Amid the cacophony of race issues in America, Major League Soccer’s silence is deafening
“This has been a tough week… for the entire American family,” said President Obama, speaking at a press conference in Warsaw, Poland on July 9th. His words were an understatement, so often uttered in recent times that it has almost entirely lost meaning for a public, paradoxically, simultaneously outraged and desensitized.
President Obama went on to assert that, despite the terrible events of the week prior, America was not as divided as it seemed. The country was reeling, but though bruised and battered, it would recover.
Following the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling at the hands of the police and the killing of five Dallas Police officers by a lone gunman at a Black Lives Matter protest, many Americans are outraged. And rightly so. Politicians, artists, talk show hosts, athletes, your neighbors, friends and relatives — everyone has been discussing it. That is, everyone except Major League Soccer.
Soccer occupies a unique space in most societies in that access to the game is rarely limited by socioeconomic status. In fact, many would argue that it’s the sport for the under-privileged. How many times have we heard stories about players hailing from impoverished areas, growing up playing barefoot in the streets, eventually rising so dramatically in stature that throngs of people purchase jerseys bearing their names even decades after they’ve retired from the game? Pelé, Ronaldinho, Hagi, Eusebio, Drogba— the list goes on.
A similar opportunity is offered by the National Football League and the National Basketball Association — each has been an avenue to success for young men with immense talent yet burdened by the realities of their place within the hierarchal structure of American society. Over 65% of players in the NFL and 75% of players in the NBA are African-American, according to a 2014 study by Harvard Sport Analysis. However, teams in the NBA and NFL attract viewers of a far more balanced demographic as both sports are watched and played in great number throughout the country. As such, their athletes and teams have a unique platform from which they can communicate with fans.
Last year, Carmelo Anthony took to the streets of Baltimore to protest the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. After the police killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins wore a shirt that read, “Justice For Tamir Rice.” The Browns were adamant that they respect their players’ rights to take on causes they find important. After the killing of Eric Garner by New York police, Lebron James and Derrick Rose, among others, wore “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirts in their pre-game warmups. The NBA’s decision not to fine them for violating dress code spoke volumes.
Major League Soccer, which boasts the most diverse league in American sport, has stayed out of the spotlight when it comes to matters of race in the United States. Perhaps, considering the league demographic — it is nearly 50% white — issues surrounding race are less in focus. Or, perhaps MLS players don’t feel as comfortable taking a strong stance on this topic. Whether out of fear of being ostracized by one’s teammates or being fined and made an example of by the league, no team or player has made a statement — neither in commentary nor via wardrobe — addressing police killings of African-Americans which have recently dominated the national spotlight.
In an article for the Guardian last year, Les Carpenter suggested that soccer in America is limited to the wealthy who can afford the often outrageous costs of the pay-to-play system. This system, according to journalist Roger Bennett and professor George Kaplan, has resulted in American soccer players being predominantly white and hailing from high income families. Comparing the backgrounds of each US Men’s National Team member from 1993 to 2013 against NFL Pro Bowlers and NBA All-Stars, Bennett and Kaplan ran a study which determined that the USMNT players were from communities which were whiter than the national average. The NFL and NBA players were from communities which were less racially homogenous, on average, on the same scale.
It would seem it’s not only the demographic breakdown of the players, but also that of the MLS audience which would incentivize the silence of the league and its players. MLS knows their bread gets buttered on both sides of the contentious socio-political conversation revolving around police militarization and brutality and race in America. According to Nielsen, Major League Soccer viewership has steadily increased over the past several years. Non-Hispanic white MLS viewership is nominally larger than that of African-Americans, Asians, and Hispanics. Moreover, this demographic has shown the highest increase in viewership as compared with the other demographics from 2009 to 2013. As MLS continues to make significant gains in popularity, visibility and viewership, it remains very much in the league’s interest to refrain from engaging in this conversation whether or not such reticence is justified.
It’s not that MLS is against taking a strong stance on matters it feels deserve attention. Following the massacre in Orlando — the worst mass shooting in American history — several MLS teams produced touching tributes to the 49 victims. Major League Soccer’s Twitter account produced a video with players from many teams speaking messages of unity with the city of Orlando. Commissioner Don Garber posed for a photo with talismanic midfielder and captain of Orlando City Soccer Club, Kaká, to show the solidarity of all the league’s teams and players. It was a powerful gesture, and one which made clear the league’s position.
MLS has a responsibility to be a vehicle for positive social change and should be an entity which promotes ethical and progressive initiatives in an effort to make the game more accessible to all. However, when it comes to issues of race, Major League Soccer has chosen to remain silent.
In a recent Instagram post, New York Knicks’ star Carmelo Anthony called upon his fellow athletes, imploring them to take a stand against what he calls a broken system.
“NO more sitting back and being afraid of tackling and addressing political issues anymore. Those days are long gone. We have to step up and take charge. We can’t worry about what endorsements we gonna lose or whose going to look at us crazy. I need your voices to be heard.”
Some MLS athletes may be of the mind that they have something more to lose than Anthony. Clearly, no player deems their current environment suitable for making public their feelings on the matter. Or, there’s simply no one, player or organization, passionate enough to speak up.
Whichever the case, Major League Soccer’s silence on these issues is deafening.
