Black History Month Spotlight Series: Alton McCalla

Real Salt Lake is nothing without its supporters.

One of which is Alton McCalla, or more famously known by his social handle, Altimus Prime. 

Since his birth McCalla has been surrounded by soccer. Born in Jamaica he grew up with a ball at his feet, raised in a culture where the sport was played all day and all night. 

But at the age of eight, when his family immigrated to the United States, his passion began to dwindle as traditional American sports, like football, took center stage. While he still followed European soccer from afar, there wasn’t a team he could completely commit to as an everyday fan.

That is until he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. 

It was here, in 2011, that he found himself surrounded by a sea of Claret and Cobalt, in a faded red seat on a random Saturday, and in moments the love of the game came flooding back. He had watched the team during their magical fun to the 2009 MLS Cup, but it wasn’t until he sat in the midst of it all that he understood and instantly became a fan. 

For years he has bounced around the South Section at Rio Tinto Stadium, making friends wherever he goes. He doesn’t belong to just one of the official supporters groups, instead choosing to float between the groups in an effort to get to know more fans.

It’s been nearly a decade since McCalla became a loyal Real Salt Lake supporter, and in the 10 years since he has helped cultivated a space where friends have become family and where everyone is welcome.

“The RSL supporters are a family,” McCalla said. “They welcome you with open arms, it doesn’t matter what your background is, everyone is welcome to support RSL.”

Several years ago, that sentiment became even more real, when the injustice of Black individuals in this country were thrust into the spotlight, hitting every corner of America, including the very Club he loved. 

It was during this time that many of his friends withheld their season ticket renewals and quit coming to games. 

“I was angry and annoyed, but for me, I went to the games for the fans, supporters and friendship, and it was them who really supported me during that time,” McCalla said. 

In June of 2021 McCalla was approached by the Club’s front office to help collaborate on a Tifo for the upcoming Juneteenth game, a holiday commemorating the emancipation of African American slaves. 

The creation of the Tifo brought together all aspects of the Club, including players, coaches, players in the Academy, staff members and even the opposing team, Vancouver Whitecaps FC. All had a hand in painting the banner that was unrolled in the South Section on June 18, the day before Juneteenth, displaying a raised first breaking out of shackles.

“It’s one of my favorite moments as an RSL fan, it symbolized a change in direction at RSL and how they viewed different cultures, and I am proud I was a part of it,” McCalla said.

Heading in to the 2022 season McCalla hopes to see more moments like these as RSL enters into a new era under new leadership, and hopefully with it more Black supporters to join him.