Twenty-Two-year-old Weston Mckennie is currently a midfielder for Juventus F.C. In previous years he has played for the US men’s national soccer team, as well as the FC Dallas Academy. Considered an upcoming star player, Mckennie is taking a stand against inequality while trying to showcase that he is more than the sport he plays. Near the start of the season, Mckennie was ridiculed at the end of a game, fans mocked him and called out monkey sounds aimed towards the player.
In the recent months following this event, Mckennie stated that he was terrified to be driving around his own city, worried for his own life because of the colour of his skin.
Often times society portrays that athletes should keep their opinions and thoughts out of social and political matters. Wearing an arm band in honor of George Floyd, Mckennie said it best: “I don’t see how this is a political statement at all, a person lost their life, I am not going to shut up and dribble”.
Soccer fans are well known for their high energy and overt input into the game. A study done by Cleland and Cashmore (2014) based on the opinions of fans from the Football Association (FA), revealed that over half witness or experience racism. There was little media coverage on the racial slurs against Mckennie, and people of color experience situations similar to far too often. Racism in the athletic world is a prominent issue and needs to be addressed more frequently. Athletes of any skin color can stand with Mckennie and show their support towards people of colour.
KatherineK
Sport, Not Games ⚽ 