PHOTO | TROY HULL

Morgan State University's School of Global Journalism and Communication has launched Black SoccerLab, a think tank focusing on the sport in Black America and the African diaspora. Soccer is growing in popularity among younger Black Americans, who follow native-born players like Charlotte FC defender Jaylin Lindsey, a Charlotte native.

The Black soccer community now has its own megaphone.

Morgan State University's School of Global Journalism and Communication has launched Black SoccerLab, a think tank that focuses on soccer in Black America and the African diaspora. The initiative will concentrate on research, media programming and service that will share narratives of the Black soccer community and showcase its development globally. The lab, which will operate from the Maryland school’s Center for the Study of Race and Culture in Sports, will highlight stories, issues, and history related to the sport.

“Soccer is beloved by Black people all around the world, and we want to capture that excitement and explore the evolution of that tradition in our research and projects,” said Morgan State professor Edward G. Robinson III, the center’s director and Black SoccerLab’s manager. “We have a tremendous opportunity to collect and disseminate information about an unexplored community. As a think tank, there are so many ways to engage. We plan to connect with the pulse of the Black soccer community and share the message.”

Soccer is the world's most popular sport and is popular among Black people globally but has been slow in gaining a foothold in the U.S., where football, basketball and baseball dominate in terms of reach. Black Americans, however, are embracing soccer in greater numbers according to research. A 2020 report by statista.com found 14% of Black sports fans are very interested in the sport – double the rate of their white peers – while 26% of Blacks are somewhat interested. A research study conducted that same year by Gilt Edge Soccer Marketing, the average age of Black soccer fans in the U.S. is 29 years old, well below the average age of 36 among fans overall.

The center is partnering with a pair of soccer executives with long-time ties to the Black community in Akbar Majeed, co-founder of Charlotte-based Concrete2Green, and Irv Smalls Jr., executive director of F.C. Harlem.

“It’s important for us to create our own properties like Black SoccerLab that offer authentic engagement and access to the Black community,” said Majeed, who pioneered the launch of urban futsal sites in the early 2000s by converting former tennis and basketball courts into miniature soccer pitches. “I’m excited about our partnership with MSU especially because of the rich history HBCUs have had in being in the forefront of cultural empowerment.”

Soccer has made strides to develop a presence in the U.S. over the last 30 years with the launch and growth of Major League Soccer as well as the exploits of the women’s national team that has won several World Cup and Olympic titles. Although soccer lags football and basketball in Black America, the sport is growing beyond niche status as more African Americans and people from immigrant communities participate at the youth, collegiate and professional levels with players like Charlotte FC’s Jaylin Lindsey, a Charlotte native, and Adam Armour, who grew up in Cary.

Participation is also showing up in game attendance as Black fans make their way to the pitch through team supporter groups as well as merchandise sales.

“The Black SoccerLab is a groundbreaking platform for Black people to drive the narratives that are important to us around the world's most popular sport and its growth in the United States,” Smalls said. “Our participation and impact in the sport requires a perspective that is uniquely ours.”

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