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There are few personalities in the city of Atlanta more respected than Ludacris. While he’s a rapper, an actor, an entrepreneur, at heart he’s really an Atlanta expert. He may not be a soccer expert, but he did sit down with ESPNFC’s Bootroom for an interview talking about Atlanta United.
When asked about the great reception the club has gotten from the city early on, he responded with a very interesting and measured take.
“There are so many soccer fans in Atlanta. I don’t think people knew there were this many. Atlanta always loves something new. I hope that we keep up those same [attendance] numbers. Because, whenever a new club opens in Atlanta, everybody will go to it and give it a couple of months or a couple of years and all of a sudden they want to go somewhere else. We need to make sure that attendance continues to stay strong.”
While we all are thrilled with the sold out crowds we’ve seen so far, he actually makes a decent point. A couple of years from now, there’s no guarantee that this level of pure excitement can sustain for several years. In the end, continuing that fever pitch of support after the shine has worn off will be the true test of Atlanta as a soccer city for the long-term future.
He continues on to take about the “Atlanta United” name and what soccer means about bringing different cultures together. You can watch his full interview with ESPNFC here.