By Ryan Makuch
Just a couple of weeks ago, AFC Ann Arbor served as title sponsor of the Collegiate Soccer Society of Michigan’s Future of U.S. Soccer Conference and had a presence on the extremely important Anti-Racist Soccer Clubs panel. Club Chair Bilal Saeed was on the panel representing the club and he joined USLBPA co-founder and active USL Championship player Brandon Miller, academic scholars Anthony Weems and Krista Oshiro, and, moderator of the panel, journalist Fletcher Sharpe.
The panel spent an hour discussing how to implement anti-racist practices within soccer clubs through all aspects of the organization. The panel’s diversity in expertise allowed for a significant range of topics to be discussed.
Saeed noted how this is not something just for involving more Black players into the world of soccer, but it’s also on the entire organization, and it’s on the organization to impact their community. He said, “If the Black and Brown players feel underrepresented, how do you think the communities feel?” Saeed also focused on the AFCAA community, noting how both the cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, both right in the backyard of local supporters (if not their hometowns) are cities that have issues along the lines of segregation and divisions of neighborhoods by racial groups. He finished by crediting the Main Street Hooligans with helping push forward the conversation, and also highlighted how it needs to be not just non-white people furthering the diversity discussing, but also on white supporters, players, and organization members to stand against racism.
Miller discussed how the BPA is attempting to shift the balance of power in all aspects of the league and in soccer clubs. He noted how many Black players, coaches, or others involved in the soccer world may want to be head coaches or in the front office, but do not see anyone like them. Miller also spoke on how the BPA has held discussions with the likes of real estate agents and bank executives to help players recognize the options that they have to further their lives beyond the scope of soccer. He would discuss this further in our conversation with him after the panel, saying, “I enjoy learning as much as I can off the field so that I’m prepared for the inevitable transition once my career ends. It took me 5-6 years into my career to start thinking like that so I hope I can reach as many young players as possible and shift their mindset earlier in their careers.”
Miller, co-founder of the USLBPA alongside teammate Hugh Roberts, also tackled the question of how to engage with people, saying that in his experiences, showing real emotion and real feelings about issues is the best way for people to comprehend messages. In AFC Ann Arbor’s conversation post-panel discussion, he elaborated on this final point. Miller stated, “Sugar coating things won’t get us to the roots of a lot of these issues and if we don’t attack the roots then we won’t be able to effectively attack the problems.” He would also add, “Being open and honest in these conversations is the best way to convey just how impactful a lot of these issues are and hopefully we can have a number of breakthroughs during a lot of these conversations.”
Oshiro posed an important question, which is why is soccer such an important platform for firmly standing against racism? She noted that soccer clubs have, both historically and currently, served as deeply ingrained institutions within their communities. “It’s more than just a sport, it’s a relationship,” she aptly noted, emphasizing that morals and values embedded within the club can then become adopted by and embedded into their communities. Oshiro also discussed the idea of the “great sports myth”, which is an idea that sport is totally holistic and good, with no inherent faults or flaws. She noted that while we may not be able to change everyone’s mind, but this is a way to start in on doing the work that can plant the thought in their head.
Weems led with noting how racism is so deeply ingrained in American society that it is not enough to be not racist, but we must be anti-racist. He noted how clubs should, in order to establish anti-racist practices, “think outside the dominant way of doing things”, which is a necessary transformative process as both an organization and on an individual level. There needs to be an intentionality when thinking of these practices, and he also highlighted a paper written by Dr. Kwame Agyemang and Mackenzie Rector that noted four key points: getting involved in communities with non-white individuals and allowing white people to get into the community to better understand and serve it, a need to forget the business taste of diversity, not relying on free labor from people of color to lead diversity charges, and embedding diversity into the core of the organization.
AFCAA spoke to Agyemang after the panel on some of the topics brought up and discussed. One of the topics discussed was representation in positions of power in leagues that profit off of Black labor. “I think it’s especially important to have Black and non-White leaders to identify with the talent that is the driving force behind the revenue,” Agyemang said, expanding on why Black leadership is so important. He would continue, saying, “Too often, White men are devising the strategies, policies and rules, to the detriment of Black athletes, much of which is due to a lack of the same life experiences and culture, among other factors. This disconnect, then leads, to inherently racist policies that disparately impact Black athletes.”
Agyemang also noted ways for consumers to hold sports organizations responsible, saying, “As consumers, we can begin by examining the boards and senior leadership teams of organizations. We can demand that they diversify beyond the typical membership of White men.” He would also add, “More importantly, we can hold them accountable with our dollars. In today’s economy, where consumers are more socially conscious with their dollars, it’ll behoove organizations to tear down their systems of White supremacy and rebuild in a way that is inclusive of their Black and non-White stakeholders.”
Thanks in large part to work done by the Sporting Justice Collective (with which Weems and Oshiro are involved in) and the USLBPA (with which Miller is involved in), AFC Ann Arbor are proud to stand with these organizations as they fight for equality, diversity, and better service for their communities, and we are proud to have had a presence in this conference and on this panel.