Ted Turner, GA Media And Sports Mogul, Named A Baseball Hall Of Fame Prospect

ATLANTA, GA — Ted Turner, a longtime media mogul and former sports team owner in Atlanta, is being considered for the 2027 National Baseball Hall of Fame, the museum announced Monday.

Turner, a media pioneer and founder of the Atlanta-based CNN and Turner Broadcasting, is one of four managers and four executives on the ballot for the Contemporary Baseball Era ballot. Turner previously owned the Atlanta Braves, Hawks and Thrashers.

Perennial doormats, the Braves slowly attracted fans across the nation through their superstation exposure and in the 1980s began declaring themselves “America’s Team.”

Turner, who early on donned a uniform and managed one game, helped open baseball’s free-agent price wars by signing pitcher Andy Messersmith.

The Braves' stadium, built for the 1996 Olympics, was named Ted Turner Field. The Braves played 21 seasons at the field and replaced it in 2016 with a newer stadium, Truist Park in Cobb County.

The Contemporary Baseball Era Committee said the following about Turner:

"Ted Turner purchased the Atlanta Braves in 1976 and quickly established the team on the national level by putting their games on his WTBS television station, which was beamed to cable providers across the country and established a new template for distribution. Turner led the team as the Braves became a dynasty, winning 14 straight division titles (1991-2005) in completed seasons, an MLB record."

Other Hall of Fame candidates are Sandy Alderson, Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy, Joe Maddon, Lou Piniella, Brian Sabean and Bill White.

Turner is the only person not living among the group. He died in May after battling Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disease.

RELATED: Ted Turner, ATL Media Mogul, Dies At 87

The Contemporary Baseball Era Committee is set to meet on Sunday, Dec. 6, in California to review the prospects.

Candidates who acquire 75 percent of votes cast by the committee will be inducted on July 25, 2027 into the Hall of Fame, located in Cooperstown, New York.

The results will then be broadcasted on MLB Network's “MLB Tonight” at 8 p.m. ET., Dec. 6.

The Associated Press contributed reporting and writing.