However, peaceful protests really go back and look at the history of our country back to the Boston Tea Party. Paul, are you OK? I was going to call his secretary, thinking Paul got a heart attack or something. So in this case, we were coming back from a game after the team had played in St. Louis against the old St. Louis Rams theyre now in L.A. and instead of riding in the front of the plane with the coaches and managers, I sat in the back with the players. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. So we designed our stadium to accommodate not just for the Atlanta Falcons and National Football League football American football but soccer as well. All the issues that Colin [Kaepernick] raised at that time [2016-2107] about the social injustice and lack of equality and equity in the criminal system and all those issues, I think they were real then and they're certainly real now. I mean, you write a book like this, it's really getting into kind of the political arena. "It's healthy to disagree on things, but it's not acceptable to not be kind.". Its also part memoir of how his ethics evolved from watching his father run a neighborhood pharmacy in Queens, New York, to launching multi-billion dollar ventures. A study by ESPN and FiveThirtyEight in October 2020 showed Blank is a bipartisan contributor to political campaignsbut contributed more to Democratic candidates from 2012 to 2020. Enter your email address to be notified about new posts. "This notion of divisiveness has become, in my humble opinion, maybe, post-Civil War, probably one of the most stressful times I've ever seen in our country," he said. Paul, are you there? Blank is a strong supporter of the Democratic Party. The foundation is . In 2022, they plan to connect with over 1 million voters/ potential voters through phone banking, text banking, in-person canvassing events, and going door to door. One of the beauties is that when you come to the stadium, it feels like it's the United Nations. In total, they anticipate hosting each year 40 to 50 big events and an additional 100 to 200 small events in the neighboring park that will be built where the Georgia Dome currently resides. Georgia businessman Arthur Blank joins with voting groups on Democracy Class Atlanta The Jolt: Arthur Blank teams with voting groups to forge 'Democracy Class Atlanta' Caption Credit:. And that's it. It's the customers. Philanthropist Arthur Blank has thrown his support behind a new voter education initiative aimed at young people. The Westside also suffers from severe flooding problems, and the stadium has a 1.1 million gallon storm vault underground to trap and reuse their rain water, and help prevent flooding. [Thats] something that I talk about in the book, which most people are not aware of. Arthur is committed to changing the narrative around sports stadiums, said Frank Fernandez, the VP of Community Development at The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, to The Daily Beast. Georgia Politics FOX 5 Atlanta ATLANTA - Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United Owner Arthur Blank said Tuesday afternoon he believes voting should be made "easier, not harder for every eligible. Bernardo Little . No. You know, better than in the 40s and 50s, but not where we should be. All of which is, yknow, really classy stuff. More must be done to address systemic racism. A Handful of Things I Could Not Care Less About, Matt Birk: Rape Victims Are Playing the Rape Card?, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. I'm not sure how they're going to receive you. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Falcons owner Arthur Blank made a $15 million donation on Tuesday to The Cooper Institute, run by its founder Dr. Kenneth Cooper, a friend of Blank's and a strong proponent of preventive medicine. This is not the legacy of civil rights in America. So it was a great story and is a great story. Despite being widowed at a young age, his mother managed the familys mail-order pharmaceutical business and sold it to a large retail conglomerate. The problem for the big, powerful, macho NFL, as it is for every other giant public entity, is that racism and cancer are kind of the easy stuff. We are better than this We are better than this as a country. For years, Americans have fallen prey to the con of wealthy businessmen who want to build shiny new sports arenas yet dont want to pay for them. By all accounts, those associated with the new stadium and the Westside view their presence as at least a 10-20 year commitment toward revitalizing a downtrodden community and bringing the city together. And whether, you know, be it Dr. King or, a great friend to America and a great leader, Congressman Lewis, [who] was a great personal friend of mine and served our country beautifully, would say peaceful nonviolent protest is how we that's how we make progress. They all understand it's, you know, you have an opportunity to be here on Earth and how do you want to leave it? All of us as human beings, I think need to do a much better job of being a good listener. The firing in 1978 was a political situation primarily between my partner Bernie [Marcus] and a gentleman, that has passed away now, who was his boss. I mean, those fans, they feel like that's the only sport that we're hosting in that stadium. Why Should Tim Walz Even Bother Debating Scott Jensen? We sold out the entire stadium in two-and-a-half hours. I think back when I lived in a neighborhood, you know, a small neighborhood, when my mother and dad were alive, we all took care of each other. 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It is time to hold mayoral offices accountable, chiefs and deputy chiefs. 2023 FOX Television Stations, Georgia Secretary of State calls many election changes 'solid', study by ESPN and FiveThirtyEight in October 2020, too restrictive and targets minority voters, Cobb leader says moving MLB All-Star game in protest would hurt business, Democrats dispute police report in Georgia lawmakers arrest, Civil rights groups file new lawsuit over Georgia voting law, Photos show rescue of Woodstock man 'buried up to his neck' in collapsed trench, Frederick, MD tanker explosion leaves 1 dead; Shuts down part of US-15, Sheriff's office continues five-year-long search for missing Carrollton man, Georgia baby girl reported missing with man diagnosed with mental illness, police say, Jesse Wilson: Adoptive mother arrested in boy's death in Arizona, Clayton County twin sisters make history rising the ranks in Georgia UPS facility, Alex Murdaugh killed wife, son to buy time, prosecutor says, UGA football star Jalen Carter facing charges in fatal crash: What we know, Young Thug trial: Judge orders probe of leaked evidence, Families intensify search for two men missing for more than a week. Looting is NOT THE ANSWER!!! But he was there and he finally said, Listen, you own the franchise, you have the option. [/Pattern /DeviceRGB] And that's one of our core values as well: Include everybody. I said, Look, I'm going to be a new owner, tell me what I can do to help. I was gagged. And it was early on a Sunday morning. So when we started, MLS was ranked like 22nd among all the leagues in the world. Atlanta Falcons vNew Orleans Saints Owner Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Flacons reacts before a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on November 10, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz In recent years Atlantas sports teams have attracted controversies that have highlighted the racial disparities that still largely define the city. Additionally in 2014, the Atlanta Braves announced that they were building a new stadium outside the city in the northern suburbs, and leaving Turner Field, which was originally the site of Centennial Olympic Stadium for the 1996 summer games. Young you are. And my mother was giving him a lecture saying, You realize this is not what your parents would want you to do. Marcus handed the CEO reigns to Blank in 1997; Blank held the position until a new president and CEO was hired in 2000. And that's all part of his story of redemption and his story of being a changed person. Max died when Arthur was 15, leaving his mother to grow what became a multi-million-dollar business. But I would keep raising my hand. Together we will rise above this on the strength of what has always made Atlanta great its people, its leaders of past and present and its unique culture that is welcoming to all. Stop feeding fear and anger every day. /Creator ( w k h t m l t o p d f 0 . I have many friends who are no longer fervent Braves supporters. And Blanks role in this project extends beyond the stadium. But We Aint Seen Nuthin Yet. I seriously doubt the leagues TV ratings or ad revenue would suffer an iota. Ticket pricing was higher than it could have been or should have been at that time, and so I brought Dick Sullivan over from Home Depot, the gentleman who now runs our PGA Superstores and we came up with a strategy that we've got to sell season's tickets for $100. endobj So, I would say it was very successful. The statement reads: "We are at our very best. It doesn't mean we agree on everything, we don't, but that's healthy," he said. Scott Jensens Dramatic Fall Shows Ads Still Matter. 2023 Cox Media Group. Show up at the polls on June 9. They all live life with purpose. On Thursday, Falcons owner Arthur Blank's foundation donated a five-year, $17 million grant to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta. We don't have any fans in our building, and this is what we plan on doing: We're going to, you know, promote season tickets for 100 bucks or $10 a ticket. And I remember waiting for, you know, probably two minutes. During the 2020 elections, Blank contributed $300,000 to the Biden Victory Fund, $35,000 to the Democratic National Convention, and tens of thousands of dollars to state Democratic Party committees. In order to put this grinding pandemic behind us once and for all? But you want your core values to be the same, ideally. We had a different leader [Robert Nardelli ] in place that was eventually replaced. The Number of White Teachers About to Get Fired is Exactly Zero. Blank also contributed $28,500 to the Obama Victory Fund in 2008. One where guys like the Vikings Mark and Zygi Wilf and Arthur (Home Depot) Blank of the Atlanta Falcons come off as comparatively rational. Open, honest dialogue is needed on a much greater scale. /AIS false More must be done to address the underlying issues that have led to these incidents across the country. Our frontline associates and all those businesses come next. Bernie has great values and Bernie cares deeply not only about our faith, but about giving back. Political Donations: Blank has largely donated to Democratic causes, most notably: $32,400 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 2013; $28,500 to the Obama Victory Fund in '08; and. Well, I shouldn't say I'm not. Peaceful protests of the past have led to new ways forward. We dont have the answers, but we are committed to listening and responding to the people who have made this their lifes work and to the citizens they serve. The stadium boasts roughly 4,000 solar panels and will use 70 percent less energy. A co-founder of Home Depot increased his giving for children in the pandemic because, he said, "they don't always have the tools to deal with what's happened to them.". I mean, it doesn't make a difference how old you are. So, that represents that melting-pot philosophy: Were all in this together. And they love that. And I think we got disconnected. . I had another NFL player, while [Vick] was in prison, come visit me and say I came from exactly the same neighborhood, but it was in a part of Pittsburgh. So sadly, Michael was raised in an environment where that was kind of normal behavior, if you will. Now 78, he is largely beloved in Georgia as an entrepreneur, owner of two professional sports teams and a prolific philanthropist. GPBs Virginia Prescott asked Blank about some of those stories in a conversationpresented in collaboration with Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlantas Book Festival in Your Living Room, the National JCC Literary Consortium and the Atlanta History Center. << ATLANTA - Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United Owner Arthur Blank said Tuesday afternoon he believes voting should be made "easier, not harder for every eligible citizen" and his business and non-profit partners plan to support efforts to advance voting access. You're going to get a lot of your fellow owners really pissed. You can do whatever you choose to do. Thats great. Opponents of the bill argue it's too restrictive and targets minority voters. These are not political issues, they are human issues that need serious, earnest attention from leaders and . Arthur Blank on NFL kneelers: 'Players have no interest in being disrespectful to flag' Political Insider By Jim Galloway, Political Insider Trump is apparently referencing a highly sourced. And somebody knocked on the door. When he came out, he was on house arrest and I took a meal to him and his family from his favorite restaurant here in Atlanta. For more information about Life Itself, visit the . American professional sports owners have contributed nearly $47 million in federal elections since 2015, according to research by ESPN in partnership with FiveThirtyEight, including $10 million. The Blank foundation also emphasizes environmental sustainability and aims to support programs that foster this message in the Westside. 5 Other Blank family businesses include the nationwide PGA TOUR Superstore as well as a handful of ranches across the country. I mean, you know, all those things. Blank writes about being teased for having a stutter. (And Im not forgetting Colin Kaepernicks protests against police violence, and how the league effectively blackballed him before paying him off to avoid a certain-to-be-nightmarish public trial.). In 2014 it emerged that Bruce Levenson, who owned the NBAs Atlanta Hawks, had written an email that amongst other things theorized that the black crowd [at Philips Arena] scared away the whites, adding for good measure: I have even bitched that the kiss cam is too black. Levenson later that year sold his stake in the franchise, and the Hawks have worked hard to win back their black audience. The largest donor was Falcons owner Arthur Blank. The Athletic reported that Blank gave $2,800 to Biden, the Democratic nominee for president, on July 1. And Ambassador Young, another good friend would say the same thing. I listen to what he says and sometimes I'll cringe. Blank and Marcus put their discounting experiment to the test in their own brand of warehouse stores called Home Depot and opened the first two Atlanta-area stores in 1979. But in any event, that was part of just being a good listener. Low Expectations and Dark Hopes for the New Year, Minnesotas Wealthiest Social Security Beneficiaries Shouldnt Be First in Line for Help, Time to Limit HOAs Solar Panel Policing Powers, Pop Quiz: How Many People Actually Know Whats Going On?. In 1989, the company opened its 100th store. Seventy percent of the players in the NFL are African American a disproportionate number. He released a statement five days after Gov. The Home Depot co-founder, Arthur Blank, candidly shares details of an impromptu meeting in an airport hangar when he was asked to step down, the company's short-term mistake of replacing him. It Now Actually Matters, a Lot. >> 9. "Obviously, it's a tragic time in the history of the. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Arthur%2BBlank&contributor_employer=The%2BArthur&two_year_transaction_period=2016&contributor_state=GA, https://www.ajc.com/news/local/molly-blank-strong-widow-grew-successful-business-sons/JMYrzmcGsGc4nXD58rqltJ/, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/197614, https://corporate.homedepot.com/sites/default/themes/thd/images/timeline/History-Of-The-Home-Depot.pdf, https://www.forbes.com/profile/arthur-blank/?sh=ae7b330749c3, https://www.atlantafalcons.com/team/front-office-roster/arthur-blank, https://blankfoundation.org/trustee/arthur-m-blank/, https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/statement-from-arthur-blank-on-georgia-voting-rights, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/04/11/companies-voting-bills-states/, https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/arthur-blank-wife-angela-are-getting-a-divorce/897352464/, https://saportareport.com/a-longtime-anonymous-donor-reveals-her-identity/sections/abcarticles/maria_saporta/, https://blankfoundation.org/trustee/dena-kimball/, https://blankfoundation.org/trustee/kenny-blank/. We were living in a single-bedroom apartment in Queens. We hold all the records. But I know where his heart is and his heart is really in a good place. Team owner Arthur Blank, who has high expectations for the franchise, sat down with FOX 5 Atlanta one-on-one to talk football, philanthropy, and Kanye West. GALEO strives for a better Georgia where the Latino community is engagedcivically, and its contributions and concerns are recognized. Given its footprint, we have good rights to expect a lot more from this monolith. She was a woman of great principle, great personal authority. /Subtype /Image So you take your time, you get the words out and people will listen to you. So I think that from those days in college where I raised my hand and I know my buddies around the class would think, Oh, boy, here goes another 5-minute answer, you know? << I'll flip words around, you know, subconsciously and, and make sentences complete. /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. Expand. But Still Not Even an Indictment. GPB is committedto bringing you comprehensive news coverage from Georgia, across the country and around the world. So I would just cut him some slack. I've had conversations with a number of senators who made it very clear that some of their best friends, both politically and otherwise, are on the other side of the aisle. But really, in my view, it's mostly that talking to young people about, you know, here's somebody who's been there, done it, gotten on T-shirts, lived it, and somebody whose name they respect or the least they know of, I should say, in most cases. Prior to the construction of the Georgia Dome they played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium with the Atlanta Braves, and you could see the spot where Hank Aaron surpassed Babe Ruth in home runs. He owns the team, after all. They have no serious public, political advocates. Our democracy is made stronger when we hear from all Americans on the issues of our day whether they be national or local. Of the other 60% who do come, half are rooting for the other team. So I understood what they were saying: They just wanted support noise. How do you help repair the world if we can use that expression? ", CNN -- Ted [Turner] did a great thing. But Its All Too Familiar. "He cares deeply about giving back and making a difference in people's lives. 6 0 obj A company where we already know from law suits the teams executives treated its cheerleaders like Vegas escorts and, yup, traded nudie pictures of them changing outfits. He notes pervasive cynicism about corporate leaders and perceptions that the drive for profit comes at the expense of public good. You know, dig in [your] heels and it becomes, "My territory, your territory," etc. Theres at least one more level to the Jon Gruden disaster that NFL fans should consider about the leagues remarkable influence. They all have a great set of values. $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ? In 1978, both he and future Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank were fired during a corporate power struggle at Handy Dan. Arthur Blank (Atlanta Falcons owner and co-founder of Home Depot) 2020Joe Biden 2016Hillary Clinton 2012Barack Obama Maxine Clark (founder and former CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop) 2016Hillary Clinton Michael Eisner (former CEO of Disney) 2016Marco Rubio, then later Hillary Clinton 2016Kamala Harris Jack M. Greenberg (former CEO of McDonald's) The league has recently been running in-game PSAs pushing cancer and mental health awareness screenings, etc. Student Loan Forgiveness and The Ghost of John Kline, (Who?). Is the Jensen-Birk Campaign Minnesotas WOAT? Their frustration is real, and it must be acknowledged and addressed. 4, Blank purchased the NFLs Atlanta Falcons for more than $540 million shortly after stepping down as CEO of Home Depot. All those 25,000 tickets were gone. Their siblings, their families, you know, may have gone to battle and wore a variety of uniforms for our country over many, many years. ATLANTA - Falcons team owner Arthur Blank has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the team's final game of the regular season. We Have Every Reason To Expect a Lot More from the NFL, no promises that it will reveal everything it has found out. Organizations also called to move The Masters, which begins April 8. More must be done to bring people together through meaningful change.
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