Over the last several years, the Atlanta Braves have become one of the hottest tickets in baseball. Most Braves home games get sold out or close to it, the team has multiple star players that push merchandise sales, and The Battery has been wildly successful as a real estate venture for the team. If there is a measure in terms of revenue dollars outside of maybe TV revenue (which has still been good), the Braves are among the top teams in the league.
That is why it is no surprise that the Braves' latest financial disclosures continued that trend late last week when it was revealed that the Braves brought in $623 million in revenue in 2023 which continues the team's trend of increasing revenues ever since they moved to Truist Park in 2017.
The Braves are a cash cow thanks The Battery and, of course, winning
Despite what many MLB owners want fans to believe, the best way to bring in more revenue is to put a winning product on the field. Good teams draw fans and the Braves have established themselves as one of the best teams in baseball since 2018 and it has shown on their balance sheet. Every year since the team moved to Truist Park, the Braves' revenues have increased significantly outside of the COVID-shortened 2020 season with the bulk of that revenue coming from more Braves fans showing up for games.
Attendance hasn't been the only source of increased revenue, however. The recent financial report also noted that increased foot traffic and rental revenue from The Battery was a significant source of revenue for the team as was the establishment of new sponsorships. Again, the principle is the same in that good teams generate interest which leads to fans wanting to partake in The Battery's amenities and companies wanting to create partnerships to increase their own brand exposure. At the end of the day, winning takes care of a lot.
Not all the news was as great. The Braves' actual profits were down last year from 2022 due to increased player salaries, some of the bad contracts Atlanta took on in the Jarred Kelenic trade, as well as needing to pay more into MLB's revenue sharing. The report also showed that the Braves' technically operated at a loss last year of $46 million, but that is largely due to creative accounting tricks used by most MLB teams as well as a pretty heavy $569 million debt load stemming primarily from the development of The Battery.
In short, the Braves are printing money right now and by all accounts, 2024 should be another banner year for the team. Season tickets have sold out and excitement for the team is as high or higher as it has ever been. That is going to remain true so long as the team keeps winning and based on the Braves' roster, they are going to be doing just that for a long time.