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BEHIND THE STRIPES

Jacob Bannister

By Atlanta United FC

September 13^th, 2022

To stamp the number on the back of an Atlanta United jersey involves a methodical process. The placement starts with an inch-and-a-half, or roughly three fingers, below the “Unite & Conquer” label boxed in gold. Below that, you measure two inches, which is where the player’s name goes. Underneath you measure another inch-and-a-half, which creates space in between the player’s name and number. Then, you take the thin slice of number, lay it down and press it down into the fabric.

14-year-old Jacob Bannister completes this process using a machine at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground. A member of the Atlanta United staff walks him through the process. Together, they take an Atlanta United BLVCK kit, one without a number or a name, make the measurements and place the number where it should go.

The jersey numbers on this particular BLVCK kit, and for the BLVCK kits worn by Atlanta United players for their September 10 match, are special. They contain the words ‘United Against Cancer’ in block letters that are red, black and strong. The words stand out against the gold background, giving the numbers some texture and shape.

Jacob, a pediatric cancer fighter from Marietta, Ga., designed the numbers himself as part of Atlanta United’s Unite & Conquer Cancer campaign going on through the month of September. He was inspired by Atlanta United’s slogan ‘United Against Cancer.’ The result was a specially crafted design that Atlanta United players wore on their kits against Toronto FC. Atlanta United was the only MLS club to create custom-designed numbers for the jerseys. (The numbers were certainly good luck. Atlanta United scored four second-half goals to win the match 4-2.)

September 10 was also Atlanta United’s annual Unite & Conquer Cancer match, and Jacob was the honorary captain for the match. He led the procession through the Delta tunnel and was among the first, along with the referees, to stand on the field prior with the custom numbers on his back. He lined up next to players who were wearing the design he created. Prior to the day, he had no idea what to expect for this moment, but he was beaming at the prospect of serving this role at his first Atlanta United match.

“I thought it was really cool that I was going to be designing the numbers,” he says. “And to see the players with them, I think that’s going to be really awesome.”

Jacob was a soccer player himself for about 10 years, mostly as a goalkeeper. It was through his love of soccer that Jacob’s disease was revealed. He was participating in a local recreational league when all of a sudden, he was having trouble breathing and keeping up at practice.

“At first, we had no idea what was happening,” he says. “We went to the doctors and the pediatrician sent us to the emergency room. And then, we stayed there for awhile and they just sent us home thinking it was just some infection or something. But it wasn’t. And that stunk.”

The diagnosis came when he was 13 years old, just two weeks after his birthday. It was high-risk, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The words are complex and a mouthful to say out loud, but Jacob takes his time and pronounces it perfectly.

He’s been undergoing treatment for about two years at Scottish Rite Hospital, part of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. In the beginning, he was making frequent visits. Over time, he began looking forward to the appointments simply because the nurses and the doctors were so kind and upbeat while he was there.

“Everyone there was super nice,” he says. “It wasn’t very fun, but they made it as nice as possible for me. It was a hard time, but it definitely helped. It was a lot for me to comprehend at the time.”

To brighten his spirits during that time, he watched a lot of sports on TV. Since he couldn’t play games himself, he poured himself into building complex Lego sets. His favorite was the 9,000-piece Titanic. He also saved up all his money to buy the Lego set to build the Millennium Falcon, a ship from his favorite Star Wars movie Empire Strikes Back.

He's currently still in treatment, but Jacob always wears a smile. He just started ninth grade this year, and his favorite subject in school is biology. He eats his favorite food, lobster, whenever he can. He receives treatment about once a month. And his hair has grown out auburn, a different color than when he first was diagnosed, and his goal is to grow it out even further.

“It’s a hard time, it’s a lot, but if you just go with it, it gets easier,” he says. “It doesn’t get easier fast, but it definitely does get easier eventually.”

Story by Sandy McAfee, Photos by Dakota Williams

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