SWES Teacher Honored as Braves 3 Millionth Fan
Posted on 10/04/2022
Every morning when Anita Outlaw wakes up, she rolls over, turns on the light, and is greeted by the sight that she says is still too good to be true.
This part of Outlaw’s wakeup routine involves seeing an Atlanta Braves jersey hanging in her room that she received on September 21. That day, Outlaw was honored as the Braves 3 millionth fan of the 2022 season.
“I think my brain sort of exploded when that happened. I was speechless then, and a week and a day later, I’m still speechless,” Outlaw said. “I’m a Braves fan, but not a rabid fan because I’m a teacher and go to bed early every night. But the excitement of being in that place was ridiculously awesome.”
In a typical circumstance, Outlaw and her Sweetwater Elementary School students would not have been at the game, as it was played during the school day. However, on this day, the team held Science Education Day, and SWES’ principal Albert Lindsey encouraged Outlaw to bring a group of students for the game.
At the mention of this, Outlaw began organizing the trip in August, and she later made the trip to Truist Park to deliver the money for her group’s tickets and thought no more about the game until one day before.
That day, she got a call from the Braves staff asking her to say “play ball” before the game’s first pitch. For Outlaw, this was a big prize in itself, but things only got sweeter for her on the day of the game.
While making her way down to the field, Outlaw was stopped by another group of Braves staff and was officially told that she was the team’s 3 millionth fan of the 2022 season.
For reaching this attendance milestone for the team, Outlaw has already received many prizes, including a TV interview during the game, free Chick-fil-A for a year, a $500 shopping spree to the Braves team store, two seats to 2023 Opening Day, and the special jersey that still hangs in her room.
Despite being gifted with many different prizes, Outlaw says that her students being in attendance was what made the afternoon special. And even with the focus of the day being on baseball, she still found a teachable moment to share with her students at the end of the day.
“This really was an unbelievable opportunity, and a great life lesson for my kiddos,” Outlaw said. “That is sometimes amazing things will happen to you, but you just have to be prepared. Walk through the world being kind and nice and the best person you can be, and you never know where that will take you.”