Rise Up for Chickens: PETA Urges Falcons Fans to Go Vegan on Game Day and Beyond

For Immediate Release:
September 18, 2026

Contact:
Hannah Nelson 202-483-7382

Ready for some football—and some food for thought? Just in time for the Atlanta Falcons’ first home game against the Carolina Panthers on September 20, PETA is intercepting fans on their way to Mercedes-Benz Stadium with nearly a dozen messages at nearby MARTA stations. Each features a larger-than-life chicken and a reminder that Falcons fans can appreciate: Chickens, just like the team’s namesake, want to keep their wings—so PETA is encouraging everyone to keep them off the menu and go vegan.

Fans who get the message won’t have to look far for a bird-friendly bite—Mercedes-Benz Stadium offers a Black Bean Veggie Burger served with vegan mayo; a Basil Pesto Melt Grilled Cheese with pesto, roasted marinated tomatoes, vegan provolone cheese, and arugula; a Vegan Grilled Cheese made with vegan American cheese on Texas toast; and a Quinoa Bowl with red pepper hummus, quinoa, roasted vegetables, arugula, grilled pita chips, and lemon tahini dressing.

“No Falcons fan would ever put a falcon’s wing on their plate, yet chickens, who are just as clever, curious, and eager to live, are sent to slaughter without a thought for their fear and feelings,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is asking everyone to make the smart call this season by leaving chickens in peace and choosing animal-friendly game-day foods.”

Chickens are social learners who watch and emulate one another. They form strong bonds, dream, and worry about the future, just as humans do—but in the meat industry, chickens are confined by the tens of thousands to severely crowded, filthy sheds and bred to grow such unnaturally large upper bodies that their legs often become crippled under the weight. At slaughterhouses, mechanized blades slit their throats—often while they’re still conscious—and many are scalded to death in de-feathering tanks.

PETA’s free vegan starter kit—and guide to the best heat-and-eat vegan wings available at grocery stores—can help anyone thinking of making the switch.

PETA’s messages appear on 11 digital screens across two Atlanta stations: the SEC District MARTA Station at 100 Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW and the Five Points MARTA Station at 30 Alabama Street SW.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and fear, a chicken is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.