17 for ’17: Atlanta Says Farewell To The Georgia Dome
The Falcons’ home stadium opened in 1992, and played host to Summer Olympic events like Basketball and Gymnastics. The Georgia Dome was the site of two Super Bowls and three NCAA Final Four men’s basketball championships.
By 2010, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority formally unveiled plans that would ultimately lead to the construction of a new retractable-roof stadium and the implosion of the Georgia Dome.
The event made national headlines, largely because a MARTA bus infamously pulled in front of a Weather Channel camera and stopped just as the building started to come down.
A New Hope: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
The new Mercedes Benz Stadium had many conflict points in its path to construction, from tensions with Westside neighborhoods to problems with its retractable roof.
But inside the stadium, the year ended on a high note. Atlanta’s new soccer team, Atlanta United FC, had a better-than-expected season, broke attendance records, and made the Major League Soccer playoffs. Its success helped Mercedes-Benz Stadium land the 2018 MLS all-star game.
The Atlanta Falcons managed to push past the malaise many Super Bowl losers experience and get into the NFL playoffs by beating the Carolina Panthers December 31st at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
And 2018 could start with a bang, if the Georgia Bulldogs win the national championship football game at Mercedes Benz stadium on January 8th.
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