Dex Ponce: 'Powerhouse' Is Doing a Lot of Heavy Lifting

Atlanta Magazine says this city is a "sports powerhouse." I have questions.

United is 3-2-9. Fourteenth in the East. Kicked out of their own stadium for six consecutive road games so the World Cup could use it. Mercedes-Benz Stadium drew 68,000 for Argentina-Egypt. United's last home crowd was 35,308. The building is a powerhouse. The team that plays there is not.

The Hawks furnished their roster like a short-term rental. McCollum, Landale, Hield — all one-year leases. Name a powerhouse that rents its own starting lineup.

The Falcons haven't picked a quarterback. Camp opens July 29. Tua or Penix — TBD.

The Braves are 54-38 and in first place. That's the best case for "powerhouse." It's also the most Atlanta case possible — the strongest team in the city and nobody outside the 285 noticed.

I'm 62% sure "powerhouse" is the wrong word. Centennial Yards is $5 billion of real concrete. England-Argentina is three days away. The infrastructure is undeniable.

But infrastructure is not championships. Hosting is not winning.

Atlanta is the best sports venue in America. That is not the same sentence as "sports powerhouse." The building is the star. The teams are the understudies.