Women’s sports are increasingly described as a “rocket ship” about to take off. Listen to an interview with National Women’s Soccer League commissioner Jessica Berman, and you’ll hear the phrase. All the progress being made in sponsorships, attendance, and media rights is part of the “fuel” for this metaphoric launch.
Before takeoff or even construction of this vessel, however, there needed to be a blueprint.
The NWSL kicked off just over a decade ago. When the league played its first game on April 13, 2013, at a high school stadium used for football and track in suburban Kansas City, it felt more like a horse and buggy just trying to get the wheels turning.
This was the start of a third and, many believed at the time, a final possible attempt to make women’s professional soccer work in the United States. With the U.S. Soccer Federation serving as league manager, eight ownership groups set forth with a frugal plan meant to learn from the lessons of the two previous leagues that had failed. The minimum player salary was $6,000 for a season, and many players felt lucky to make…
