Below is an opinion piece by one of our founding members Taylor Sorrels. The Coopers stand firmly against racism and social injustice. We do not condone violence in any form.
I’m not the best person to be writing about what’s been going on in Louisville or around the country for the last few days. I might be the worst person. Well, not the WORST worst, but as a fairly well-off white guy I’m a poor representative for any kind of statement about violence against black people, racism, anti-racism, or what it’s even like to be black in America.
And this isn’t the best platform for that discussion, either. This is a website for supporters of Louisville City FC and NWSL Louisville TBD. Lots of folks think that political or social discussions should be left outside the turnstiles when it comes to sports.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Soccer has always had an intimate relationship with politics, whether it was working class people’s access to the game when it was in its infancy in England, or FC Barcelona being a standard-bearer for Catalonian independence from Spain, or Louisville City supporting teachers, veterans, and the hispanic community in our own back yard.
Which brings us to the recent events surrounding Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. Of course there are plenty of other names like Freddie Gray and Philando Castile and Tamir Rice, the list sadly goes on. And no, black people aren’t the only subjects of police violence, but they are grossly disproportionately represented in statistics on the matter. Racism is real, it’s a problem, and it’s not going away. The anger, fear and frustration that so many people feel which have led them to express those emotions via their First Amendment rights to peaceably assemble may die down a bit, but they’ll never totally disappear. Shooting at cops and destroying property are bad ways to express those emotions, and take a lot away from the message. But peaceful protest is healthy, protected by the Constitution, and over time a really effective tool for political change.
Something must be done about racism. There’s certainly no quick fix to a problem that’s rooted in a history that long predates the Revolutionary War. No fix will be easy. It won’t be comfortable. It may honestly take generations before a black person in America can truly go to sleep at night with the same self-assurance, confidence and security that I do. I sincerely hope it doesn’t, but it might.
The Coopers have always been big supporters of inclusion, tolerance and diversity. That necessarily implies our support of things like the Pride movement, the Fairness Campaign, inclusion of non-english speakers, and our condemnation of things like hatred, racism, sexism, and homophobia. When you have a platform like the Coopers do, the responsible thing to do with it is use it for good. To make the world a better place. To make people’s lives better. Soccer is a great vehicle to drive those kinds of positive changes, and soccer supporters can use their feet to make them happen.
The road to change starts with a single step. I’m calling on every member of the Coopers, the Purple Family, and anyone else who loves the City of Louisville and Louisville City to take a stand against racism. It’s not enough to just say “we’re not racist!” or even “we’re anti-racist!” A declaration of intent without action is meaningless. We all have to do more. We can’t be truly united until the divisions in our community are addressed and bridged.
The Coopers helped bring professional soccer to Louisville and that’s helped make Louisville a better place. Let’s keep our foot on the gas and use our platform and our power to use soccer to make Louisville an equal place, too.
