MLS has a race problem too

Around the world, organisations, leagues, and communities are facing up to the problems they harbour of race. Sadly, MLS is no different.

This week, the NFL released a progressive statement that admitted it was wrong to silence players who protested police brutality and systemic racism in America. While commissioner, Roger Goodell, did not mention Colin Kaepernick, the instigator of the protest who has since been blackballed from the league, by name, he did take a step further than the league has ever done before.

In a video released on the NFL’s social media, Goodell said:

"“We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all players to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the National Football League, believe that black lives matter.”"

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It is a strong and admirable statement, a step in the right direction to tackling the systemic racism that black people face every day. And the NFL, largely because of the Kaepernick’s lead, the political leanings of the owners and many fans, and the large proportion of African-American players, has been at the forefront of the criticism. Organisations are now demanded to look at themselves. The NFL has started that process. Major League Soccer must follow suit.

While soccer is often thought of as the more progressive sport in America, and given the younger demographic of supporters, that is largely true, it does not mean that MLS — and other clubs, organisations, and leagues — does not struggle with the same problems as others. It does.

As of February 2019, per the Athletic, out of 142 non-interim head coaches across the 25-year history of the league, only five black men had taken up a role: Ruud Gullit, Aron Winter, Denis Hamlett, Robin Fraser and Patrick Vieira. There had been no American-born, non-interim black head coach. At present, of the 26 head coaches in the league, only two are black: Fraser, and Thierry Henry, who was hired by the Montreal Impact this offseason.

This issue extends beyond coaches, too. Consider the demographic of the owners in MLS, the ones who possess the most power, are the stakeholders in the league, and dictate the rules of the competition. The large majority are white, older men. The likes of Robert Kraft, Clark Hunt, Arthur Blank, and David Tepper, who all own NFL teams too have great power and influence in MLS.

Of course, singling out specific individuals does not help much, but it does paint a very clear picture: black people have very few positions of power and influence in MLS. The impacts of this is the systemic racism that people around the world are now protesting against. And in the MLS landscape, this outworks itself in the lack of black coaches, scouts, personnel directors, and owners.

Last year, Minnesota United defender Ike Opara questioned whether he could become a head coach, even if he wanted to. Speaking with The Athletic, he said:

"“Would I have a chance at becoming a head coach in MLS’s current climate? That, I don’t know. I’d like to think that my reputation and connections — those things could help lead me to a job. But I’m sure there have been plenty of black players who’ve thought that and nothing has come from it.”"

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The world is waking up to the systemic racism that has held black people down for generations. And as it is, every organisation must look at themselves and address their own prejudices. In this case, MLS still has work to do.

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