When Jessica Berman was named as the new commander-in-chief for the NWSL in 2022, the league was undergoing one of its toughest times. Reeling from a list of scandelous allegations of abuse, the NWSL was scurrying for a solution. With the New York native at the helm, things started to slowly look better. However, not all issues have been mitigated, and the commissioner wants to continue her work, despite how uncertain the future looks.
Bermen’s 4-year contract with the NWSL is set to expire at the end of this season. While the league’s Board of Governors’ fall meeting provided multiple league-wide announcements in recent days, there have been no concrete statements about Jessica’s future with the NWSL. Under such circumstances, Bermen’s wishes were shared via a post on X from September 18 by ESPN’s Jeff Kassouf.
“What I can say is that I intend to be here,” the commissioner told reporters in a statement on Thursday, before noting why she was enticed to take up the job four years ago. “I joined this league because I believe in the future of women’s sports and professional women’s soccer, and that’s all I can say,” Bermen said, without giving away any insights as to what the fans and the community should be expecting regarding the matter.
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During the presser, the issue of player safety once again surfaced. On Sunday, Racing Louisville’s Savannah DeMelo collapsed on the ground when the halftime whistle was sounded in the match against the Seattle Reign. The star was rushed to the hospital, and the remainder of the match was postponed: played out at the Lumen Field two days later and without the presence of the fans. While the handling of the situation by the NWSL was definitely an improvement compared to Savy King’s incident in May, fans were nonetheless once again reminded that the safety issue still has a long road ahead to ensure complete protection of the players.
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“Just to state the obvious, the decision to not continue the game was a no-brainer and did not require contemplation. We at least now know how to manage those situations and are confident that hopefully we will never have to do them again,” she told reporters, while also noting that there are others in the “decision tree” who can make a very different call in her absence.
The NWSL commissioner also talked about several other issues, like the league’s plans for expansion and how the low salaries often result in players leaving for other leagues. While many fans debate USWNT boss Emma Hayes’s, former Chelsea manager, involvement in Alyssa Thompson deciding to sign for the London club, they cannot overlook how the $3.5 million salary cap per team can also contribute to the move. Berman addressed the topic once again on Thursday, saying, “While I could understand the focus on the salary cap, the way that players make decisions about where to play is a complex set of considerations…We are quite confident that the value proposition that we offer to players is compelling and we’ll continue to attract and retain the best players.”
“Those conversations are ongoing. Each of them has a different perspective on how much time they need to launch, the investments they need to make to be successful, including potentially around infrastructure, and we want to not force a square peg into a round hole,” she said about the NWSL’s plans to expand beyond 16 teams next season.
A lot to take in, undoubtedly. However, all of this pivots significantly on Berman’s future and whether the NWSL ultimately decides to renew her contract. Because one thing no one can deny is that the current commissioner has been the major driving force behind ushering in a new era in the league.
Having Berman around for another tenure will only help the NWSL
Berman came to the National Women’s Soccer League after 13 years working for the NHL, where she ended her career as Gary Bettman’s close counsel, as the vice president of community development and deputy counsel for the league. In 2019, she joined the National Lacrosse League as the first-ever female deputy commissioner of a men’s professional sports league. Naturally, when the NWSL was struggling with allegations of abuse, Jessica looked like the logical choice to bring the league out of the troubled waters. And she didn’t disappoint.
Right after setting up shop at the NWSL camp, Berman went to work. She slammed the Chicago Red Stars and Portland Thorns with big fines and issued lifetime bans on personnel who were named in the Yates report from 2022. After making sure that the players had a better environment to play in, Berman turned her gaze to making the league financially stable. Jessica was the architect behind the NWSL’s first-ever collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which helped improve players’ compensation. Moreover, the first-ever $1 million prize pool in US women’s soccer was the brainchild of Berman.
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That’s not all! In November last year, the 48-year-old commissioner announced a major deal between the NWSL and streaming partners for media rights. Berman also sold her vision of a better NWSL to some of the greatest athletes in the country and beyond. It was thanks to her relentless work that stars like Naomi Osaka, Kevin Durant, Carli Lloyd, and Patrick Mahomes became stakeholders for NWSL franchises.
Safe to say, Berman manning the captain’s post for the NWSL has been more than helpful. With issues like player safety and league expansion still being in the process of having definitive solutions, Berman’s leadership could prove to be beneficial yet again. What do you think?
