NEW YORK — Imani Dorsey and Ifeoma “Ify” Onumonu were in a reflective mindset after helping adidas announce the signing of 15 female student-athletes to landmark NIL deals at the brand’s New York headquarters late last month.
The Gotham FC duo were impeccably styled for the outing. As mentors to the group of collegiate athletes, Dorsey and Onumonu participated in breakout sessions with the signees earlier that day before hitting the stage at night.
While coaching the young adidas athletes on their sports journeys, Dorsey and Onumunu had begun to meditate on their own.
“I think being a mentor is nice because it helps you reflect on your own experiences and reminds you of the perspective that you’ve gained from so many different things that you’ve had,” Dorsey said. “Sometimes I sit in the present and I’m completely forgetting how I got here and all the different experiences.
“It’s a give and take … we give a lot, but we’re also gaining just as much from talking with them and reminding ourselves that we’re still learning and growing in this process, too.”
“You start to appreciate yourself a lot more,” Onumonu chimed in.
Dorsey, 26, and Onumonu, 28, have much to appreciate as groundbreakers in the NWSL.
Lucrative NIL deals, like the ones they helped present at the adidas event, were not possible when Onumonu and Dorsey were in college, and transitioning into a professional career was anything but promised. In many ways, the duo represent the first generation of the NWSL, those players who competed without getting much in return, building toward a future where their rights would finally be protected under a collective bargaining agreement.
When Onumonu entered the NWSL in 2017, the league was in its fifth season and experiencing some serious growing pains. In her conversations with the college athletes, she tried to explain the sacrifices she had to make to fulfill her dreams as a soccer player.
“I kind of spoke to my experience of myself transitioning into this league, and it had such instability that the idea of even coming into it was a risk in general. If you could get in, that is,” Onumonu said. “I definitely had a rocky experience up until, even I would say, this point where I have been with Gotham for three years.”
Drafted by the Boston Breakers in 2017, Onumonu played her rookie season there before the club folded in 2018. She went to Portland in the 2018 Dispersal Draft and played in eight games before getting waived, and her future looking more uncertain than ever.
OL Reign offered Onumonu a shot at redemption, signing her as a National Team Replacement player in 2019. Her breakout performance as a relief striker earned her a spot on the full roster in June 2019. Months later, she was on the move again, dealt to Sky Blue FC (now Gotham FC) ahead of the 2020 season.
The 2021 season served as Onumonu’s breakout year. The forward notched eight goals and four assists in 21 starts with the club and earned a spot on the NWSL’s Best XI Second Team.
“I’ve been bounced around teams, I’ve been waived. And if I had known all of this would happen when I was younger, I don’t know if I’d choose it for myself, but I am grateful at the same time,” Onumonu said. “I never thought I’d be at that place where I am now, where I can say, ‘Wow, have I grown as a person? Wow, did this make me grow? Wow, did this make me step up to who I am?’ Because it just showed me how strong I am.”
Dorsey’s transition into the NWSL was more straightforward. Joining Sky Blue as the fifth overall pick in 2018, she had success right away, winning NWSL Rookie of the Year after registering four goals and one assist in 14 games. Off the field, however, the club had come under intense scrutiny for poor working conditions and a lack of adequate player resources. New ownership took over in 2019, spurring a movement toward the Gotham FC of today, which is now the most valuable team in the NWSL.
“I’m a vice captain on the team, but I am in my fifth year, so I have so much to learn, and I’m constantly learning from the people around me. We have so many incredible leaders and women on the team who’ve been through a lot,” said Dorsey. “I think that’s something that’s really special, but also probably a little unique to our league, too, because there’s just so much going on constantly. You just kind of feel like you take on a bunch of different hats because you have to.”
Dorsey, Onumonu and their NWSL peers have had to navigate sub-par working conditions and instability while simultaneously pushing for progress through the league’s 10-year existence. Those responsibilities reached a crescendo in 2021 after a series of reports of abusive behavior resulted in the firing of multiple coaches and general managers. Former NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird stepped down amid the scandal. The watershed moment highlighted the league’s hazards, providing the NWSL Players Association an opportunity to ratify the league’s first-ever CBA and guarantee greater protections for the players.
These experiences informed Dorsey’s advice to her adidas mentees, with NC State forward Jameese Joseph revealing that the Gotham defender encouraged her to advocate for herself.
“The biggest insight I got from Imani was speaking up for yourself. As we transition from college to pro,” Joseph said. “If something doesn’t make you comfortable, then you should speak up for yourself.”
With the NWSL still in its infancy, and with plenty of shortcomings to work through, players like Dorsey and Onumonu have stepped up to create a league in their own image. Busy spearheading projects and guiding the NWSL off the pitch, the duo have aimed to make the sport a sustainable and healthy place for all athletes to not only survive but thrive.
That was the impetus, in part, for the establishment of The Black Women’s Player Collective, a non-profit organization created by the Black players in the NWSL to advance opportunities for Black girls in sport and beyond. The BWPC found an enthusiastic partner in adidas after collaborating with the company on the Black Players for Change project, which brought soccer fields to communities across America in an effort to mitigate inequality in the sport.
“I think a brand as big as adidas recognizing Black women in a sport where we haven’t had that recognition yet also just makes so much sense,” said Dorsey.
Dorsey and Onumonu were adamant about maintaining the BWPC’s vision after other competing brands approached the non-profit with the “bare minimum.”
“Even though we’re adidas athletes, before we were apprehensive of being part of a sports brand because of fear that sometimes with these big brands, they want to co-opt the movement, kind of lead it in a direction you didn’t necessarily want to go,” said Onumonu. “Then once you’ve signed on to them and whatever the contract looks like, they can start doing the bare minimum, and I think that was always our fear.
“With adidas, they came in like full force real quick. They have been supporting us, but they have really been there for us with major things, being very, very hands-on.”
Through the non-profit, Dorsey and Onumonu are focused on altering the face of professional soccer from the inside. The juggling of responsibilities has also prepared them for what has been a turbulent season on the pitch with Gotham FC.
The team has made sweeping changes since last year, losing star players Carli Loyd to retirement and Allie Long to maternity leave. Scott Parkinson also took over as head coach after Freya Coombe left for Angel City FC, and midfielder Kristie Mewis, defender Ali Krieger and goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris joined the team in the offseason. All of that upheaval has taken a toll on the club.
At 4-7-0 with 11 games to play this season, Gotham has scored the fewest number of goals and conceded the second-most in the league for a goal differential of minus-11. Now 10th in the NWSL standings, Gotham is a far cry from the win-now, mini-super team many viewed the team to be ahead of the 2022 campaign. FiveThirtyEight forecasts Gotham’s playoff chances at just 11 percent, a figure the club will look to buck in the second half of the season.
“For me, I know it’s frustrating and infuriating because it’s like, yes, I’ve been here for a while, and I’ve seen this club grow and want to continue to see it grow, but I also have to recognize so much change has happened in a very short amount of time and sometimes it takes a little bit for change. The level you want to get to will still take some time,” said Dorsey. “I forget that Scott (Parkinson) is in his first year, like literally his first full season with us. We still have a very young, new coaching staff. They’re incredible, but it feels like everybody is learning together.”
Dorsey and Onumonu said the tumult, uncertainty and stress of last season’s reckoning also contributed to the overwhelming sensation of change.
“There’s ups and downs always in the season, and all we can do is just weather the storms and stick together and do the best we can and just trust in our coaching staff to lead us in the right direction,” Dorsey said. “That’s all we can do at the end of the day.”
While neither Dorsey nor Onumonu sugarcoats the club’s recent challenges, both see the team’s potential. When the squad’s off-field chemistry does coalesce, Dorsey says, “everybody’s going to know it.”
Onumonu rejoined Gotham this month after making a run to the semifinals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with her Nigerian national team and clinching a World Cup berth in the process. Nigeria’s campaign ended in a chaotic matchup against the hosts, in which two Super Falcons players were handed red cards, forcing Nigeria to play two down for 60 minutes.
Onumonu, though, has gotten used to being adaptable.
“I made a goals book for the beginning of the year, but I have learned now in my career that things don’t always go as planned, so it’s always having to readjust,” she said. “We’re at a turning point, so it’s like I have to decide now how much am I willing to give in order to get us to where we want to be.
“I can’t guarantee that the wins are going to come immediately, but that’s going to be my goal every game is that I have to give everything I have in order to get us to where we want to be.”
Looking ahead, Dorsey and Onumonu are empowered by their work off the field with BWPC, and humbled by their impact on the lives of the girls they’ve worked with.
On the pitch, in their unique position as young veterans, they have learned there are no sure things. Keeping their heads down, they’ll continue to stay the course.
“In this league, all I can really do is look at the next game,” Dorsey said.
Clare Brennan is an Associate Editor at Just Women’s Sports.
Gotham FC continues to lock down their 2022 roster, re-signing defender Imani Dorsey to a two-year contract.
Idk if you’ve heard we’ve got the winner of the One Nation Social Impact Award for TWO MORE YEARS 👏
— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) January 14, 2022
Gotham FC locks in key defensive piece with re-signing of Imani Dorsey. pic.twitter.com/iAAxbEkseM
Drafted fifth overall by Gotham FC (then Sky Blue FC) in the 2018 NWSL Draft, Dorsey went on to score four goals and add an assist en route to being named Rookie of the Year. In 2021, the 24-year-old saw 14 starts in 16 total appearances. She won 61.5 percent of tackles, 63.6 percent of duels in the air and was a member of a back line that conceded second-fewest goals in the league.
“Imani is the heartbeat of our team – our moral compass and a fantastic footballer,” said Head Coach Scott Parkinson. “Being able to work with Imani every day is an absolute honor. Her growth over the past couple of years has been amazing and we believe there is plenty more development to go.”
In November, Dorsey earned her first cap with the USWNT during the two international friendlies in Australia. She was also named to the upcoming training camp roster but has since been ruled out due to injury.
Off the pitch, Dorsey is one of the founding board members of the Black Women’s Player Collective, a non-profit organization that seeks to elevate the image, value and representation of Black women as athletes and leaders. Last month, Dorsey was awarded US Soccer’s first ever One Nation. Social Impact Award for her work with the BWPC.
“I am so happy to be re-signing with Gotham FC,” said Dorsey. “This club has become my home and I’m ready to win a title with this group.”
Gotham also recently locked down reigning Defender of the Year Caprice Dydasco to a two-year contract.
The USWNT has added Morgan Weaver and Morgan Gautrat to the roster for January training camp in Austin.
Defender Imani Dorsey, meanwhile, has been ruled out of camp due to injury.
Make way for Morgans! 👯♀️@moeebrian & @morganvweaver have been added to the #USWNT 2022 January Camp roster 🇺🇸⚽️
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) January 13, 2022
A midfielder for the Chicago Red Stars, Gautrat was a member of the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup championship teams. She also competed as a member of the 2016 Olympic Team. In total, Guatrat has 87 caps and eight career goals. Her last appearance with the USWNT came in November of 2020.
Weaver, meanwhile, will be earning her second full USWNT call-up. The Portland Thorns’ forward was named to the USWNT roster for the team’s trip to Australia in November. While there she earned her first two caps, coming off the bench in both games.
While players will not see any game action during January camp, the SheBelieves Cup is scheduled to take place a month later, from Feb. 17-23.
Imani Dorsey has been named the inaugural recipient of the One Nation. Social Impact Award presented by U.S. Soccer, for her work with the Black Women’s Player Collective.
Recognized for her work with @BWP_Collective, @USWNT and @GothamFC defender @Imdorsey96 is the recipient of the first-ever One Nation. Social Impact Award.
— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) December 22, 2021
In acknowledgement of her efforts, @USSoccer will make a donation to the BWPC.
According to the USSF, the award honors a player from both the USWNT and the USMNT for their off-field contributions in making a positive impact in areas of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
As part of the award, U.S. Soccer will make a donation to the BWPC, of which Dorsey is a founding board member. The goal of the BWPC is to advance opportunities for Black girls in sport and beyond. In doing so, the organization looks to elevate the image, value and representation of Black women as athletes and leaders. Additionally, the BWPC is looking to establish a network that supports young girls and gives them more access to career paths before and after sport.
Among the organization’s accomplishments this year is a partnership with adidas that, alongside the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Black Players for Change and Musco Lighting, will lead to the construction of 12 new mini pitches in predominantly Black communities across the U.S. by 2022.
NJ/NY Gotham FC defender Imani Dorsey has been added to the roster for the USWNT’s upcoming friendlies against Australia.
According to a release from the USWNT, Dorsey was added “to provide some more depth to the group of outside backs.” The addition brings the youth-heavy U.S. roster to 23 players.
The 25-year-old was the 2018 NWSL Rookie of the Year for Sky Blue FC. This season, she played in 16 matches.
It’s her second call-up for a full USWNT camp. The last time Dorsey joined the USWNT was in 2019, when she was called up for games against Sweden and Costa Rica during the November window. She was also at the USWNT’s Identification Training Camp in December of 2019.
With the addition of Dorsey, the roster now includes the three most recent NWSL Rookie of the Year winners: Ashley Hatch (2017), Dorsey (2018) and Bethany Balcer (2019).
The USWNT is set to take on Australia on Friday, Nov. 26 at 11 p.m. ET on FS2 in Sydney. They will then travel to Newcastle for a second matchup that will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 4:05 a.m. ET on ESPN.
In each of those matches, 18 players will be selected to suit up by head coach Vlatko Andonovski, who has stressed that this camp is an opportunity for young players to prove their potential.
While other young American athletes dreamed of playing professionally, Ifeoma Onumonu and Imani Dorsey of NJ/NY Gotham FC never grew up envisioning that future for themselves. Not only was soccer expensive, but it was also difficult to picture being a pro given the lack of prominent Black female soccer players.
While girls’ participation in sport is generally limited by a lack of exposure to female athletes and coaches as role models, the drop-out rate for girls of color in urban and rural centers is twice that of suburban white girls, according to the Women’s Sports Foundation.
“Growing up, most of my role models were men, white men, because there weren’t many other Black female athletes like us,” says Onumonu. “We were the minorities in this sport. And because of that, we never thought we’d be in this position today.”
Onumonu and Imani are both board members for the Black Women’s Player Collective, whose mission is to lift the image, value and representation of Black women as athletes and leaders.
Founded in October 2020, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and a summer of national protests, the BWPC is made up of seven board members, 38 members and 15 advocates. Its roster includes all 43 Black women competing in the NWSL as of 2020.
For both Omunonu and Dorsey, the Collective gives them a chance to confront and address the racial inequity that has long persisted in one of the country’s most popular sports.
“Growing up in a predominantly affluent white area, it felt like I had to hide or downplay my Blackness to fit in, since I was one of few,” says Dorsey. “I had to make things that were different about me from others in my group feel less intimidating. That meant not really speaking up on Black issues that were in the news and that my family was speaking about very regularly. I was not really talking about those topics with my teammates.”
Dorsey says she often had to overlook comments about being an ‘Oreo’ — Black on the outside but white on the inside.
“Now I feel like I can reclaim that part of my identity and celebrate it, but not just as myself but as a group with the Black community,” she says.
Onumonu says her experience was similar.
“I used to just let things slip, let them slide off my back and not bring them up in efforts to stay a part of the group. I think that was damaging to myself and my self-esteem and impacted how I was playing the game and how I performed in the game,” she says.
“Now I feel like I no longer have to do that because I have such a powerful group behind me that supports me. There’s power in numbers and there’s power about talking about these issues.”
This week, the BWPC’s ranks expanded when it announced a long-term partnership with adidas. Together, the Collective and adidas will host soccer clinics and programming for girls aged eight to 15 in cities such as Atlanta, Durham, Orlando and Houston.
The BWPC and adidas, alongside the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Black Players for Change and Musco Lighting, have also committed to building 12 new mini pitches in predominantly Black communities across the U.S. by 2022.
It’s a first step, but a big one, toward making soccer a more accessible game for all.
Dorsey, who grew up in Maryland, shifted from recreational soccer to travel teams around the age of eight. Even then, it was clear to her that the expenses of competing were a prohibitive burden on families. For a chance at a full-ride scholarship in college, parents had to invest in high-level training for their children, starting in grade school.
Thankfully Dorsey, who ended up at Duke, was able to find opportunities in the national program, increasing her exposure to elite competition. But given that only a tiny percentage of soccer players ever have the privilege of wearing the crest, she knows her path isn’t a sustainable solution.
“[Soccer’s] an expensive sport and I think that’s something that we need to change, whether that means providing scholarships for players or redesigning the entire pay-to-play model,” says Onumonu, who was also in the U.S. youth national program, played collegiately at Cal and is now a member of the Nigerian national team.
“The path I had was one that I had the privilege to have, but I know that’s not necessarily the story for everyone,” she says. “And I think that’s why so many Black girls miss out on the opportunity that soccer can bring. I hope our work with the BWPC and adidas can inspire young girls to do whatever it is that they set their mind to.”
Alongside their new partnership, the BWPC is also rolling out a new logo. The vibrance of the logo represents the boldness and disruption of the organization’s mission, with a tilted “W” to signify the Collective’s ascendant ethos and spirit. The warm color palette is meant to represent the players’ love for their sport.
We are thrilled to launch our new logo with the ambition of it becoming a universal symbol of commitment to transforming the game for black women and girls everywhere!
— Black Women’s Player Collective (@BWP_Collective) October 11, 2021
#TheGameNeedsHer
Visit our new website https://t.co/iXTUdy99nO to join us! pic.twitter.com/sxYiP5CV2Z
“I’m constantly inspired by the incredible women in the BWPC on a personal level,” says Dorsey. “It’s something that is really close to my heart and I’m even more thankful to our fans who have been so supportive along the way.
“I want to encourage young girls to learn and grow from their teammates, because what I love so much about soccer is my team, and having that friendship is so important to me. Looking back, I wish I was brave enough to let my Blackness be a part of that for more of my teammates, and shed light to hopefully teach other young girls that it’s okay to have a different perspective.”
It’s been a busy couple weeks for Dorsey, who is also a part of the NWSL Players Association, which been working around the clock with players and the league in order to implement immediate and long-term changes in the wake of the Paul Riley scandal.
In this context, the BWPC’s momentum and groundbreaking partnership with adidas is providing a ray of hope in an otherwise difficult time for women’s soccer.
“Our formation as an organization gave us the realization of the power that we have together and that we should be able to openly talk about our experiences as Black women, because that is something we haven’t had the opportunity to do before,” says Dorsey.
“I think that collective power should really inspire young girls to be proud of who they are and being unapologetic about their Blackness and their experiences, regardless of what it is.”
You can learn more about the BWPC’s mission here and donate directly to the Collective here.
Jessa Braun is an editorial intern for Just Women’s Sports. She is also the Head of North American Content for the Women’s Sports Alliance. You can find her on Twitter @jessabraun.
Imani Dorsey is a forward for Sky Blue FC of the NWSL. She spoke with JWS about the NWSL Fall Series, athlete advocacy, and how The Black Players of the NWSL coalition is working to put their social justice messages into action.
Let’s start with the Challenge Cup. How do you think it went and what were your takeaways from living inside of the bubble?
Initially just hearing about the Challenge Cup, it was a bit jarring, especially coming out of quarantine. We went from being only around our roommates for like three months and just training on our own to then heading straight to Utah. And initially, they were like, “You’ll be there for four extra weeks and then four weeks of the tournament.” And that’s a long time to be away from home in this environment, plus testing every week.
It helped once the Player’s Association got involved to make sure we all had a sense of comfort with this “new normal.” The biggest thing for me was the fact that we had the same routine every day. It sort of felt like camp, if you can imagine. I will say, as nice as it was to have my own room and to feel like I had my own space in this situation, there was still a level of discomfort — you were always reminded that this isn’t a normal situation at all, but you’re still expected to perform. Luckily, we had things like our Coffee Angels, who paid for our drinks, and our coaching staff who were all trying to make the environment feel as normal as possible.
Looking back, it’s something that I’ll never forget, for sure. There were definitely highs and lows. Like getting injured before the first game and trying to come back from that was a challenge. On top of that, every player is dealing with the situation of just being a player within this bubble and not wanting to get sick. It’s something that I’m proud of myself for pushing through, and I think everybody feels the same way in that regard.
You hit the nail on the head. Throughout this year, it’s been so difficult to find any clarity or stability. I can’t even imagine the stress you guys went through.
There were just so many ups and downs of “we’re doing this” and “now we’re doing this.” And there’s no sense of stability, so you’re kind of just along for the ride. I will say, all things considered, I am so fortunate and thankful that nobody got sick. It seems like the league did a good job of putting the right protocols in place, and making sure that testing and everything was top of mind. And that’s truly the biggest accomplishment we could’ve asked for.
Now that you’ve played in your first game of this Fall Series and you will be traveling to Chicago for your next, how does this compare to the bubble?
With where we are today, there is always going to be a level of risk in this environment, and it’s basically just doing what you’re comfortable with. The league has made it clear that for this Fall Series, players have the option to opt-out of it if they don’t feel comfortable with the precautions that are being taken.
I think a lot of players still want to play, and still want to use this opportunity to get better. I think these games are great to kind of focus on the little nuances and details of what individual players want to work on. And I think people are happy that we’re just able to have some games, and still be able to train in a team environment.
For the Challenge Cup, I think our team was definitely like, “This isn’t ideal and it is a bit out of our comfort zone, but this is an opportunity for us to have a season.” Before COVID, we were so excited to be playing in Red Bull Arena this year and to have a brand new training facility. We had all of this really good momentum as a club, so we didn’t want that to go to waste. And I think that translated over to the Challenge Cup. We were able to focus on that and focus on our progress. I think the same can be said for the Fall Series, as well. Yes, we have several players that are abroad and our team right now is smaller, but we’re still focusing on the core elements and developing the principles that we feel are important for our team moving forward.
On Sky Blue, you are now reunited with some of your childhood teammates, Midge Purce and Megan Hinz. What has that experience been like for you?
Megan and I played club soccer together a couple of years before high school. She kind of coaxed me, and her mom convinced my parents to encourage me to go to Good Counsel, so then we all ended up there together. Midge was already there. She’s a year above us, so we started playing with her our Freshman year, and then the next year she came and joined our club team. So yeah, we’ve all been together since like 8th or 9th grade. It’s crazy how things come full circle.
I think somebody asked me once if I’d ever think that we’d ever play with or against each other professionally. And in my head, I wasn’t even thinking about playing professionally when we were all in high school. I was just trying to get a college scholarship and see what happens from there. It’s just amazing how the soccer community can be so small and how I’m able to continue to play with some of my closest friends.
Conversations about social justice are more important now than ever. Can you talk a little bit about the importance of using your platform to drive some of these conversations?
This summer, I feel like the tables have turned, just in terms of the larger attention that systemic racism and police brutality is getting in this country. Attention that not only recognizes the horrible, horrific acts that are happening towards Black men and women way more often than people realize in this country, but that also focuses on how people can address their own role in the system and what they can personally do to create change. And that change could be in terms of just whether they harbor prejudiced thoughts, or it could be more substantial ways to fight back against what they see or understand as racism.
In terms of social media, I’m not super active, but when I do share I feel like I want to know that people are listening. And for a long time, I felt like people just didn’t want to hear that from me because in their eyes it’s like, “Oh. It’s just another Black person talking about issues that they feel are affecting them.” I feel like, not that I’ve had to be silent about it, but just that the people who were going to listen were going to listen, and the others just didn’t care or chose not to listen.
But now I feel like it’s crossed this plane where more people are taking ownership and responsibility, and they are really empathizing and trying to understand. People have been reaching out to me and teammates just wanting to understand what our experiences have been like. That’s something new for me, but I think it’s incredibly important. It kind of validates the fact that everybody has a voice and the fact that everyone can share their experience and what they feel passionate about.
A few weeks ago, the Black Players Of The NWSL issued a joint statement condemning systemic racism and demanding justice. Can you talk about this statement, as well as what it’s like being a part of that coalition?
For me, it feels like a breath of fresh air. Like a sigh of relief. I can only speak on my own experiences, but it just brings so much more legitimacy and power knowing that you have the rest of the Black players in this league with you speaking in one unified voice. It’s powerful. You’re just stronger together.
A lot of the reason I love soccer as a sport is just the oneness and togetherness that it takes to win and to succeed and triumph, and working together with your teammates to be better. I think that is exactly the same for social justice.
I find it to be incredibly special that we’ve been able to come together and use this opportunity to explain how we’re feeling in powerful and succinct words. And I think the NWSL community has responded incredibly. People are always asking us what they can do and it seems like everyone is just trying to understand and learn more. I think it’s a great opportunity for people to be like, “Oh, this is what the Black players think. This is how they’re feeling.” It becomes a great platform and resource and it’s just super special to just have the formation of this coalition.
There was also a second statement issued to support the Utah Royals and Tziarra King after the statements made by owner Dell Loy Hansen condemning players for boycotting. Can you talk about that situation from your perspective and also the role that the Black Players of the NWSL can play in helping this league move forward from this?
It was incredibly disheartening to hear the comments that were made. It felt like he was throwing his players under the bus for something that they felt was very important and necessary. It then becomes a very tense and awkward environment. This is your superior, your owner. And it just becomes this weird, uncomfortable power dynamic. So to see that at play was very upsetting.
Any player’s hope is to be in an environment where they are fully supported not only as a player, but most importantly as a person. For DLH to take this very real situation for the black community, and try to turn it around and make it about himself is completely unacceptable. 1/
— Tziarra King (@tziarra) August 27, 2020
I think the statement that we put out speaks for itself, just in terms of that we stand with Z [Tziarra King] and what she had to say, and we’re just incredibly proud of her willingness to speak up in that situation. I think it was important for us to come together to show that we stand with her because we all understand what it feels like to be one of only a few Black players on a team. When you’re a minority in a predominantly white space all the time, issues of race become hyper-focused on you, and sometimes you don’t want that attention. And so, even though you have your own feelings, and you deal with them in your own way, it just becomes too much. So for us to make this united statement, it kind of helps ease the burden of dealing with this situation or feeling responsible for dealing with this situation all on your own.
Z’s comments were so powerful because she didn’t have to say anything and she should not be held responsible for making those comments just because she is a Black person on a team. But just the fact that she was willing to made it even more powerful. She became a voice that I think people needed to hear at that moment.
The great thing about the coalition and us speaking together is the fact that we’re not going to mince our words. We’re not going to beat around the bush. Because in the past, it’s always felt like you had to, just to protect egos or help more people to get on board. But we understand what we want and what we expect moving forward. And that’s why I think this coalition is so important because sometimes you just need a clear voice that’s going to get right to the point and explain exactly how we’re feeling.
Before your last game, the coalition, Sky Blue FC, and the Washington Spirit came together to issue a joint statement and photo that reiterated full support for Black Lives Matter. Can you tell us a bit about how that came together?
I wasn’t directly involved with those conversations, but that’s the great thing about the coalition. The leaders that we’ve elected to be at the head of it are very much involved with the statements that we put out. Everything is approved by every Black player before they are put out, so there’s always an opportunity for input and suggestions.
I think you’ll see in the coming games that each team is looking for different opportunities to continue elevating this platform and bring more awareness and encourage action. I think that’s the important thing moving into this upcoming election.
As we progress over these next few weeks, what are some of your personal expectations and goals in regards to this Fall Series?
For me, it’s all about this platform. It’s not just about soccer. And so while it’s fun to be creative in how we approach these statements, ultimately there are people’s lives on the line. So as we keep moving forward, we’re thinking of ways that would really resonate with people and hit home. We don’t, by any means, want it to detract from the game at hand, but we want people to come away from it being like, “That was important,” in this continuing effort to keep this in the limelight.
You brought up earlier that some of your teammates and peers have reached out to you to help better understand how to be an ally. Through your own experiences, what have you taken away from these conversations and what messages are you trying to better communicate?
I’ve had a variety of conversations. Several are about them not knowing the depth to which these issues are still pervasive throughout society. There are issues of understanding what it means to protest in a game or of using our platforms publicly around like a game, not just on social media, and what that means and why that’s important. There are also a lot of talks about solidarity, in terms of how to be a strong ally. And I think the biggest thing that I take away from these conversations is a willingness to have hard conversations with people around you, that you know may not be as open-minded as you are.
My teammates are incredibly open-minded, compassionate people who I know care about me, and I feel they genuinely do want this problem to be relieved. And if they can help, they want to. Some of my closest friends are in continuous conversations with family and close friends about this upcoming election and what Black Lives Matter truly means, and they’re kind of separating the politicized nature of it from what the real problem is. I think a lot of the conversations that I have with people are separating the politics from the actual issue because you find that people want to hijack a message and make it mean something completely different than what it actually means.
Lastly, I know off-field athlete advocacy is incredibly important to you in general. Can you talk a bit about that and some of your other activist work?
For me, this summer has been incredible, quite honestly, because I feel like so much of what I love about being a pro and advancing in this career is being able to be an advocate and use my platform to make some change happen.
I’ve partnered with Voice in Sport, which launched a couple of weeks ago, because becoming a mentor and somebody that younger players can look up to is something that I’ve always wanted to do. As simple as sharing my experience with them can hopefully teach them something moving forward. I think the biggest thing is knowing that there is this community of women that want to support each other, lift each other up, and bring more visibility to the problems, successes, and triumphs that female athletes face. Which I think is super powerful for Voice in Sport, and very timely in our present moment.
I’m also a part of Athlete Ally. With them, I was so honored that they asked me to be an ambassador last year allowing me to then speak up on issues, especially ones in the transgender community, and try to be a better ally for them. It becomes even more timely right now, in terms of just the emotions that I’ve been through this past couple of months and just how important allyship is and knowing that I value so much when my white teammates come up to me and say, “I stand with you.” You can feel the empathy in their voice, and just them wanting a better world for not just themselves, but for me and my family too.
That, to me, is so powerful. It’s encouraged me, even more, to want to be a louder and stronger ally for the LGBTQ community. It shouldn’t be this way, but for some reason, it’s super important for people who aren’t directly affected by an issue to speak up on it if they feel it is important. Whether it’s a white person speaking up and bringing legitimacy to Black issues that Black players face or me, as a cis straight woman, speaking up on LGBTQ issues. It brings a sense of increased legitimacy that other people are focusing on this issue, other than just the community at hand.
I think the more that we can empathize, look beyond our own circles and circumstances, and understand that others are dealing with different issues we may not be dealing with (or ever encounter) — only then can we work together to build a community that is reliant and trusting upon one another, one which can benefit and provide for everyone.