Opinion: The U.S. Women's Olympic Team is worthy of celebration

So let me state this up front and address the elephant in the room right away: this article is about race. Now, before you go looking around for an “X” in the top corner, this may not be what you think it is. This is not a story to say we need to have more of one group or less of another. This is a celebration. This is my attempt to help some of you who have undoubtedly seen a lot of discussion online but may not fully understand and grasp why the recent member cuts were so special for many of us who have followed not only this team but this sport as a whole.

When the United States Soccer Association announced the official roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics, a few things immediately caught my eye. First, what you'll probably hear most about is that longtime team mainstay Alex Morgan wasn't on the roster, but that's a story for another time. Two other very obvious things that stood out were, one, that there are more non-white players on the roster than any roster on the U.S. Women's National Team, let alone a major tournament like the Olympics, and two, that depending on how the team is lined up in Paris, it's very possible that the U.S. Women's National Team could play its first-ever all-Black frontline.

Now, of course, the common counterargument to anything about race in sports is always, “Well, why does it matter? Who cares about skin color?” First of all, society assumes that it does care, based on the constant behavior that we see across this country. But, again, that's a story for another day. But why it matters, which is why I'm here today, and why so many people are so filled with joy, is to clarify.

As with everything, historical context is necessary to fully understand. Historically, and this is of course common, the American idea of ​​soccer was that it was a sport played by white Europeans and Latin countries. That perception didn't seem to change one bit until the United States hosted the World Cup in 1999. Although the United States had won its first World Cup in 1991, it was the home victory in '99 that really ignited the fires of passion for the sport. That team, which featured only two black players, goalkeepers Briana Scurry and Saskia Weber, inspired a generation of young people and made major corporations realize that soccer could be a big success in America. The United States then took steps to “secure the future” of soccer, rolling out a ton of new youth programs across the country to get kids into the sport. In true American fashion, it came at a cost.

Now, the world of soccer is no longer just that of Europe and Latin countries, it has opened up to what were then suburban housewives. Soccer is not cheap and inner city kids can’t afford it. I speak from first hand experience as my family is an inner city family and playing soccer was too expensive for me. Even in the early 2000s, the cost of a season of soccer was easily close to $10,000. Think of AAU before AAU existed. Players traveled, faced tough competition and USYNT was constantly scouting tournaments. That led to a generation of players that we all know well now, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Tobin Heath, who really boosted the popularity of soccer in this country by not only getting featured in mainstream media but also winning on the pitch. Despite the brief appearances of players like Christen Press and Sydney Leroux, the team maintained a strong “suburban soccer mom” vibe. To be fair, the perception of American soccer around the world was “a sport for suburban kids to play on Saturdays, not something to be taken seriously.”

Fast forward to the present. Pay-to-play is still a big issue at the youth level, but other avenues have opened up, and not only are we seeing more young people from different backgrounds getting into the sport, but we're also seeing that at the fan level. In 2017, MLS established a team in Atlanta, one of the cities with the largest black population in America. Not only were they amazingly successful, but they were embraced and welcomed by that community. So as the NWSL expands further, Atlanta is and should be a name you hear a lot about when it comes to potentially acquiring another soccer team.

Now, with all this historical context in mind, and considering the growing number of Black fans in sports (many of whom support the U.S. Women's National Team), we still haven't seen a team roster that represents “us.” At least, that hasn't been the case until recently. Even before the latest roster was announced, players like Sophia Smith and Midge Purse were steadily emerging in camp, along with young stars like Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson. And now, as we truly enter a new era, we're seeing prodigies like Jaidyn Shaw and Lily Johannes joining the team.

The official roster is about 45% black, and as I said before, there is a good chance that the front line will be all black. Many of you reading this will just be stunned and post your wildest opinions in the comments section, and that’s okay. For the few who are really trying to understand, this is a community of people who once thought soccer wasn’t for them, and are finally seeing the fruits of their long, hard journey to establish themselves in this field. This roster may not affect you or me beyond a sense of immense pride, but imagine what this roster will do for little girls in Atlanta or Detroit or Oakland when they watch a USWNT team full of vibrant players who look, act and talk like them at the Olympics. In a month, that entire pool of future talent will be watching and for the first time feeling like, “Maybe that could be me.” That’s why this roster means so much to us, and why we can never stay silent.