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US Women’s Soccer Ditched Draft in a Bid to Regain Top Spot

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 01: Camryn Biegalski #30 of Chicago Red Stars clears the ball in front of Alyssa Thompson #21 and Madison Curry #27 of Angel City FC during a 2-1 Angel City win at BMO Stadium on September 01, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) (Harry How/Photographer: Harry How/Getty Im)

(Bloomberg) -- The National Women’s Soccer League ditched its draft in its bid to be the best soccer league in the world, and a recognition that what works for men’s US sports doesn’t work for women. 

“The rest of the world has woken up to women’s soccer,” said NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman, speaking at Bloomberg Power Players New York. “We have competitors globally, and that requires a different level of innovation and thoughtfulness around the mechanisms by which we will be in a position to attract the top talent.”

The NWSL has been on a tear. In late 2023, it signed a media deal worth about $240 million, which is roughly 40 times the previous pact. And the deal for largest franchise sale in women’s sports history: Los Angeles’s Angel City FC by Willow Bay and Bob Iger — at a valuation of $250 million — was completed Thursday. 

Other big names in sports and entertainment have taken their own stakes in the NWSL. Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, who is part of the family that co-owns the NFL’s New York Giants, became a lead owner of NJ/NY Gotham FC. Natalie Portman was one of the founder of Los Angeles’ Angel City team, which she started with venture capitalist Kara Nortman and former tech executive Julie Uhrman in 2020, and remains on the board. Magic Johnson entered the NWSL’s Washington Spirit investor group earlier on Wednesday. 

After its third attempt the league, founded in 2012, has gained traction. Attendance for a San Diego Wave game earlier last year hit 90,000 fans, up more than 190% from the 31,000 fans that attended one of their games in 2022. 

The US has traditionally been the leading nation for women’s soccer, but rival leagues in Europe have been closing the gap, with record crowds watching Barcelona Femení, and clubs including Lyon, Olympique Lyonnais and Chelsea arguably attracting the best players. 

Last month, in perhaps its most seismic decision, the NWSL moved to scrap the draft, creating a new collective-bargaining agreement that allows players entering the league to be free agents.

“What we can do is re-form the way industry approaches women’s sports,” which Midge Purce, a forward on the NJ/NY Gotham FC believes the collective-bargaining agreement is an example of.

Almost all major US sports use a draft system for new players into the various leagues. 

“If you look at the NFL or the NBA and you balance the tradeoffs,” said Berman. “Leagues have historically benefited from someone else investing in your player development pathway.”

(Updating with additional context.)

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