It wasn't until 1855, when Charles Goodyear patented vulcanized rubber, that soccer balls started taking shape. Literally.

Mitre Impel Max Training Soccer Ball ($19 for size three at the time of publication). Ok, sure: This isn’t the flashy 2022-2023 Premier League ball everyone’s been (rightly) drooling over.

Brazilian footballer Pele playing for Brazil, circa 1958. Photo by Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images. Black athletes have not only changed how the game of soccer is played; around the ...

Pelé was a hero to the world and the best soccer player of all time. He was also something else: an inspiration to Black soccer players in America.