi-decade stretch where they won 90 games or more.

The year before Turner acquired the Braves, they had finished 40 and a half games behind first. However, despite this limbo period for the team, Turner never circled back to the name change.

In time, the Braves' name built national recognition, being broadcast to millions coast to coast on the TBS Superstation. Eventually, it became associated with more Hall of Famers, one of the best starting rotations of all time and two more World Series titles.

It was an idea that Turner likely had no regrets leaving as an idea. That being said, he didn't fully give up on his idea of matching bird names. The succeeding NHL team in Atlanta, the Thrashers, which he owned at their inception in 1999, joined the flock.

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