Falcons’ profile picture draws familiar Nazi comparisons
Credit: Atlanta Falcons
ATLANTA - The Atlanta Falcons’ new social media profile picture has drawn comparisons to Nazi-era imagery, echoing a similar reaction to a team image change in 2024.
What we know:
The team posted the graphic on X on Wednesday, Oct. 21, with the caption "New PFP." It features a black falcon against red, white and gold-toned stripes.
The emblem revives a Falcons design from the team’s early years in the 1960s and 1970s; it is not an entirely new logo. Some users said the design resembled imagery associated with Nazi Germany, while others responded with jokes, including calling it "the bird reich."
As of early Thursday afternoon, the post on X has been viewed more than 11 million times, has been reposted more than 5,300 times and received more than 4,000 comments.
Many commenters are using AI to create their own images in response to the new design.
The FOX 5 Atlanta news desk has reached out to the Atlanta Falcons organization for comment.
Falcons throwback logo explained
Local perspective:
While social media users were quick to mock the Atlanta Falcons' new profile picture for resembling mid-century authoritarian heraldry, the graphic is actually a collage of the franchise's inaugural 1966 iconography and Georgia football history.
The design centers on the team's original crest: a rigid, geometric black bird with outstretched wings and talons forming a capital "F". Running down the middle is the exact stripe pattern from the team's 1966–1969 red helmet, featuring a central black stripe flanked by white and old gold.
The inclusion of old gold—a color long absent from the modern Falcons palette—dates back to a diplomatic decision by original owner Rankin Smith Sr. When Atlanta was awarded an NFL expansion franchise in 1965, the state's football landscape was bitterly split by the rivalry between the University of Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Because adopting Georgia's signature red and black threatened to alienate Georgia Tech supporters, Smith added Tech's old gold and white to the helmet stripe, creating a unified color scheme intended to bridge the state's college football divide. Flattened into a two-dimensional digital graphic, however, critics have contended the vintage helmet stripe and angular bird took on an unintended, starkly militaristic aesthetic online.
A familiar reaction
Dig deeper:
The response recalls September 2024, when another Falcons profile-picture change prompted similar comparisons online. That image featured a red version of the team’s throwback helmet logo, and commenters also likened its design to Nazi-era German symbols.
RELATED: Falcons' new logo criticized as fans relate it with Nazi symbols
The latest post drew more than design criticism. Some fans questioned why the team was focusing on its social media image instead of its performance.
Atlanta is 2-4 after a 31-23 loss to the Chicago Bears. The Falcons won consecutive games against the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints before losing to the Baltimore Ravens and Bears. They are scheduled to face the undefeated San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
No new logo announced
What we don't know:
The Falcons have not announced a new official logo. The image appears as a profile-picture update (and as the background on their official website), and the team has not explained its purpose.
Atlanta introduced redesigned uniforms for the 2026 season in April, with a more prominent role for red and details inspired by the franchise’s history. The Falcons are scheduled to wear 1966-inspired throwback uniforms against San Francisco, featuring a red helmet, black jersey and white pants. The team has not confirmed whether the profile-picture design is connected to Sunday’s game.