Progress made in fight for greater representation, says Black Players for Change executive director Justin Morrow

Justin Morrow praises collaboration efforts to bring about positive change in American society and within sports; Morrow: "All of these committees and coalitions have high leadership from the league stakeholders. That shows how much they care, they are taking this really seriously"

Thursday 27 May 2021 10:43, UK

Toronto FC full-back Justin Morrow has hailed the collective efforts of Black Players for Change, Major League Soccer (MLS) and other sports in pushing for greater representation in the United States.

The 33-year-old, who is executive director of Black Players for Change, believes progress has been made to address racial inequality and empower athletes to stand up and lend their support.

Programmes have been put in place by MLS to tackle the issue of a lack of Black representation at all levels, while Morrow also praised the efforts of the WNBA in being a leading voice for justice beyond the basketball court.

"They are being heard, definitely within MLS but you see that happening in other leagues as well," Morrow told Sky Sports News.

"I want to shout out the WNBA. They have been fantastic in leading the way over here. They have set up a social justice coalition, the NBA has also set up a social justice coalition.

"All of these committees and coalitions have high leadership from the league stakeholders. That shows how much they care, they are taking this really seriously, they are committing funds to the different initiatives to help improve the communities.

"There has been a lot of steps taken to improve the situation as it relates to Black representation within the MLS.

"Setting up this committee where it is really our avenue to make change, change rules, change principles so that we can see that change happen in the future.

"When you are talking about the treatment of Black players in the league, I think that has gotten a lot better since we formed and started using our voices whenever racial incidents happen.

"We are a part of the conversation. We help detail the process, we help give input from the players' side which never happened before. We have been working with the league, we have been working with our peers within the league.

"They know how much this is important to us and they have really taken up as strong allies alongside of us as well.

"We have definitely created a better environment for ourselves just in the one year of existence, but we have a lot further to go."

In Morrow's view, things have progressed from when he last spoke to Sky Sports News in July 2020.

The full-back described the last 12 months as an "incredible year of athlete activism across the world", where athletes have been given the platform to voice concerns and endorse racial and social justice causes.

The former USA international accepts while momentum of the movement is at risk of stalling if reduced to symbolic gestures, Black Players for Change want to ensure the message remains on the agenda.

"You definitely see the momentum slow down a little bit, as it always does, and that is where we as Black Players for Change as an organisation are serving our function to never let the conversation die down," Morrow added.

"To continue these talks with the league, to continue our civic engagement, to know that our fans are engaged and mobilised and we just won't let it go away. We are here to keep up that energy.

"We'll work behind the scenes to make sure that there is really change happening because symbolism only gets you so far."