Atlanta United: The Black Soccer Culture Nobody Knew Existed

Thanks to COPA90, a documentary on black soccer culture in Atlanta debuted this week. Take a look at an aspect of soccer that is not often talked about.

Soccer is a world sport. It reaches every country, age, race, and gender. Most of the discussion surrounding the sport is analysis based; this team did this, this player did this, this league is doing that. However, the impact of soccer on its communities is rarely talked about, especially in the United States. With MLS rapidly expanding, so too are the communities surrounding the cities that are granted new franchises.

No city knows this more than Atlanta, who gravitate toward Atlanta United like never before seen. Because of this, each culture in the city gets to put its own stamp on soccer. Thanks to COPA90 and their documentary “The Black Soccer Culture No One Knew Existed,” soccer fans around the world get a unique perspective on black soccer culture in Atlanta.

The Black Soccer Culture No One Knew Existed

The documentary begins with a black man, Draco Robb, talking about how he’s into soccer jerseys. He shouts out David Beckham specifically before the video transitions into crowd shots at an Atlanta United match. From there, documentary host Aaron West highlights Atlanta’s cultural influence.

West interviews Aaron Delores of Black Arrow FC, Jarren Mack of Strike First LSB, Sanjay Patel of Soccer in the Streets, Deng, Ephraim Johnson of A Ma Maniere, Reggie McKee of Footie Mob, and Jason Esteves of the Atlanta Board of Education. Each interviewee offers a different take on soccer’s impact in Atlanta. Each perspective is different, but the overall vibe is the same: soccer is thriving in Atlanta because of the cultures that inhabit the city.

Delores offers his take on Black Arrow FC and how the group is a space for not just black culture, but all cultures in Atlanta to connect through soccer. Mack discusses how popular black athletes leave their stamp on their respective sports. Patel dives into the effect of Atlanta United’s presence in the city, while Deng discusses how soccer allowed him to explore Atlanta. Johnson bridges the gap between soccer and fashion and famous athletes. McKee tells his story of joining Footie Mob, which is one of the major Atlanta United supporter groups. Finally, Esteves talks about how Atlanta United attracts young black kids to the sport like never before.

It All Connects

Soccer is easily accessible by everyone in the world. It is the most popular sport, and its influence stretches well beyond the pitch. Every person interviewed in the documentary highlights this influence. This takes shape in fashion, organization, and camaraderie.

Atlanta is a melting pot of diversity and culture. What better sport than soccer to exemplify that diversity? You can go to any sporting event in Atlanta and see the city’s diversity on display. Atlanta United games are the only sporting events that truly showcase that diversity.

My favorite line of the documentary is when West says, “Every single shade that exists in this world is in this stadium.” He is absolutely correct; it was one of the first things that struck me while attending a match.

Diversity is a subject discussed occasionally when Atlanta United is the main point of discussion. However, most people do not take the subject farther than surface level. Most people point out that Atlanta United brings out the city’s diversity, but no one talks about that impact on the surrounding cultures. This documentary does just that, while showing that everything is connected along the way and that soccer has a solid place in Atlanta.

You can see more of COPA90 here.

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Atlanta United: The black soccer culture nobody knew existed

By Josh Bouland | Apr 6, 2018

Thanks to COPA90, a documentary on black soccer culture in Atlanta debuted this week. Take a look at an aspect of soccer that is not often talked about.

The Black Soccer Culture No One Knew Existed

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It All Connects