The World Cup: Atlanta’s big break

I wasn’t much more than an infant when the Olympics came through Atlanta in 1996, but there are still signs of the Olympics’ presence and the influence it had on the city is still apparent 30 years later.

I’ve heard plenty of stories about what the Olympics did for this area and what Atlanta and Atlantans did for the Olympics, despite not seeing it firsthand when it happened. The FIFA World Cup Matches rolling in makes me think I’ll get a taste of the international sporting scene in Atlanta.

While it will be fun to see the games, festivities, and comradery in Atlanta surrounding the World Cup, the chance to host these FIFA matches will also be a chance for Atlanta to show itself off on the world stage.

This isn’t your grandfather’s Atlanta. Atlanta’s population has boomed with everything from international residents to local migrators looking for opportunities. Every time I take I-75 through downtown and midtown Atlanta, I feel like the skyline has grown. Skylines in Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Marietta, and other suburbs are now a real thing.

Even the sports community in Atlanta, a city well known for sports, has taken off. Atlanta has created one of Major League Soccer’s most recently successful franchises with a diehard fanbase and has made efforts to increase soccer popularity in metro Atlanta with initiatives such as MARTA’s Soccer in the Streets program, local clubs and training efforts run by Atlanta United, and other soccer-based plans in an increasingly diverse and international city.

The World Cup will be Atlanta’s first chance to show this off on such a stage since the 1996 Olympics, and I think the city is going to surprise some people.

I know we, as locals, easily nitpick Atlanta. The traffic can be awful, and the weather can be treacherous, but it is a beautiful city in the trees with an amazing combination of Southern hospitality and international influence. And, if you’re a sports fan, good luck finding many cities taking sports more seriously than Atlanta. If things go well, coupled with Atlanta’s passion for sports, I could easily see more international competitions finding their home in the Deep South.
Who knows, the World Cup might convert a few fans into residents.