As Black History Month comes to an end it is important to highlight the strides made towards reaching equality as well as acknowledge the shortcomings that exist within women’s soccer. Although the women’s soccer community and the USWNT strive for a community of acceptance and pride in its identity, disparities are still prevalent within the sport.
United States National Women’s Team
The USWNT historically has a majority of white players. For the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the team was still mostly white but included nine players of color on the roster. Since soccer has majorly been considered a white sport in the United States, the diversification of the team is a hopeful look at progress.
During the 2019 Women’s World Cup, there were only five women of color on the team. While the growing ratio is encouraging, it is important to remember that barriers to entering soccer for marginalized groups still exist.
Youth Soccer
In many sports, there are thresholds to cross, which are heavily influenced by race and socioeconomic status. For soccer, a global sport, these thresholds and barriers are much more prevalent for minorities in the United States.
One of the reasons that soccer in the United States is disproportionately white is because of the pay-to-play…
