By John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College

Remember the chaotic end to the Atlanta Braves’ season in Cobb County? Hurricane Helene not only attacked the Southeast but also canceled several games with the New York Mets. The team was forced to play a double-header, blunting momentum. An exhausted and overworked Atlanta squad was no match for the San Diego Padres.

Fans who have sweltered in 100+ degree heat in Truist Park or been to a cold night like those 2020 stadium matchups with the Los Angeles Dodgers wish there were a domed stadium.

But Braves die-hard supporters also know that when the weather’s great, it’s like heaven catching a game in Cobb County in the afternoon or evening. They don’t want a domed stadium. But then that’s what a retractable roof is for, right? It can be deployed to forestall downpours, sizzlers, or cold snaps.

Such stadiums aren’t necessarily cheap and may alter the look of the ballpark. Are they worth it?

To test this hypothesis, I looked at a recent stadium survey of professional sports stadiums. Rashad Alexander with the Green Bay Press-Gazette listed the study in an article using the “odds and sportsbook comparison website” titled Oddspedia.

“The data was obtained from Google reviews and TripAdvisor,” Alexander wrote. “For each NFL stadium, Oddspedia calculated the overall ratings and percentage of one-star reviews across both websites. The percentage of one-star reviews to rank the stadiums from most to least controversial.”

I also looked at which NFL stadiums had a dome or retractable roof. These include those in Arizona, California, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, and Texas (2x).

Of the ten stadiums with the fewest bad reviews, six have a dome or retractable roof. These include U.S. Bank Stadium (Vikings), Lucas Oil Stadium (Colts), Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Falcons), Ford Field (Lions), AT&T Stadium (Cowboys) and the Caesar’s Superdome (Saints). Two others have long-time loyal fanbases: Lambeau Field (Packers), and Acrisure Stadium (Steelers). The others in the Top 10 are M&T Bank Stadium (Ravens) and Lumen Field (Steelers).

Only two of the bottom ten NFL stadiums with retractable roofs or domes are SoFi Stadium (Chargers and Rams) and Allegiant Stadium (Raiders), new stadiums with many fan transplants. The others with stadiums netting nasty reviews include the Commanders, 49ers, Browns, Bengals, Patriots, Buccaneers, Giants and Jets, and the Bears’ Soldier Field, a mix of cold-weather and warm-weather teams.

The only ones in the middle with covering include State Farm Stadium (Cardinals) and NRG Stadium (Texans).

So perhaps the Braves should start looking into the cost of a retractable roof to complement an already good stadium and excellent ballpark neighborhood in Cobb County. It’s not really a “dome” idea.

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. His views are his own. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. His “X” account is JohnTures2.