Ranking Ted Turner’s wildest Braves in-stadium promotions: High-wire act, 'Wedlocks and Headlocks' and more

Ted Turner died on Wednesday at 87, leaving behind an impressive legacy as one of the pioneers in cable television.

The CNN founder also had a long history in sports as owner of the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks. He also owned the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers, who relocated to Winnipeg in 2011, and World Championship Wrestling, a major competitor to WWE in the mid-1990s.

In 1976, Turner purchased a Braves franchise that averaged roughly 6,600 fans per game the previous season and quickly worked to make the team an attraction. The problem, however, was the franchise lost a lot, reaching the postseason just once since relocating from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966. It wasn't until 1991 that the Braves became a perennial playoff contender.

Turner, a decorated yachtsman, had to get creative to increase attendance, and he and his team certainly didn't lack for ideas. Below are his five best promotional events ranked in reverse order:

5. Karl Wallenda's tightrope across stadium

On April 24, 1977, Turner borrowed from the division rival Philadelphia Phillies' playbook, among others, by welcoming Wallenda, who had previously tightroped across Veterans Stadium and Busch Stadium II. He performed the same death-defying stunt in Atlanta with the Los Angeles Dodgers in town.

In an interview in 1978, a Braves staff member recalled Turner trying to call off the act the day of because of high winds, but Wallenda performed as planned. The same couldn't be said for the Braves, who lost 16-6 amid a 17-game losing streak, the franchise's longest since moving to Atlanta. The loss prompted Turner's infamous one-game stint as manager. (h/t Stathead)

4. Ostrich/bathtub races

Before the Milwaukee Brewers had sausage races, the Braves hosted ostrich and, yes, bathtub races.

During a 2020 appearance on "The Bill Shanks Show," former Braves promotional director Bob Hope (no, not the entertainer) said he discovered ostrich races in Amusement Business magazine, and with a cheap price tag, booking the event was easy.

However, getting Turner on board to race was harder, although once Hope showed him custom-made jockey attire from Churchill Downs, the Braves owner relented.

Promotional Bathtub Racing Association material from 1980 also noted that the "BRA has taken the tubs to Atlanta Stadium on many occasions for celebrity races with Ted Turner, owner of the Atlanta Braves, all-time home run king Hank Aaron and sportscaster Steve Sommers." (h/t Scholarly Online Access Repository)

For those wondering how those worked, MLB.com wrote in 2015 that "Bathtubs were used as seats in a motorized go-kart and raced outside of the Braves' dugout."

3. Cash scramble

In 1976, the Braves hosted a cash scramble. The team allowed several fortunate fans onto the field to grab as much dough as possible dumped from a helicopter. 

2. Baseball race with Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Tug McGraw

In 1976, Turner participated in another stunt: a baseball race against Tug McGraw, the colorful Philadelphia relief pitcher. They were to push a baseball on the field using only their noses.

"On behalf of our fans, I want to thank Ted Turner for inviting us to compete in these Baseball Olympics," McGraw said, per Bill Conlin of the Philadelphia Daily News.

Former Braves infielder Darrel Chaney remembered, "It was really funny, because Ted got down on all fours to start rolling the ball with his nose, and Tug never did do anything.

"He just stayed. When Ted got up from rolling the ball he had blood from his forehead all the way down the top of his nose. (H/t Doug Williams, ESPN)."