Dave portnoy gord miller1/11/2024 However, her speaking about her experience came at a great cost. Gorden’s response to the racist incidents that she and her boyfriend experienced after her match that night included her voicing her frustration and disappointment on social media. This lack of representation shows no real understanding of the systemic issues Black and Brown people face and endure daily and a culture screams “white way is the right way.” Youth Soccer “pay-to-play” system excludes Black and Latina girls and women from entry into mainstream soccer. As the FareNet report documents, the U.S. Racism will remain constant until white stakeholders are educated enough to take action against racialized incidents.Īn overwhelming majority of teams in professional soccer have all-white administrators, coaches, and staff. Whether it was the incident with a stadium security guard threatening to call the police on Jessica McDonald’s 7-year-old son who wanted to see his Mom after the game, or the time Adrianna French (2021 NWSL Challenge Cup MVP) was subjected to racial slurs from Portland Thorns fans, this league’s inactions perpetuate whiteness in the sport.Īfter so many missed opportunities, the inaction itself - namely, the anchor of all whiteness - is proof that the NWSL, like all professional leagues, will always put profit over people. Previous events signal the league’s absent commitment to addressing anti-black racism. The league, rather than listening to Sarah Gorden - a pioneer for Black women in the sport - conducted an independent investigation that found no wrongdoing, dismissing her allegations of racial discrimination.Įven if this was the first racist incident like this in the NWSL, the league proved once again they have no proactive plan to fight racism or be an anti-racist organization. The security guard’s threat was for breaking COVID protocol by going to see his girlfriend post-match, but the white Houston Dash friends and families were doing the exact same thing with no such threats. In her post, she writes in detail about how a white male security guard followed and threatened her boyfriend for walking down the steps to see Gorden after the match. In a social media post, Gorden shared details of the racist harassment that she and her boyfriend (also Black) experienced after her opening match of the 2021 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The impact of whiteness goes beyond words, as we’ve recently seen in the case of Sarah Gorden, a Black defender for the Chicago Red Stars. The racism I experience also occurs off the field as I encounter the whiteness of American soccer vis-à-vis its ownership and executives. Despite my leadership in this role, I still have racial slurs thrown at me from white players and fans, and unfortunately, there is no remorse or accountability for their racist rhetoric. In retrospect, I was wrong - these painful words were an example of racism and xenophobia.įifteen years later, I find myself in a much different role within the game of soccer - as a co-owner and Chair of Association Football Club Ann Arbor (AFC Ann Arbor). At the time, I thought this incident was a reflection of the times and not a circumstance of a white athlete knowing he could say whatever he wanted with no real consequences. This incident is still more vivid than I wish. This was, to my knowledge, the first time I experienced such a strong display of hate in sports. Growing up as a Pakistani-American Muslim in a white community, I was no stranger to people asking me where I was really from, what gods I believed in, or if I had to marry the only other Brown girl in school.Įxisting as one of only a few young Muslims in a predominantly white community became even more challenging when my senior year of high school coincided with the tragic events of Septema day more aptly known as “9/11.” Just days after 9/11, I was called a racial slur by an opponent while playing a high school soccer game. ![]() Photo by Jaylynne Heffernan and UCLA Athletics
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