Even by Atlanta Standards, the Last Month Has Been Unbelievable Torment

Being an Atlanta sports fan is such an exercise in continual torture that three things which would have brought any other city to its knees individually happened in rather rapid succession and it didn't even register to me until I saw this tweet.

If you would have been asked on June 5 to pick the biggest star on each of Atlanta's professional teams — excluding Atlanta United — you undoubtedly would have said Julio Jones, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Trae Young. And in the little over a month since, Jones has been traded to the Tennessee Titans, Young suffered an injury that caused him to miss two games in the Eastern Conference Finals in the most wide-open year to win an NBA title in recent memory and Acuña tore his ACL right as the Braves were hoping to make a Postseason push.

Has there been another city in America to have three sports things this bad happen in the last year? I have abandoned all hope of ever winning a championship in anything, I'd settle for just not having continuous shocks of pain inflicted upon me like a real-life Milgram experiment.

The Falcons were a joke anyway, but now they're relying on a rookie in Kyle Pitts to fill the shoes of a first ballot Hall of Famer. The Hawks may never have a better opportunity to win a title than this season. They could be a considerably better team next year and not get past the second round of the playoffs. And the Braves, who have been the most promising team in baseball for four years now, may be seeing their championship window close right before our eyes and now have a harsh decisions to make regarding Freddie Freeman in what is sure to be a lost season.

I know I said the Braves should trade him — and for the right offer, I still believe that — but if you add that to this already lengthy list of heartbreak, I would not blame anyone who just checks out completely. Sports are supposed to be fun.

But if you're from Atlanta, whether you're old enough to remember 1995 or not, you're used to this by now. It just is what it is. They'll get just close enough to pull you back in every few years and then rip your heart out of your chest and stomp all over it.

I'll see everyone back here for the Falcons' season opener on September 12.