Emily Kruger’s social justice in the workplace

The former Portland Thorn got schooled when they asked teammates to say Black Lives Matter

Can a socially-conscious person thrive within the sports industrial complex?

The story told by Ellen Kruger in this week’s Sojourn podcast episode doesn’t directly hit that theme until the last few minutes. The South Bay Area native’s preceding answers to my questions, however, form a tale about that quandary.

A lot of their story is best told below, but you should specifically know that Kruger was into any sport with a ball growing up in the tiny San Mateo town of Woodside. An academic standout—one attuned to social justice—Kruger played a mean goalie for the Cal soccer team. In their senior year, Kruger posted a 10-3-5 record in 18 appearances and 17 starts.

The Portland Thorns of the NWSL came calling after Kruger’s Cal career wrapped, and here is where the narrative is best carried by the athlete. Now an assistant at St. Mary’s College, the Gaels coach hasn’t stopped pondering the question raised by an effort to stand by their beliefs.

Emily Kruger

Can a socially-conscious person thrive within the sports industrial complex?