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BEHIND THE STRIPES

Thomas Turner

By Atlanta United FC

March 8^th, 2019

It’s an early March morning in East Atlanta and Thomas Turner is sitting in a paint-speckled pickup truck as the sun peaks through the morning clouds onto a house-sized piece of art. It’s a king peach, adorned with a star – inspired by the MLS Cup champions. He’s been painting full time on this project for the better part of a week, but the reality is it’s been a lifetime in the making.

“To have the opportunity to paint a piece inspired by something that I love, that’s the dream for any artist.”

That love Thomas is referring to is Atlanta United, but his devotion to soccer goes way before that, all the way to the youth leagues in the suburbs of Atlanta. The beautiful game was his first love before art took his heart.

“Soccer has always been a part of my life, it’s been my favorite sport over any other sport. I was an athlete before I was an artist, so now being able to combine the two is a dream come true.”

But the common thread defining his passion and his beloved team is the city of Atlanta. It’s helped him develop both as a person and an artist.

“When I see blank walls I see blank canvases, whether I’m in Atlanta, on the road or wherever. I just think ‘we have to cover that wall.’ It’s multicultural, people from different backgrounds bringing different flavors and colors to the public space. We want the city to be colorful, interesting and different.”

“I don’t know if I’d be the artist I am if I didn’t come through Atlanta, I wouldn’t have become the artist I am now. It exposed me to different mediums, different artists – just being around that propelled me into a whole new realm.”

Atlanta is one of Thomas' inspirations – it helped mold him as a person and an artist. So as a soccer lover himself, when Thomas’ city got their own soccer team, he was in from the jump.

“It was the first time we were going to have a team that was our own from scratch, that we get to come on board from the start, help mold it ourselves, and just fully immerse ourselves in a whole new culture that hadn’t been here before. It’s brought so many people together in the community, and has been awesome to be a part of.”

That’s what made Atlanta United special to Thomas and so many other Atlanta United fans. The team is fun to watch and has been successful through its first two seasons, but to “conquer” is only half of Atlanta United’s mission. Even more importantly, it’s united the city.

“The fans are equal to the team, which is equal to the front office – the entire city plays a part. I’ve heard players say they’re excited to play in front of the fans because we pick them up. It really is one team, one city. It’s just so much more than the sport itself. It’s a community. It’s a gathering. It’s a party. It’s everything.”

“With Atlanta United you don’t have a choice, you have to be involved. Whether you’re in Section 300 or in the front row, everyone is standing up, cheering. I can’t express it enough: it’s so much more than soccer, it’s about bringing people together.”

That buzz around the city crescendos into last year’s magical postseason run that clinched Atlanta’s first major sports title in more than 20 years. Thomas says it’s good to get the proverbial monkey off the city’s back with a title to celebrate, but more so it sets the tone for an ambitious club.

“It’s just so big that we have that championship now. We can’t ride on that or dwell on it – we have to get back to work and stay strong. But now we have that threshold, we’ve set that standard. So we can hold the team to that, and we as fans have to hold ourselves to that standard. We are championship fans, and we need to act like that.”

But his passion isn’t defined by the on-field success. That standard was set before the team ever stepped foot on the field.

“The tailgate for our very first match showed me everything I needed to know: that this city and these fans were extremely passionate for this club and this sport. It showed me we had something special and it was going to be amazing, win or lose. We lost that night and no one cared, it was just an amazing experience. No matter what we supported with everything we had.”

And now Thomas gets to combine his two lifelong loves of art and the beautiful game – and all twisted up in Atlanta swagger and style. And as the sun starts breaking through the morning clouds, putting his piece of art on display for the city to see, he reflects back on everything that’s happened to get him to this point.

“I’d say it’s a dream come true but it’s even more than that – I couldn’t even dream of this because we didn’t have a local soccer team growing up. Atlanta United has allowed me to be inspired by the team in my own way – that has been liberating and has helped me find myself more as an artist. I’m able to translate my artistic vision into something that is inspired by sports, which is something that inspires me. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

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