The Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosted its first game Saturday and soon the Georgia Dome will be torn down to make way for new parking spaces. The Georgia Dome, while innovative in 1993, fell behind in the stadium arms race by 2010.
In response, Atlanta Falcons and United FC owner Arthur Blank had the Mercedes-Benz Stadium built. And it is an impressive structure both inside and out. And like that, an era of Atlanta sports comes to a close and a new one begins.
The Falcons saw their franchise transform from bottom feeder, to division contender, to being a top-notch NFL franchise in the Georgia Dome’s lifetime.