They called it “Nash-lanta.”
The soccer fan event was the first of its kind, comprised of three key ingredients: Black culture, community and the beautiful game. Together, Nashville SC’s Black-led supporters groups — The Mixtape 615 and Atlanta-based Footie Mob — created an inclusive space for this growing intersectionality in the South and the U.S.
The event started last Saturday at the Dream Streets North community center in north Nashville. It moved to the old expo buildings for a tailgate before Nashville SC hosted Atlanta United FC at Geodis Park .
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“Blackness is not limited,” Mixtape co-founder Eric Brown Jr. said. “…If Black people are a part of any experience, whether that’s finance or soccer or tennis…if Black people are there, that is the Black experience.”
Now more than ever, Black soccer fans are taking up seats at games spanning across multiple leagues in the U.S. Soccer pyramid. The Mixtape joined the movement on Juneteenth 2021, eventually joining Footie Mob this year to spearhead the growth of Black soccer supporters culture in the South.
Atlanta’s influence on Nashville, MLS
Two influences shaped Brown’s perspective on soccer as a Black consumer of soccer: Marcus Whitney, the healthcare innovator and entrepreneur who co-founded Nashville SC, and Footie Mob.
Brown went to a Nashville-Atlanta match last May at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and saw rappers Pastor Troy and 2Chainz on the jumbotron as gameday promoters. He was hooked.
So Brown, along with Metro Councilman Brandon Taylor, Councilwoman Zulfat Suara, Jarret Strickland, and Nadira Freeman co-founded The Mixtape.
“The Mixtape is about the Black community coming together in leadership to really support soccer and to say that we really are a part of Nashville,” Brown said. “Footie Mob is the same way. It’s knowing that Black culture is definitely in soccer culture. And because of that, soccer is Black.”
Footie Mob burst onto the scene in 2017. At the club’s first tailgate before its first match, Reggie McKie was first to bare the bullhorn, leading chants with fans, eventually becoming president of the group.
Now, Black-led supporters groups have sprouted across the U.S., in MLS, United Soccer League and the National Women’s Soccer League. Chicago Fire FC’s Black Fires, Inter Miami CF’s Black Herons, Rose Room Collective in D.C., Featherstone Flamingos in Wisconsin and River City 93 in Richmond, Virginia.
Bringing a flavor, future to the sport
McKie said he loves leading the crowd, known as “the Capo.” But it’s the focus on serving the Black community that motivates him.
“What (the Mixtape) is doing now is really what Footie Mob has been trying to do, which is to bring the sport to the community,” McKie said. “And then on the flip side, bring the community to the sport, bring them some flavor.”
On the field, the Nashville-Atlanta rivalry is about the wins. Off it, particularly for Mixtape and Footie Mob, it’s about the movement.
“We have the banter and we go back and forth and whatnot. We talk a lot of trash,” McKie said. “But ultimately, it’s one team and it’s wonderful because you don’t want to be the only one. You want to see this grow, you want to see the support grow, especially with African Americans, because we don’t realize it’s a part of our culture everywhere else, except in this country.
“We want our kids to see how dope it is, just how exciting it is.”
For stories about Nashville SC or Soccer in Tennessee, contact Drake Hills at DHills@gannett.com. Follow Drake on Twitter at @LiveLifeDrake. Connect with Drake on Instagram at @drakehillssoccer and on Facebook.
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