Or as a friend of mine liked to say: "Atlanta is the city that threw up all over itself."
The cities/counties are close enough to each other to form a cohesive (and powerful) media market, far enough apart to create distinct challenges in terms of attendance. I mean, it's commonly understood by most people that there are a lot of cities where when you say "name of city," you could be meaning the actual city or meaning "the metro." I know Atlanta is not wholly unique in this regard (the challenges Phoenix presented being immediate proof enough). But I would argue it might be the most
exaggerated example of the phenomenon.
I was a proud ITPer (actual city of Atlanta) the whole time and whenever I went to Alpharetta, Marietta, Kennesaw, etc. etc., it wasn't just that I was visiting another city in the legal/"on paper" sense of the word but very much psychologically. Did I know many people that lived in these places that came into town to work with me? Sure. But actually going to those areas was tantamount to a mini roadtrip (and that's coming from someone who raised in a Canadian city where a five hour drive to Halifax was a casual weekend suggestion you might make on a Friday morning...).
That said, the "on paper" of it is pretty overwhelming too:
the Metro Atlanta Mayors Association encompasses 70 cities and 10 counties (and many people count more than this when they define ATL as a TV market).
I really meant
what I said here: This wouldn't be "the third time in Atlanta," it would be the FIRST time in north metro. And even then, keep in mind, this is talking about why the attendance portion of the equation could be very different. How to actually make this team a hit on television/radio/digital is a
whole other conversation.