Atlanta’s sports teams heat up for the fall season

FALL SPORTS GUIDE

Atlanta’s sports teams heat up for the fall season and you can be in on the action. Check out our guide to all of the sports action in Atlanta.

BY DEMETRIUS BELL

Miles Robinson of Atlanta United FC Atlanta United FC

Atlanta United will be looking to make a push to the playoffs as they face regional rival club Orlando City SC (Sept. 10) and other MLS competitors for seven home games during September and October. Josef Martinez, Brad Guzan and United States Men’s National Team selections George Bello and Miles Robinson will all be looking to help lead United to another trophy while electrifying the rowdy crowd at the world-class Mercedes-Benz Stadium. If you can’t make it to the stadium on match day, you can watch and enjoy at one of the many Atlanta United Pub Partners within the city. www.atlutd.com

Atlanta Braves

2021 MLB All-Stars Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies are pushing the Braves forward as they will eventually close out the regular season with a six-game homestand at Truist Park against the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets. Bobblehead collectors will have three opportunities during September, as bobbleheads of Ozzie Albies (Sept. 10, which is also Los Bravos Night), Brian McCann (Sept. 28) and Austin Riley (Sept. 30) will be handed out for the first 15,000 fans to enter the gates for each game. Fans of both beer and baseball can join a Terrapin Twilight Tour, which is the perfect mixture of those two elements. Tour dates will be announced for September, so keep an eye out for a chance to tour both the Terrapin Atlanta Brewery and Truist Park. www.mlb.com/braves

Atlanta Dream

2021 WNBA All-Star Courtney Williams, Tiffany Hayes and Chennedy Carter have been at the forefront as the Dream has been running with the best that the WNBA has to offer. Meanwhile, the team as a whole was recently recognized by ESPN as the 2021 Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year for its actions as leaders in sports when it comes to fighting for

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social justice. September figures to be a crucial month for the Dream as the team looks to conclude the 2021 season on a high note with a run of games at the Gateway Center Arena, which is only a few minutes away from Downtown. www.dream.wnba.com

Atlanta Falcons

The winds of change are blowing in with this 2021 season for the Falcons. New general manager Terry Fontenot and incoming head coach Arthur Smith have already put their fingerprints on this new era after they drafted Florida tight end Kyle Pitts with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Even though there’s plenty of change, Matt Ryan will still be at quarterback for the 14th-straight season. There will be four opportunities to take in the top-rated and fan-friendly game experience at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, including a Thursday night prime time game on Nov. 18 against the New England Patriots. www.atlantafalcons.com

TOUR Championship

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Football

Georgia Tech will be back in football action this fall at historic Bobby Dodd Stadium in the heart of Atlanta. Tech and its three preseason All-ACC players will play its first ACC game of the season just a few miles down the road at MercedesBenz Stadium on Sept. 25 against the North Carolina Tar Heels. It’s the first game of the Mayhem at MBS series, which is a six-year partnership between Georgia Tech football and MercedesBenz Stadium. Additionally, the Yellow Jackets will have hosting duties this year for their annual rivalry game with the Georgia Bulldogs (Nov. 27). www.ramblinwreck.com/sports/m-footbl/

Georgia State Panthers Football

Meanwhile, Georgia State’s team of 22 returning starters will play an exciting schedule this season, with six games played at home between September and November. The Panthers will open up at home Sept. 4 against the Army Black Knights, which will take place at GSU’s home venue of Center Parc Stadium. Watching football at a former baseball park is one of the most unique sporting events that you can experience in Atlanta and is also relatively cheap. www.georgiastatesports.com/sports/ football

Atlanta Hawks

Hot off the heels of making its deepest and most exciting playoff run in franchise history, the Atlanta Hawks will be right back in action this fall as the NBA returns to its usual schedule. With head coach Nate McMillan drawing up the plays, Trae Young, Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter will surely have State Farm Arena rocking once the season gets under way on Oct. 19. If the intense hoops action doesn’t hook you, the No. 1 ranked Overall Game Experience in the NBA that comes with taking in a basketball game at State Farm Arena should be enough reason to make going to a Hawks game a must. www.nba.com/hawks

TOUR Championship

The PGA TOUR’s annual season finale is once again being held at the historic East Lake Golf Club, just a few miles away from Downtown. The top 30 golfers on the TOUR will compete in the four-day tournament from Sept. 2-5 for the right to become the FedEx Cup Champion while also walking away with $15 million. If you’re bringing the family, kids are admitted free and there’s a youth autograph area for those who want an opportunity to get a signing from the best that the PGA TOUR has to offer. www.eastlakegolfclub.com/tourchampionship

Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game

Atlanta is the capital of college football and the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is one of the many reasons why this is true. In the first of the two Kickoff Games, No. 2 Alabama will take on No. 25 Miami for the first game on Sept. 4. Then on Sept. 6, Louisville will clash with No. 18 Ole Miss. Both games will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and a game ticket will grant you access to the Tailgate Town presented by PNC on each game day at the nearby International Plaza. The Chick fil-A College Football Hall of Fame is also only a short walk away from the stadium, so there’s an opportunity to walk through college football history at the Hall while witnessing history in the making at the Kickoff Games. www.chick-fil-akickoffgame.com