‘A rich white kid sport?’ Hometown socioeconomic, racial, and geographic composition among U.S. women’s professional soccer players

This analysis merges data on women listed on National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season rosters between 2013 and 2018 with 2000 U.S. Census data to examine socioeconomic, racial, and geographic indicators for players’ hometowns, measured as the places they attended high school. We compare hometown indicators against national averages and between players based on career longevity and national federation subsidization status. Findings show that players’ hometowns are whiter and less black or Latino, more suburban, and less socioeconomically disadvantaged than the national average, with higher per capita, median household, and median family incomes. Subsidized players, compared to the non-subsidized, and multi-year players, compared to single-year players, come from hometowns that are less black and less socioeconomically disadvantaged, with higher per capita and median household incomes. A lower percent of subsidized player hometowns are city centres compared to those of the non-subsidized.