Ethan Zohn is rolling out Kicking Back, a U.S. travel series that ties World Cup momentum to grassroots soccer and community culture — spotlighting cities from Boston to Miami and leveraging his Grassroot Soccer platform to fuse sport, health and local storytelling.
Ethan Zohn launches 'Kicking Back' travel series amid World Cup momentum
Ethan Zohn, the Survivor winner turned Grassroot Soccer co‑founder and former pro player, is touring American cities with Kicking Back, a travel series aimed at showcasing how local communities rally around the World Cup.
The series highlights food, music, art, businesses and fan culture while using soccer as a lens to explore shared identity and civic energy.
What Kicking Back covers
Kicking Back is less a conventional sports show and more a cultural map of World Cup fandom across the United States. Episodes profile street‑level scenes — viewing parties, local clubs, youth programs and entrepreneurs — illustrating how a global tournament translates into hyperlocal moments. The series intentionally broadens the conversation beyond soccer to include community health and lifestyle, reflecting Zohn’s work with Grassroot Soccer and his broader advocacy.
Where the show is filming
Stops on the tour include Boston, Philadelphia, New York (where a public viewing party was staged), Seattle, Atlanta, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Houston/Dallas and Miami. Each city is framed as a distinct soccer ecosystem, with the show documenting how fans, venues and local businesses interact during the World Cup window.
Zohn’s credibility: more than a TV personality
Zohn’s profile is unusual in sports media: a former professional player and analyst, a Survivor champion whose winnings helped fund Grassroot Soccer, a cancer survivor and a vocal advocate on health and cannabis policy. That eclectic resume gives him uncommon access and authenticity when he examines the interplay between sport, health programming and grassroots organizing. His involvement signals the series is intended to do more than entertain — it’s meant to amplify projects that use soccer for social good.
Why this matters for U.S. soccer culture
The World Cup has expanded soccer’s footprint in North America, and Kicking Back arrives at a moment when attention can be converted into long‑term engagement. Documenting grassroots activity across diverse markets helps surface where the sport is growing organically — youth academies, ethnic clubs, fan groups — and where investment or policy could accelerate that growth. Zohn’s platform can draw attention and funding to community programs that often operate out of public view.
Impact on Grassroot Soccer and community programs
Grassroot Soccer’s mission aligns directly with the show’s themes: sport as a vehicle for health education and youth development. By pairing storytelling with on‑the‑ground programming, Zohn can spotlight model initiatives and influence public perception of soccer as a community tool, not just entertainment. That narrative matters for sponsors, civic leaders and organizers who decide where to allocate resources.
What to watch for next
Expect episodes to emphasize human stories — coaches, small‑business owners, immigrant fan communities and youth players — and illustrate how World Cup moments translate into local momentum. The series’ success will hinge on whether it captures sustained community outcomes rather than one‑off spectacles. If Kicking Back connects viewers to actionable local programs, it could be a useful template for sports‑led civic engagement.
Final analysis
Kicking Back is a timely, strategically angled project that leverages World Cup enthusiasm while foregrounding the real work happening at the grassroots. Ethan Zohn’s blend of celebrity, soccer credibility and public‑health commitment gives the series a rare mix of reach and substance.
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For fans and stakeholders interested in the long game of growing soccer in North America, this is a project worth watching — not just for the highlights, but for the community blueprints it intends to reveal.
Yahoo! News
