Although other sports have historically dominated the American sports landscape, soccer has seen exponential growth among U.S. sports fans in recent years. This growth is particularly evident in the Black community, where over 40% of those who are currently soccer fans became fans within the past five years.
One way we aim to foster this growth is through Black Star, launched in 2021 by For Soccer. Black Star is a player and fan engagement brand facilitating the growth of soccer in Black communities through content and storytelling, on-field experiences, curated fan events, and culturally inspired merchandise offerings.
At the end of 2023, we surveyed the Black Star audience ages 16+ to better understand how the Black soccer community views their relationship with soccer, as well as a brief look into their interests beyond the sport.
WHAT DOES OUR REPORT PROVIDE?
The following report introduces a sampling of insights For Soccer has about Black Star participants and serves as a focus group for the larger Black soccer community. Topics covered include:
- Representation in the global soccer community
- Motivations for initial soccer fandom
- Favorite soccer leagues, teams, and players
- Soccer consumption habits
- Social media usage
- Favorite music and sports outside of soccer