Tuesday, June 21, 2005
US soccer's racial divide
Writing in the Guardian, Steven Wells looks across the pond and sees worrying racial disparities embedded in American soccer. He warns:
With US Soccer investing wisely and looking to attract youngsters who might not have previously considered playing soccer and MLS providing a stable platform for young talent, the infrastructure for youth development is growing rapidly in the US, for all sorts of children.
Demographic changes, notably the growing Hispanic influence in the US, will also mean that American culture will become much more receptive to "futbol." This will probably have a spillover effect across the social spectrum.
And, to throw in some anecdotal evidence, just look at players like Gooch, DMB, and EJ. These are the types of black players that you never would have seen in the US national team pool ten years ago. Now they're thriving in each of their respective environments, with Gooch and DMB overseas, soon to be joined by EJ.
As a whole, racial and class disparities are growing in the US, and they do deserve a great deal of concern. Soccer, however, is one realm of society which will likely become more egalitarian as time goes by.
If Wells had written this piece 7 or 8 years ago, I likely would have agreed with him. Now, I think he's behind the curve.
soccer has become - in the words of Tom Simpson, president of the A-League's San Francisco Bay Seals - the "dream alternate sport for the white suburbs". A safe place where the grandchildren of the "white flight" generation can play in monocultural safety.Yes, there is still somewhat of a stigma attached to soccer in many regions of the country, but these stereotypes are slowly receding to the extent that I don't think they're worth worrying about as a whole. Things have been and will continue to improve.
With US Soccer investing wisely and looking to attract youngsters who might not have previously considered playing soccer and MLS providing a stable platform for young talent, the infrastructure for youth development is growing rapidly in the US, for all sorts of children.
Demographic changes, notably the growing Hispanic influence in the US, will also mean that American culture will become much more receptive to "futbol." This will probably have a spillover effect across the social spectrum.
And, to throw in some anecdotal evidence, just look at players like Gooch, DMB, and EJ. These are the types of black players that you never would have seen in the US national team pool ten years ago. Now they're thriving in each of their respective environments, with Gooch and DMB overseas, soon to be joined by EJ.
As a whole, racial and class disparities are growing in the US, and they do deserve a great deal of concern. Soccer, however, is one realm of society which will likely become more egalitarian as time goes by.
If Wells had written this piece 7 or 8 years ago, I likely would have agreed with him. Now, I think he's behind the curve.
