Social Issues

Cisgender men’s footballers have it pretty easy if they want to start a family: Either they get someone pregnant or they adopt. Regardless, outside of some paternity leave near the birth, they generally don’t miss much playing time, rarely have major physical side effects and don’t have to choose between a playing career or starting a family. 

Footballers who want to become pregnant, on the other hand, face much more difficult decisions when it comes to having children. Either they pause their career to bear children or put it off until after retirement.

MELBOURNE — Adelaide United midfielder Josh Cavallo became the first active A-League player to come out as gay on Wednesday, saying he was done with feeling ashamed about his sexuality and the exhaustion of trying to live a "double-life."

"I'm a footballer and I'm gay," the 21-year-old said on a video posted on Adelaide's social media, drawing support from fellow professionals across the world.

"All I want to do is play football and be treated equally."

What’s the appropriate way to send off a player who has reached heights few before her have achieved? As Carli Lloyd prepares for her final USWNT match, everyone from her male and female U.S. Soccer counterparts to Tom Brady has weighed in on the legendary player. But is it too much? Some people certainly think so, given her uncomfortable, often undiscussed stances on certain off-the-field issues.

There’s nothing quite like a Europa League match at 8:30 a.m. on a Tuesday between two Americans, I guess. Though not on the normal Thursday night timing, Celtic’s match with Ferencváros brought the same eccentricity you expect from a Europa League game. 

NAPLES, Italy — Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly said that he was racially abused by a section of Fiorentina supporters following their Serie A match on Sunday.

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Victor Osimhen and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa were also targeted after their defeat by Napoli.

The National Women's Soccer League has fired commissioner Lisa Baird and FIFA has launched a preliminary investigation in the wake of a report detailing allegations of misconduct against former North Carolina Courage head coach Paul Riley.

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Rangers fell 1-0 to Sparta Prague on Thursday, but the real loser was humanity. Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara — who was racially abused by a Czech player from Slavia Prague last season — was booed throughout Thursday night’s match.

A 9,473-word story posted by The Athletic on Thursday detailing years worth of sexual coercion, harassment, abuse and inappropriate comments from fired North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley has caused an uproar in women’s soccer in the U.S.

Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, will be remembered as a dark, devastating day for women’s soccer in the U.S.