Sean Johnson named board member for Black Players Coalition of MLS

Sean Johnson wants to help communities so “that young black people have the opportunity – those who are at a disadvantage from the time that they stepped foot into this world.”

New York City FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson – a black man – was providing a clue on a media call Thursday when racism and #BlackLivesMatter was introduced to the conversation.

“I think those things are going to continually be discussed moving forward,” Johnson said. “I think there's obviously a lot of systemic issues within the league. I've been in the league now 11 years and I've seen a lot of those things rear their heads time and time again. It's my hope that moving forward there's certain initiatives that can be put in place to provide more opportunity for black people within the league [MLS].”

On Friday, Johnson and over 70 black players in MLS announced the formation of the Black Players Coalition of MLS coinciding with the Juneteenth commemoration.

“We pledge to help bridge the racial equality gap that exists in our league by lobbying for initiatives like implicit bias training, cultural education courses and diversification hiring practices,” read the announcement. “Beyond addressing these overlooked systemic issues around soccer in this country, the BPC is committed to tackling the racial injustices that have prevented black people from having an equitable stake in society.”

Johnson was one of 12 players named as board members including Ray Gaddis, CJ Sapong, Quincy Amarikwa, Kendall Waston, Jeremy Ebobisse, Bill Hamid, Earl Edwards, Jr. Jalil Anibaba, Kei Kamara and Ike Opara. Justin Morrow will serve as the Executive Director.

I asked Johnson to elaborate on some of the specific systemic issues that he may have encountered.

“A lot of times, you're taught to keep your foot in the door and then you to do all you can do to make others comfortable around you so you're not viewed as an issue,” Johnson said. “Being a minority in this league for such a long time and some of the experiences and feelings are withheld as a black man.”

Johnson suggested that sometimes the bias is subtle while other times lurid.

“Take the issue with (Aleksander) Katai and CJ Sapong in Chicago,” Johnson said. 

The Chicago Fire forward was not surprised that Katai – his former teammate with the Fire - was released by the LA Galaxy following a racist Instagram rant by his wife.

“I swear Katai did not look me in my eyes for the first two months I was there,” Sapong told The Cooligans. ““I swear this dude was not passing to me when I was in scoring positions. This man is at an impossible angle. I’m making a back post run and he’s trying to shoot it upper 90 from a 30-degree angle. Like, dude.”

Had the BPC been in place there may have been repercussions for Katai – or at the very least an open dialogue.

“It was essentially being downplayed or ignored as something that would be considered an issue now,” Johnson said. “And as a player you talk about having to coexist in a locker room and the difficulties of voicing your opinion at times.”

Johnson said the motive of the black athletes in MLS is to also focus on the districts that are suffering from a lack of support.

“It's the communities that are important as well and we want to make sure we address those systemic issues,” Johnson said. “That young black people have the opportunity – those who are at a disadvantage from the time that they stepped foot into this world.”