Why do people bring gay flags to atlanta fc games

It felt like Christmas morning for thousands of other soccer fans in Atlanta. Sunday, March 5,was the dawn of a new sports era in our city. For years, a void existed here for professional soccer, and this multicultural hub of diversity longed for the day when the beautiful game would return.

Now, after waiting so patiently, the people of Atlanta have a team they can call their own. On game day, the city was spewing with excitement — everywhere you looked, there were scenes of fanfare, of red and black flags, and an optimistic spirit was tangible in the city. As we walked up the steps of the Five Points MARTA Station, hundreds of people raced by us with flags, scarves, and jerseys, uniting the city for a night.

But I had never thought of myself as an individual who would bring a pride flag to a sporting event. I had no idea what type of response a Pride flag would get at a soccer match in the South. The game started out as I thought it would, with two nervous teams — Atlanta United and New York Red Bulls — testing out the waters in their season opener.

As he went to clear the ball, a single moment changed my experience at the game. The game continued, with no interruption, as if nothing had happened — yet something major had just occurred. Every time Luis Robles took a goal kick, I caught my partner looking at me from the corner of his eye.

He would hesitantly turn around to gaze at the mix of individuals, drunkenly shouting the obscenity just two rows behind us. This was not the experience I was hoping for. I wanted so badly for him to enjoy the game I grew up with and loved. After the match, we spoke about our experience and whether Atlanta United games were something we could share together in the future.

Looking back, I wished it could have been without the homophobic language, and that Atlanta United had won but I chose to appreciate our time together. However, what surprised me was the amount of negative press Atlanta United was receiving after just one match.

The obscenities and homophobic language by the Atlanta United fans was criticized galore. I hated to think that people worldwide were misunderstanding and judging our fans and our amazing city. As expected, Atlanta United was quick to make a statement, condemning the language and behaviors of such fans.

As a new MLS franchise, the fans of Atlanta United have a new opportunity to reshape the soccer fan culture of our city. Why not take this with open arms, at the highest level of professional soccer in the United States, to show our country who the people of Atlanta truly are?

After our dominant win away to Minnesota United, I was eagerly anticipating the next match at home to Chicago Fire.

The state of the LGBTQ+ community in US soccer

I hoped Atlanta United could maintain their good early form and start to create a dominant presence on their home turf. On another note, I contemplated how our fans might react to the negative publicity from the first home game and if anything would change. I read comments on Dirty South Soccer from writers and readers who thought silencing the obscene language from the inaugural match would be almost impossible.

With 55, fans at a soccer game, being able to control and influence every single individual was unrealistic. Instead, we needed to focus on how to inspire and encourage the majority of fans to exclude this language. Done successfully, the majority of fans could drown out any offensive language.

My partner and I were excited to attend the next game together.