Prior to being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 2023, star running back Bijan Robinson did not spend much time, if any, in Atlanta.
Robinson grew up on the West Coast in Arizona before playing college football in Austin at the University of Texas, where the NFL’s current leading rusher noticed a big difference between living in those places compared to Atlanta.
In Atlanta, there are a lot more Black people.
During an episode of the “St. Brown Podcast” that was released on Wednesday, Robinson discussed his first impressions upon moving to Atlanta.
The St. Brown Podcast is co-hosted by brothers Amon-Ra St. Brown (current star wide receiver of the Detroit Lions) and Equanimeous St. Brown, who is currently a NFL free agent wideout.
“My first reaction, so when I stayed at the hotel [in Atlanta],” Robinson said on the podcast, “it was a really nice hotel. The Black people were cleaning the rooms. … There were Black people at the front desk, like, everywhere. So I was like, ‘This is a different culture than what I’m used to.'”
In Tuscon, Arizona, where Robinson was born, an estimated 53.7 percent of people identify as white, while 42.8 percent of people identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to 2025 United States Census Bureau data. Just 5.6 percent of the population of around 550,000 people in Tuscon identifies as Black.
The demographics in Atlanta, which has a similar population size to Tuscon, are much different. An estimated 46 percent of the people in Atlanta identify as Black, while 39.1 percent identify as white and 6.3 percent identify as Hispanic or Latino.
Robinson has had plenty of time to adjust to life in Atlanta at this point with it being his fourth season with the Falcons. If the running back plays out a three-year, $66.75 million contract extension without being cut or traded, he could spend the first eight years of his NFL career in the city.
While the Falcons are only 3-6 this season, it has not been due to a lack of trying on Robinson’s part. His 880 rushing yards lead all NFL players entering Week 10, while he has an additional 250 receiving yards and six total touchdowns.
Fortunately for Robinson and the Falcons, though, the rest of the three teams in their NFC South division also only have three wins entering Week 10. That means a path to playoffs and a first-round home game still exists if the Falcons can finish with the best record among their divisional counterparts.
“It is a blessing that we all [have] won three games, so it’s still a division for us to win” Robinson said on the podcast. “That’s where my mindset is. I’m really big on taking it one week at a time.”
