The Atlanta Falcons new stadium is going to be beautiful. I love CNN, I love Cartoon Network. 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. Given its footprint, we have good rights to expect a lot more from this monolith. I said, Paul? 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. And the great political leaders in the past, they were civil and they were good listeners. Blank, speaking with Falcons reporters via phone from the Super Bowl, expressed confidence in the direction of the team following a 7-10 finish under second-year coach Arthur Smith. How could Trump possibly have lost re-election? And Ambassador Young, another good friend would say the same thing. During the 2020 elections, Blank contributed $300,000 to Biden Victory Fund, $35,000 to the Democratic National Convention, and tens of thousands of dollars to state Democratic Party committees. The league has recently been running in-game PSAs pushing cancer and mental health awareness screenings, etc. Playoffs, playoff championships, etc. The Blank foundation also emphasizes environmental sustainability and aims to support programs that foster this message in the Westside. Blank spent 19 years as the company's president before succeeding Marcus as CEO. We believe that voting rights are critically important, and our home state of Georgia is at the center of the struggle. Hopefully we'll get back in the playoffs, but not as well as the first three years. 7, Blank founded the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation in 1995 and has awarded over $560 million to causes such as education and early childhood development. The wealthy propose tax increases on the poor and middle class to pay for their new stadiums, and they claim that new businesses flocking to the area will magically cover the costs. The public discourse on these and other issues is too divisive, too political. And that's it. So it was good. Blank is a strong supporter of the Democratic Party. Arthur Blank's Wives & Family: 5 Fast Facts | Heavy.com And so he's used that time since he got out of prison and giving back to community, speaking to young people. The 79-year-old co-founder of Atlanta-based The Home Depot . Blank, who is Jewish, also addressed the administration's failure to recognize the losses suffered by the Jewish people during the Holocaust. %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz And the Falcons new stadiumscheduled to open this summerwith an estimated cost of $1.5 billion, $200 million coming from Atlanta hotel-motel taxesis definitely big and shinny with tons of gadgets to enhance the fan experience. But this is where the similarities with most other stadiums end. We have to be better than burning down our own homes because if we lose Atlanta what else do we have?, I want you to go home. But Still Not Even an Indictment. 5 Other Blank family businesses include the nationwide PGA TOUR Superstore as well as a handful of ranches across the country. 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. Hey, Senate DFLers, Dont Forget The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact! And so he carries a weight of authority that somebody who's just called a suit and comes in and talks to them and doesn't quite feel the same, same way. Stop making people feel so fearful. The next thing is making sure you exercise your political bully power and going to local elections and beating up the politicians you dont like., It is time to beat up prosecutors you dont like at the voting booth. I still remember this as if it was yesterday. Blank credits his mother with giving him his first lesson in entrepreneurship. Falcons owner Arthur Blank is weighing in on Georgia's sweeping overhaul of election laws. But in any event, that was part of just being a good listener. Steve Bullock, and the Democratic National Committee, to name a few, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission. The guest. But he did. They all have a great set of values. In a time when more than half of Americans are dissatisfied with the state of our democracy, the most powerful way to demonstrate and have our voices heard is through the vote. meathead) culture inside the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins. Paul, are you OK? I was going to call his secretary, thinking Paul got a heart attack or something. One of the beauties is that when you come to the stadium, it feels like it's the United Nations. And I think we got disconnected. 2023 Cox Media Group. Soon after, Blank met his third wife Angela Macuga whom he married in 2016 and later announced their plans to divorce in 2019. "I know what he cares about and he cares about a lot of the same things that I care about.". That was in 1979. But COVID vaccination, as a consequence of being made political by belligerent partisans, many of whom love football more than life itself, is terrifying territory for the NFL. How do you help repair the world if we can use that expression? The Falcons leadership knows how to play politics. So it was a great story and is a great story. Blank retired as Home Depot's co-chairman in. ', We have to be better than this moment. Atlanta rapper, advocate Killer Mike has message for protestors https://t.co/zb3oMHK7sx, "You are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country. These are the kinds of people we need in leadership today, not thinking about red, blue, purple. Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email. Now 78, he is largely beloved in Georgia as an entrepreneur, owner of two professional sports teams and a prolific philanthropist. 9. Blank also contributed $28,500 to the Obama Victory Fund in 2008. Its appalling how heavily-to-tightly-managed entities, especially those controlled by a small cluster of well-heeled egos turn into shuddering eunuchs at the thought of riling just an ugly faction of its consumer base. 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. And the core values that our forefathers drafted for us they weren't perfect, either, but in their own ways, they strove for those things. Since then, they have re-organized their focus areas more specifically into four groups: policy advocacy, organizing and civic engagement, impact litigation, and legal services. Pictured is the famous napkin deal that sealed Arthur Blanks agreement with Taylor Smith to purchase the Atlanta Falcons for $545 million in 2001. 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. I, like almost everyone else, had already started celebrating at halftime. 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. I stayed in touch with him to some degree when he was in prison. Copyright 2023 InfluenceWatch. The stadium boasts roughly 4,000 solar panels and will use 70 percent less energy. But We Aint Seen Nuthin Yet. Lawlessness, vandalism and intentionally upending the peace with any form of violence has never been productive and is not the answer. However, peaceful protests really go back and look at the history of our country back to the Boston Tea Party. Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United owner Arthur M. Blank released a statement Monday on the importance of fair elections and democracy: "Free and fair elections are vital to the health of our. The Falcons' owner, Arthur Blank, the co-founder of Home Depot with a net worth of $3 billion, at first glance certainly fits the bill of your standard billionaire athletic team owner. The Number of White Teachers About to Get Fired is Exactly Zero. But what, I ask, would be the effect of a dozen or so top current and former stars, coaches and league executives stepping up to a camera and telling pro footballs millions (and millions) of fans to get vaccinated for the sake of other people like the season ticket holders sitting next to them if not themselves? Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. 7) How aerobics changed the life of Arthur Blank long before he bought the In a statement released on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium Twitter account, attributed to Blank, he said Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation leadership conveyed his sentiment directly to state officials in recent weeks. How best to put it? So there was no disrespect to the military. We are better than this We are better than this as a country. Home Depot Cofounder Arthur Blank on Politics, Supporting Biden It's the fans. It is making no promises that it will reveal everything it has found out about the Redskins and others who had contact with the team. It doesn't mean we agree on everything, we don't, but that's healthy," he said. It's our job is to serve the American people and I think we need to have more focus on that.". Today, Blank is the Chairman of AMB Group LLC, parent company of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United. Our Family Foundation and the rest of our businesses here in Atlanta and elsewhere remain committed to being part of the solution., Together for Atlanta. All Rights Reserved. All those 25,000 tickets were gone. (Confidentiality, you know.) Falcons owner Arthur Blank spoke with reporters during a 10-minute teleconference from the Super Bowl. And that's an example of the happiness that we're talking about. Blank told Business Insider that despite their differences, running a company is "not a red issue or a blue issue" and is instead about sharing the same values. Blank is a strong supporter of the Democratic Party. Why Should Tim Walz Even Bother Debating Scott Jensen? Full statement from Arthur Blank: https://t.co/1lU870TGWa pic.twitter.com/0qejiahKKY, Please, please stop this violence!! 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. Its a story about making bad choices and the impact of young people. The trouble is that the NFL is not coming clean on that investigation. Those come first. United States, Copyright 2023, Georgia Public Broadcasting. Also watchRISING UP: A Westside Story,a documentary film by David Lewis Productions that gives viewers a detailed look into the ideation, construction, and impact of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on the city of Atlanta. ", It is your duty not to burn your own house down for anger with an enemy We have to be better than this moment. I mean, it doesn't make a difference how old you are. /Title ( A r t h u r b l a n k p o l i t i c s) Brian and Arthur welcomed their daughter Blake into the world via Arthur's sister Aoife, who acted as a surrogate for the couple, back in September -- with Brian previously teasing the documentary before Blake's arrival. But it's really not a story about dogfighting. /Type /XObject Walz Cooperation With Law Enforcement Deserves Praise, Not Punishment, If You Think Republicans Cant Ban Abortion in Minnesota, Look No Further than Iowa, Russia, Ukraine and My Seven Months with YouTube. This isnt just a short-cut, this is a long-term play with significant input and investment into the community and its future, said Scott Jenkins, the general manager of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, to The Daily Beast. Please, please stop this violence!! Arthur Blank enjoys one of his favorite hobbies at Mountain Sky Guest Ranch, one of three guest ranches owned by Blank Family of Businesses. But he was. Weve never won a Super Bowl, and this years loss in Super Bowl LI was especially hard to take. They want to have a home-field advantage. And I think this should be addressed out of respect and out of listening.". There's no place for looting and stealing and whatever else. Not about dogfighting. But its the NFL itself that should be held to greater account and responsibility than it ever is. Were trying to do the exact opposite of that.. He released a statement five days after Gov. Arthur Blank says Falcons are 'excited' about Desmond Ridder's play Arthur Blank - Wikipedia "Obviously, it's a tragic time in the history of the. 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.

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