Poll reveals players want to play for the Atlanta Braves above any other team

The Athletic recently polled over 100 players on a variety of topics, and the Atlanta Braves as well as some of their players came out looking very nicely. Most notably, the pool of players was asked who they’d want to play for most if state taxes and rosters were not a factor. To which 12.7% of the players said the Atlanta Braves, which ranked first by quite a large margin. The Boston Red Sox were second, garnering 9.3% of the vote.

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1. Atlanta Braves — 12.7%
2. Boston Red Sox — 9.3%
3. Los Angeles Dodgers — 8.1%
4. Texas Rangers — 8.1%
5. New York Yankees — 6.9%
6. Chicago Cubs — 6.9%
7. San Diego Padres — 5.8%
8. Philadelphia Phillies — 4.6%

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It is a little bit surprising when considering the players were asked not to think about the current state of the roster. You’d think the Yankees might finish #1, or Dodgers or Red Sox. Teams that have a rich history and are constantly shown on national television. However, none of them really challenged the Braves in this poll, which says two things.

First and foremost, it shows the kind of nationwide brand the Braves have, which stems in large part from their time on TBS when Ted Turner owned the team. Braves baseball was broadcast nationwide, and because of that, they have a fanbase few others can match. There’s a reason why it seems like every player that comes to Atlanta talks about how they were a Braves fan growing up.

It’s also a testament to the winning culture that has been established in Atlanta for decades. It began in the early ’90s and has been passed on from Terry Pendleton to Chipper Jones to Freddie Freeman and now to guys like Austin Riley and Ronald Acuña Jr.

There’s a certain way the Atlanta Braves operate. It’s a looser clubhouse with an everlasting taste for winning baseball games. From the top down, everyone is pulling on the same rope, and ownership has done a great job giving Alex Anthopoulos everything needed to build a longstanding winning organization.

Even though the club is currently mired in a frustrating stretch of baseball, it’s difficult to complain too much about being an Atlanta Braves fan.

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Photo: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire