This is a word, a podcast from Slate. I'm your host, Jason Johnson. The World Cup is one of the

top international sporting events, yet for many Americans, particularly African Americans,

it's still an afterthought. Now, a new generation of Black fans is hoping to change that.

The MLS, US soccer federation, they can do a better job of breaking down these barriers of

kind of reconstructing this pay-to-play system that will allow more Black people to participate

in the sport. Building Black love for soccer and the World Cup, coming up on a word with me,

Jason Johnson. Stay with us.

Welcome to a word, a podcast about race, impolitics, and everything else. I'm your host,

Jason Johnson. Soccer is the sport of the future and always will be. That phrase is kicked around

American sports coverage of soccer for decades, as commenters explain why the world's most

popular sport can't seem to get a foothold in the United States. While the growing Latino

population in this country is moving the needle on soccer, for many in the African American community,

the sport still doesn't register. But now, as the World Cup approaches, a new generation of Black

soccer lovers are trying to get more of us to tune in. Joining us to talk about it is a lifelong

soccer fan, Jermaine Scott. He's a professor of African American studies and sports history

at Florida Atlantic University. Jermaine Scott, welcome to a word. Thank you so much, Jason. I'm

really happy to be here. I'm going to start with a simple question. Do you say soccer or football,

and do people throw things at you when you insist this should be called football? Oh, Lord,

this is like the million dollar question, right? So my most honest response is that I use the two

terms interchangeably, really depending on the, you know, the crowd that I'm in. But most times,

I use soccer. You know, if I'm talking with the, with a crowd that's, you know, kind of deep

soccer fanatics, then I'll use football. But usually in my day to day, I use soccer. You know, for

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