Should Hank Aaron Statue Move With Braves?

The most famous Atlanta Brave of all time is becoming entangled in the controversial relocation of the franchise to the suburbs, but not in the way you might expect.

According to WSB-TV, tensions are growing between Atlanta residents and the Braves over the possibility that the statue of the slugger which is currently outside Turner Field would be uprooted and taken to Cobb County to stand outside the Braves’ new SunTrust Park.

Atlanta residents who spoke to WSB-TV said the statue should belong in Atlanta because Aaron’s playing days were spent inside city limits. The statue currently outside Turner Field was originally housed outside Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the site of Aaron’s record breaking 715th home run in 1974.

The Braves, who announced their move to Cobb County in November of 2013, want to take the statue with them for obvious reasons. The man who organized the original fundraising drive for the statue told WSB-TV that the statue belongs to the City of Atlanta and Fulton County’s joint stadium authority, but believes that the statue should follow the team.

In a related controversy, a state senator who represents part of Atlanta has proposed annexing the SunTrust Park site into the city, a move which was blasted by a fellow legislator as divisive and doomed to failure.