(Photo Credit Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)
The National Women’s Soccer League announced its latest media rights deals on Thursday, complete with platitudes about the league’s existing and future partnerships. Of course, it was termed a ‘landmark’ deal. And by most accounts, the contracts the NWSL has signed with ESPN, CBS, Amazon, and Scripps appear to be slam dunks. With one significant exception.
Included in the new arrangement is an expanded playoff format that will see eight out of 14 teams qualify starting in 2024. A decade into its existence, NWSL has finally caved to the United States’ bizarre obsession with playoffs by rolling out a format that includes more than half the league. That means there is no longer an expectation that a team even has to have a winning record to reach the playoffs, and by extension win the NWSL Championship. Sure that is not guaranteed in this year’s six-of-12 format but with 57% of the field making it next year, it stands to reason a team that loses more than it wins will be visiting…
