WILLEMSTAD (DA) — Ted Turner, the former Atlanta Braves owner whose television vision helped turn the club into “America’s Team” and made Braves baseball familiar in Curaçao homes through TBS, has died at 87.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred called Turner “a visionary whose impact on the media landscape transformed how fans experience sports,” saying his leadership helped the Braves reach millions of households nationwide on TBS and build a legacy that included Atlanta’s 1995 World Series championship.
The Braves also honored Turner as “one of a kind — a brilliant businessman, consummate showman and passionate fan of his beloved Braves.” The club credited his leadership and broadcast vision with transforming the franchise and helping shape one of the strongest eras in Major League Baseball history.
For Curaçao, that history carried a local connection. TBS was one of the cable channels that brought Braves games into homes on the island, helping build a fan base that later saw Willemstad-born Andruw Jones and Randall Simon play for Atlanta during Turner’s ownership era.
Jones and Simon were the Curaçao players who reached the major league Braves under Turner. They were not the only Curaçao players to pass through the Braves organization, but their time with Atlanta connected the island directly to the Turner/TBS era at the major league level.
Jones became the most prominent Curaçao link to the Braves. He reached the majors with Atlanta in 1996 as a teenager and delivered one of the defining moments of that postseason, hitting two home runs in Game 1 of the World Series against the New York Yankees and becoming the youngest player to homer in a World Series game.
That performance gave Curaçao a permanent place in Braves history. For an island where Atlanta was already visible through TBS, Jones made the connection personal.
Simon added another chapter when he played for Atlanta from 1997 to 1999. His time with the club came while the Braves remained one of baseball’s most recognizable franchises and a regular part of October baseball.
Turner’s influence stretched far beyond ownership. Through TBS, the Braves became a team followed outside Georgia, including in Curaçao, where the combination of television exposure and local players helped make Atlanta part of the island’s baseball conversation.
“We are grateful for Ted’s pivotal role in expanding the reach of the Braves and elevating our National Pastime,” Manfred said. “On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Ted’s family and his colleagues with the Braves.”
The Braves said Turner’s impact will remain part of the organization’s identity.
“We will miss you, Ted,” the club said. “You helped make us who we are today, and the Atlanta Braves are forever grateful for the impact you made on our organization and in our community.”