Aight, so the World Cup finna be in the U.S. for the first time in mad long. People hyped, but I'm tryna see what's really good. Geoff Bennett was chattin' with Leander Schaerlaeckens, who wrote some book about soccer, "The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts." I ain't read it, but he probably know what's up.

First off, them tickets? Straight robbery. Regular folks can't afford to see Messi or Ronaldo, unless they sellin' their grandma's crib. They sayin' it's 'cause of demand, but it's just another way for the rich to get richer.

And don't even get me started on the U.S. team. They better not embarrass us on our own turf. Last thing we need is to get clowned by some European team again. They need to bring that heat, for real.

Schaerlaeckens probably talkin' 'bout how far soccer's come in the States. But let's be real, it's still a rich man's sport. Gotta pay for travel teams, private coaches, all that extra stuff. Kids in the hood ain't got that kinda bread.

They gonna be talkin' 'bout unity and bringin' the world together. But ain't nothin' changed. Police still harassin' us, jobs still payin' dirt, and the cost of livin' keep climbin'.

Big corporations gonna slap their logos on everything and pretend they care about the community. But they just tryin' to make a buck off our culture. Don't fall for the okey-doke.

They gonna talk about all the money the World Cup bringin' in. But that money ain't gonna trickle down to the people who really need it. It's gonna stay in the pockets of the one percent.

So, we'll see. Maybe the World Cup will be lit. Maybe it'll be a whole lotta hype for nothin'. Just hope they remember the people who built this country, the ones who ain't got no voice.

If the U.S. team wins, I'll do the Milly Rock on the White House lawn. But I ain't holdin' my breath, tho.

Sources: * National Urban League * Pew Research Center