Photos by Dave Cottenie, Stadium Journey
State Farm Arena FANFARE Score: 3.86
State Farm Arena 1 State Farm Dr Atlanta, GA 30303
Year Opened: 1999
Capacity: 16,888
True To Atlanta
The latest hashtag campaign for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA pushes fans to be #TrueToAtlanta. The Hawks have been part of the Atlanta sports landscape since 1968 when they moved from St. Louis. The Hawks were founded as the Buffalo Bisons in 1946 and moved to Moline, Illinois to be the Tri-Cities Blackhawks after just 38 days. In 1951 the team moved to Milwaukee and dropped the Black to become just the Hawks and stayed until 1955 when they moved to St. Louis. Their only appearance in the NBA Finals saw them victorious in 1958 behind the massive scoring of Bob Pettit. Key to the Hawks development was the purchase of the team by Ted Turner in 1977. The Hawks were Turner’s first venture into sports and he owned them until 2004 when they were sold to Time Warner. The Hawks had some success in the eighties with Dominique Wilkins, their best player in franchise history, but unfortunately they could not get past Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Currently the Hawks are mired in mediocrity under the ownership group led by Tony Ressler, who purchased the team in 2015.
Home for the Hawks is State Farm Arena. Built in 1999 as Philips Arena, it replaced the iconic Omni. The arena is owned by the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority and after a couple of renovations has a current capacity of 16,600. State Farm purchased the naming rights to the arena in 2018. Taking in a Hawks game is a great experience, despite the woes of the Hawks.
Food & Beverage 5
State Farm Arena offers a major league concession selection. Zac Brown’s Social Club, Hawk Walk Market, Smoothie King and Chick-Fil-A are just the tip of the iceberg that fans can find at State Farm Arena. State Farm Arena also offers seating areas, similar to a food court. Some items that have been added to the menus this season include Buffalo Cauliflower Bites, Lemon Pepper Loaded Footlong, Smashburger and ATL Hot Chicken Tenders. Coca-Cola is, of course, the soft drink of choice at State Farm Arena and there are a number of different bars that offer a host of mixed drinks as well as a variety of beer.
Atmosphere 4
State Farm Arena offers a very unique exterior. Since the area is seemingly built on platforms that facilitate parking facilities and infrastructure for the arena and stadium, State Farm Arena has a bit of an understated look to it, feeling low profile from the main entry on the southwest side. The arena is renowned for the canopy in the front held up by support beams spelling Atlanta. Fans will no doubt want to check out the bronze statue of Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins, which stands in front of the main entrance. There is also a statue of Evander Holyfield that stands near the escalator from the MARTA.
Inside State Farm Arena, the concourses are a bit of a maze which deftly drive traffic into key areas, such as the team store. There are a few large seating areas near concession stands that give the area a bit of a food court feel. There are plenty of Atlanta and Hawks markings in the concourse and there are plenty of things to see for fans walking around. Inside the seating bowl, fans will find that the court is northwest to southeast oriented, and the best spot for the center court logo is from the southwest side. Hanging in the rafters at the southeast is the 1958 NBA Championship banner as well as a banner signifying the twelve Division Titles (six from each of St. Louis and Atlanta). On the northwest side are the banners for the retired numbers which include Bob Pettit, Lou Hudson, Pete Maravich, Dikembe Mutombo, Dominique Wilkins and owner Ted Turner. Above center court is a huge, state-of-the-art, four sided videoboard. Four other videoboards are found in the four corners of the arena and display ads and statistics throughout the game. The lower bowl is a typical configuration with the Delta Sky 360 Club at floor level of the northwest end. The upper and lower levels are split by luxury boxes. The upper levels are also in four distinct areas, separated at the corners by videoboards.
The gameday production at a Hawks game is not dissimilar to that of other NBA teams. There is near constant motion and stimulus, almost to the point of being overwhelming. The mascot, Harry the Hawk, takes part in the pregame ceremonies and other promotions on the court. The ATL Dancers perform in the pregame and during breaks in play. An interesting aspect of the gameday production is a member of the ownership group, actress Jami Gertz, takes part in the Swag Surf where she dances and leads the crowd on the court with Harry the Hawk.
Neighborhood 5
State Farm Arena is located in Downtown Atlanta, an underrated tourist destination. Being Downtown in a major metropolitan city offers a number of options for pre or post-game food and drink. Some options close by include Max’s Coal Oven Pizza, The Food Shoppe, Sway, Polaris and Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint. There are a bunch of other sporting options in Atlanta. The Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC play right next door to State Farm Arena at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This is also the annual home of the Peach Bowl, now part of the College Football Playoff. The Atlanta Braves play outside of the Atlanta city limits in Cumberland. Other options include the Atlanta Dream and Georgia Swarm and Gwinnet Stripers. College sports are also prevalent with Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football, basketball and baseball and Georgia State Panthers football, basketball and baseball among other sports. There are also a ton of other tourist options in Atlanta. Fans should consider checking out the World of Coca-Cola, Georgia Aquarium, Olympic Park and College Football Hall of Fame. There are plenty of hotel options that are close. The Omni is an iconic Atlanta staple. Other options close by include Holiday Inn, Hyatt and Marriott.
Fans 3
For an NBA team, the Hawks have not blown the door off of the turnstiles. It is not surprising due to decades of mediocrity at best. At the time of writing, the Atlanta Hawks averaged over 16,200 fans per game. The previous season, 2023-24, the Hawks averaged 16,900. Although both of these figures are close to capacity, the eye test shows a big difference between these figures and the butts in seats. The Hawks are close to the basement in the NBA for attendance and have a fairly passive fan base.
Access 4
State Farm Arena is located in Downtown Atlanta, north of Centennial Olympic Park Drive and west of Marietta Street SW. It is west of Highway I-85 and north of I-20. Getting to the arena is not too difficult if sufficient time is given, but Atlanta traffic can definitely be an issue. There are a number of surface lots and parking garages downtown. Pre-purchasing parking using an appropriate app is probably the best idea for new fans. The parking deck just southwest of the main entry at Centennial Olympic Park Drive is a very convenient option. For fans wishing to take public transit, the MARTA station is right there. Fans should check the MARTA website for fares, schedules and maps. Inside State Farm Arena, the concourses are a bit maze-like and confusing to get around, however the concourses do offer plenty of space. The washroom facilities are adequate for the facility.
Stadium Journey recognizes that the security protocols for major sporting events are in constant flux. Stadium Journey strongly recommends consulting the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena websites for the most up to date security information including prohibited items and bag policy.
Return on Investment 3
NBA experiences are expensive and the Atlanta Hawks are no different. The 2023 Fan Cost Index for the Hawks was $232, which is below league average, but still a steep price. This puts them as the 24th most expensive experience. Tickets for the Hawks generally start at $43 for the upper ends going to $82 for other spots in the upper bowl. For the lower bowl, tickets range from $125 to over $425. Parking in the surrounding area will probably cost around $30 and concession prices are expensive, what one would expect for a major league experience. The return for the investment is good, but the cost is prohibitive for fans to consider multiple games per season.
Extras 3
An extra mark for the beams in front of the State Farm Center spelling Atlanta.
An extra mark for the homage to the iconic Omni over the MARTA escalator.
An extra mark for the view of the Atlanta skyline from the interior of State Farm Arena.
Final Thoughts
Fans will definitely have a good time when taking in an Atlanta Hawks game. The State Farm Arena is a solid sports destination and great spot to take in a basketball game. More success on the court for the Hawks would definitely improve the experience but either way, the Hawks remain True to Atlanta.
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