It’s difficult to deny that North America’s Major League Soccer (MLS) has catapulted onto the global sports scene in recent years. With football, or soccer, soaring past American football to become the most popular sport amongst young people in the US, and rapidly rising standards at an elite level, the league’s former reputation as a retirement hub for Europe’s finest is long gone.
But for all the progress and potential of football in the US, there is one way in which it still trails behind its European rivals: diversity on the pitch. Speaking exclusively to UCFB and GIS, Justin Morrow, a Toronto FC and US international player, shared the difficulties of being a black man playing in the MLS today.
He said: “It’s just different to a lot of places in the world where this sport is accessible to the masses – that’s not the way it is here in North America. Players of colour are often left to feel uncomfortable – it’s not very inclusive here in terms of the environment but also in terms of representation.”
With 81.2% of players in the league being white, according to a Zippia survey, compared to 65% in the Premier League, the lack of representation itself can make players feel marginalised and isolated. But the repercussions are potentially far more damaging than this – people of colour often fall out of the game as coaches, who are predominantly white, are unable to connect with them.
Horrifying event for our young brothers. It’s heartbreaking that we’re still dealing with attacks like this. We will never stop our work to expel this hatred from our communities. Clearly, there’s a lot left to be done 💔 https://t.co/uhpp4T0BVu
— Justin Morrow (@justmorrow) August 17, 2021
Morrow explained: “I never had a black coach, and it’s hard to relate sometimes. I’ve seen it play out in the professional ranks, but I’ve seen it play out in the youth ranks as well that players are moved on from teams, specifically black or BIPOC players, because they are seen to have an attitude issue or the coach just doesn’t know how to get to that player or how to relate to them.”
But Morrow, who is the Executive Director of Black Players for Change, is striving to stamp out this inequality and create an environment where BIPOC players thrive at all levels. Given the sport’s popularity amongst young people, it is vital for both players and the game that these barriers are swiftly eradicated.
He added: “We want it to change now by having increased representation among the BIPOC community in coaching positions and at the executive level as well.”
