The American soccer landscape has changed drastically in the 15 years Eboni Christmas has been a fan of the sport. In that time, Black players have grown more prominent, and their successes celebrated on a larger scale.
“It is kind of a dramatic change, but for the good. These players were already here, they just weren’t getting the recognition. Now that they’re winning the United States Olympic medals and things like that. It’s been really cool to see that change. Now that it’s happened, you can’t really go back. That representation will always be there now, Christmas said.
That representation is growing off the field as well.
“As a Black fan, more Black players are being recognized and celebrated. It’s been really cool, and now more people are like, ‘I see myself’ whether it is in media or on the field or in the stands,” Christmas said.
A member of the American Outlaws and North Carolina FC’s Oak City Supporters, Christmas knows the impact supporter groups can have on bringing more fans into the space. While shouting out the work being done by Black-centered supporter groups such as the Rose Room Collective in Washington, D.C., or Black Fires in Chicago, among others spread throughout all levels of the American soccer pyramid, Christmas hopes to see increased support for both those established groups and new groups just starting.
“They are popping up because more Black fans are getting into the sport, and they’re creating a space for themselves to be able to go to games. That’s more of what I want to see. They’re finding friends that are passionate about the sport, and they’re making the most of what they have. I want to see more support for them because it is hard to start and run one,” Christmas said.
That impact has been felt by the younger generation of fans, such as Anéssa Myers, a local high school student and life-long soccer player who fell in love with the Courage after moving to Raleigh in 2021.
Myers, who grew up playing for PGSA in Greenville and then NCFC Youth and Wake FC in Raleigh, didn’t see many Black players on the national team as a young fan.
“There just weren’t a ton on that National Team. It wasn’t very diverse. It’s just really important to have soccer be a place that’s diverse and for Black perspectives to be heard,” Myers said.
Other groups and organizations like the Black Women’s Player Collective are another important piece of that growth, but clubs also have to take an active stance in being an inclusive place and celebrating the representation and diversity present in the sport both on and off the field.
“I think having organizations like the Black Women’s Player Collective is really important, and having events that recognize representation. I like how the Courage does Juneteenth. Days like that are really important. I think the Courage, with those kinds of campaigns, have done really well and been great at being inclusive,” Myers said.
Part of that shift is an increase in Black representation in soccer media. Outlets like Shea Butter FC, which both Christmas and Myers work with, have created a space for Black voices to tell Black stories.
“We all see the game differently, and for a long time, the way we see the game wasn’t valued because it wasn’t traditional. It wasn’t a traditional way of watching the game or breaking down a game. Now that we have so many influential Black players showing up and performing well, it’s important to have those Black voices saying what we see as well because not only do we approach the game differently, they approach it differently. It’s really cool to be able to link those together and to give you a different experience and a different type of voice to the game,” Christmas said.
Shea Butter FC started in 2020 and has steadily grown over the years into an important piece of the NWSL media landscape. Christmas joined the team during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, covering the Courage for the outlet, but recently moved into a managerial role for the show, helping to recruit talent, coordinate interviews, and produce the show.
“When I came on is kind of when we started looking at ‘What does Shea Butter mean off the field as well? How can we make this better for more Black fans to get into the sport?’ It’s been very cool so far,” Christmas said.
The growth has led to some great opportunities for the show, including working at the NWSL Skills Competition ahead of last year’s championship and a series of interviews during the inaugural NWSL media day in January.
These increased opportunities have been great for the show, but there is still room for the media space to grow as less traditional media outlets continue to gain prominence.
“On the media side, I just want better access. We’re Black fans, we’re fans of the sport first, but we want to be able to cover it in the same way that some of these other media outlets do too, but it’s very hard without that type of backing or trust. That trust is very hard to get when you’re independent media, and that’s what we have to be right now until we make our own. That’s where a lot of support from outside comes in,” Christmas said.
Representation, diversity, and inclusion in soccer aren’t something to merely be acknowledged here and there but instead celebrated as something integral to the sport on the field, in the stands, and all areas surrounding the Beautiful Game.
