August 26, 2024 • 33 mins
The NWSL is the first American pro sports league to eliminate the draft and we talk to the people who made it happen. NWSL Players Association president Tori Huster and executive director Meghann Burke join Sarah to talk about the landmark collective bargaining agreement and the “free agency” frenzy that will get underway next week. Plus, the tears flow over jersey retirements (Megan Rapinoe and Maya Moore-Irons in the same weekend?! Why?!) and a lesson on Hall of Fame induction.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we'll be
smiling all day after hearing that Ted Lasso is coming
back for a fourth season. Do you remember that last
episode of season three is an AFC Richmond women's team
on the way I feel like we fell out of
the lucky tree and hit every branch on the way down,
then ended up in a pool.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Of cash and sour patch kids.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
On today's show, we're going to dig into the NWSL's
new collective bargaining agreement with Players Association President Tory Huster
and executive director Megan Burke. Plus, we're going to dish
on NWSL legend Megan Rapino receiving her flowers, recommend some
pre Paralympics prep, and relive a magical night with one
of the most underrated pro athletes out there. It's all
coming up right after this Welcome back slices. Here's what
(00:50):
you need to know today. In soccer, the Orlando Pride
set the NWSL record for longest unbeaten streak with a
one nil win over the Houston Dash on Friday, extending
their run to eighteen straight games without a loss that
dates back.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
To October fifteenth of last year.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
The final game of the twenty twenty three regular season,
which also happened to be a one nail victory over Houston.
Washington Spirit rookie midfielder Croy Bethune tied the NWSL single
season assist record this weekend. She now has ten, putting
her square with the great Tobin Heath. And let's take
a quick minute here to highlight the season Bethune has head.
(01:28):
The former Georgia Bulldog, was selected third overall in the
twenty twenty four NWSL draft and is a top contender
for Rookie of the Year. She was initially named as
an alternate for the US Olympic team, but after Jaden
Shaw was ruled out of a game with an injury,
Bethune got the chance to compete in France. Definitely one
of those players we can't wait to watch for years
to come. Also, the Seattle Rain retired Meghan Rapinos jersey
(01:49):
in a special ceremony on Saturday night. The pink haired
icon of both soccer and social justice is nothing short
of a legend everywhere, but especially in Seattle. If you're
wondering just how much she means to that city, here's
a couple ways her impact was commemorated. The Space Needle
illuminated the skyline in Rain purple on Saturday night. On
(02:09):
Saturday and Sunday, the five twenty Bridge lit its sentinels purple,
and the Museum of Pop Culture went purple.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
On the night of the match.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
The Columbia Center's iconic crown lit up purple above the
Seattle skyline. The Great Seattle Wheel shined purple over the waterfront.
Seattle Rain FC's home lumin Field shind purple, and the
Seattle Convention cent are Arch glowed purple, while the statues
of Seattle Mariner's legends Ken Griffy Junior and Edgar Martinez
right outside t Mobile Park wore scarves in Pino's honor.
(02:37):
We love to see a legend really get a whole
city behind her.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
So cool.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
In the WNBA last week, we told you about Maya
more Irons becoming the fourth Minnesota Links player to have
their jersey retired. While along with having her jersey hung
in the rafter, she was also gifted something extremely rad.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
She got a custom jacket.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
And a shoecase of gold versions of notable Jordan shoes
that she wore during her career. Maya was the first
female player to be signed by the Jordan brand. Also,
memo to Jersey retirement organizers, can we maybe like space
them out a little bit next time? Because Rapino and
more in the same weekend was pretty tough on the
old heartstrings and it required far too much Kleenex. Meanwhile,
(03:16):
in game action in the WNBA, the Connecticut Sun and
the Minnesota Lynx picked up two wins a piece this
weekend and officially clinched their playoff spots, joining the New
York Liberty. And of course we saw a bunch of
movement in the record books as well, which kind of
feels like par for the course this WNBA season.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
And of course it was the two spectacular rookies added again.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
The Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark became the fastest player in
WNBA history to five hundred points and two hundred assists,
only took her twenty nine games. She's also the first
player to achieve both of those numbers in their rookie season. Meanwhile,
Chicago Skuy's Angel Reese tied Tina Charles for most double
doubles by a rookie in a single season, and she
notched her third straight game with twenty plus rebounds. Yeah,
(03:55):
you heard that right, her third straight game with twenty
plus rebounds, the first play to do that in WNBA history.
She's also the first player in league history with multiple
games of ten or more offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds
in the same game.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Also, it's not a record.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
But we have to mention that Marina Maybray absolutely torched
the Chicago Sky in her first game back against her
former team, twenty four points in the win for the
Sun on Friday night. Cold blooded stuff. I'm still shivering, y'all.
I told you she was a dog. I told you
I was bummed about that trade. Ugh, okay, let's get
to golf. The AIG Women's Open came to a thrilling
(04:31):
conclusion on Sunday, with multiple lead changes during the final round.
It was New Zealand's Lydia Coe who finished on top,
winning her third career major, but her first and eight
years it's been a pretty fantastic summer of golf for Co.
She also won Olympic gold in Paris, earning enough points
to qualify for induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame. Also,
(04:51):
today is the day I learned that you need qualifying
points for the LPGA Hall of Fame out at St
Andrew's American Stelly Coorda and Lily Avoo were Amie those
tied per second to tennis on the hard courts. The
US Open is finally upon us. Coco Goff plays at
approximately two pm today. Taylor Townsend plays her first singles
match around two fifteen pm Eastern. Don't miss tomorrow show,
(05:14):
by the way, because you're going to hear from Taylor herself.
Also quick shout out to men's tennis player Francis Tiapo.
He was rocking a Trinity Rodman's Spirit jersey during a
training session at the US Open.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
We love to see it. Go ahead, young man, I
know me.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
She likes to see a DMB guy supporting a DMB team.
All right, slice is It's almost time to talk to
a couple of the people who were in the room
making the NWSL's new CBA happen. In case you missed it,
at the end of last week, the NWSL announced a
historic new CBA, extending the current deal through twenty thirty
(05:48):
with some major new benefits for the players. Headlines include
the elimination of the college draft and the much despised expansion, draft,
free agency for all, no more trades without player consent
beginning next year, contracts increases in minimum salaries and revenue sharing,
and that's just the start. We talked to Players Association
President Tory Huster and executive director Megan Burke, who generously
(06:10):
joined us from vacation literally on the beach, to get
a better understanding of the new CBA, what it took
to make the deal come to life, and how this
moment might impact.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
The rest of the sports landscape.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
We have to take a quick break, but when we
get back, we're jumping right into that conbo keep it here.
She is the president of the nwsl Players Association and
a former player who spent most of her career with
the Washington Spirit. Fun fact, before retiring last December, she
(06:42):
was the only player who have been on the Spirit
for all eleven seasons of its existence.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
It's Tory Huster, what's up.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Tory, Hey, Sarah, thanks for the introduction and thanks for
having us on joining her.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
She's an attorney and the executive director of the NWSLPA
who led negotiations of the league's first ever CBA in
twenty twenty two. A former professional soccer player, and former
coach nicknamed the Berknader. We once made a thirteen person
human pyramid at two am outside of bar in Louisville.
It's Megan Burke. What's up, Megan?
Speaker 4 (07:11):
What's up, Sarah? We got to bring the pyramid back.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
It's time always, it's been too long. It's been too long.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
First of all, congratulations on what was a lengthy and
i'm sure difficult process to get to today, where the
NWSL Players Association announced a historic new CBA, extending the
current contract, which was set to expire in twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Six through twenty thirty.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Now we've already shared with our listeners a couple of
the highlights, but for both of you, I want to
hear what you're most proud of in this agreement. So, Torri,
what's the part that you are really, like, just super
psyched about.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
I'm continuously just proud, and I think the most striking
part of this whole thing is the engagement that we
see with the players. We had a forty nine person
bargaining committee more players than that when we reached out.
We're willing to give feedback the number of hours that
players spent on zoom calls with us. Even through you know,
(08:02):
boring legal documents being up on the screen. They were
committed to getting a really great deal out of this negotiation,
and I think that's exactly what we did.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
It's such a cool through line too, that we've seen
from US women's national team through to NWSLPA that the
players are consistently involved in the advocation of their own
rights and for the future of the sport and the
players coming behind them, which is so cool.
Speaker 5 (08:28):
What about you, Megan, Well, look, I think this contract
achieved something that we weren't the first to think a
free agency.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
For sure.
Speaker 5 (08:36):
It's been at least fifty five years in the making.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Sarah.
Speaker 5 (08:38):
I know you're a baseball fan. Yeah, I'll forgive you
for being a Cubs fan pardners of my team. But
Kurt Flood fought for free agency, took his case all
the way to the US Supreme Court in the late
sixties early seventies and lost.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
And so now.
Speaker 5 (08:52):
For our players to finally achieve what he'd imagined, I
think is really special. You know, you just pointed out
the US Women's national what they achieved if equal pay.
You look at what the WNVPA has achieved, especially in
recent years. The longest running women's professional league in this country,
and now what the NDBSL Players Association has achieved. I
think it's just the testament of the fact that women
(09:14):
are changing the sports industry.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Yeah, setting an example for others to follow. And we'll
get to some other elements of this deal that certainly
might be influential to other leagues to I want to
go back quickly to what you said about the players.
I was so not surprised, but certainly hardened to hear
that there were current and former players in the room
negotiating this deal, putting in the time when they were
in theory on vacation. What were you surprised to hear
(09:37):
from fellow players and folks around the league. Did anything
surprise you in terms of what they said, Hey, when
you're in that room, this is what we want you
to ask for or talk about.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
I think because we are we're so well connected with
our current players and even with our former players. I mean,
our players are intelligent. They are Often times they'll have
an MBA and we won't even know about it. I
think one of the most I think that one of
(10:07):
the most surprising things that actually happened during in person
bargaining was we found out that Brianna Pinto has a
math degree and she was helping us kind of figure
out some Excel spreadsheets in the wee hours of the night,
which we weren't totally expecting but was extremely useful.
Speaker 5 (10:26):
So there's little there's little things like that.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
But I think because we're so well connected and we're
asking for feedback all the time and players are willing
to give it, there's there's a lot with being former
players ourselves too that we really understand. I mean, we're
a labor union that is run by former players, and
it is an organization that is, you know, completely just
(10:52):
in the depths on it too. We've had a number
of experiences ourselves and so there's not a whole lot
that is super surprising, but I think the intelligence of
our athletes is just phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah, Megan, the last time you were negotiating a CBA,
the league's first in twenty twenty two, not that long ago.
But the main goal there was the bare minimum ensuring
player safety. It was a burn it all down and
build it back up time for the NWSL, a league
that was plagued by some toxic coaches and leadership was
still hanging on to some bad habits that established when
(11:27):
there were shoestring budgets and there was no oversight.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
How different did this negotiation just a couple.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Of years later feel, Oh, it's massively different.
Speaker 5 (11:36):
I'm sure every negotiation has its own context, in its
own place and time. What was really refreshing about this
process is that it was, as you know, it's done quietly,
and we started, you know, what was it ten months ago?
And because even though it was done quietly, doesn't mean
that it wasn't an intense, hard fought negotiation. We spent
(11:56):
I think we had thirty or more bargaining sessions, hundreds
of hours that were spent not just in bargaining, but
in preparation consulting, as Tori said, with our players, figuring
out their priorities or where we could move where we couldn't.
And I think what's really unique about this negotiation is
that it's just the right result. This isn't you know,
this was a situation where both sides had to come
(12:18):
to an agreement if we wanted. If we wanted to
come to an agreement, that we would. If it was
the right contract, we would do it. But if it
wasn't the right contract. Either side could walk away at
a given time, and neither did that. That just shows
you the commitment that I think the union, the players,
the league, the teams all had to ensuring our collective
future and figuring out what does the future need to
(12:38):
look like for us to maintain our competitive advantage as
I think we all want to be the most elite
league in the world, and I think this contract sets
us up to do that.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
You let me write to my next question, which is
about some of the impetus to get this done. And
you've been quoted as saying that the new deal was
partly due to the twenty twenty three World Cup. The
national teams most represented in the end WSL right now
are US, Canada, and Brazil. None of those teams made
it past the round of sixteen. You looked at that
and you said, this is telling us something about how
(13:08):
the league is made and built, and it's falling short
of the game's global growth. Tell us about that, tell
us how that informed some of the decisions you made here.
Speaker 5 (13:16):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Well, so this contract establishes a new.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
It's a complete tectonic shift in the American sports landscape,
but it's also the global standard, so the rest of
the world in the sport. In the sport we play,
we play the world's game. And in soccer, the rest
of the world has free agency rights. You can't be
traded without your consent or transferred. Every contract is guaranteed.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
We saw in.
Speaker 5 (13:37):
Previous drafts Katerina Makario and the Official or two examples
of players who decided to go play in other countries
even though they developed here in the United States. They
wanted to go play elsewhere because they wanted to They
didn't want to be drafted, they wanted to have control
over their careers. And I think that speaks to an
under an emerging consciousness among this generation of players that
this isn't my only only option anymore. The world's game
(13:59):
has evolved. We have competition in Europe, in Mexico. You
look at what's happening in England, Spain, in France and Germany,
which is awesome. Right, even the USL now here in
the States exactly, Yes, you got the USL Super League
which just took off last weekend. Tremendous attendance, especially in Charlotte,
which is great to see. There are more opportunities and
more options for players, and so we can no longer
(14:20):
just rest in our laurels.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
And I really appreciate that. I think the teams.
Speaker 5 (14:24):
The league all saw what happened last summer at the
World Cup, and it became undeniably true things we've been
saying for years, which is that the world is passing
us by. There's a different set of rules we should
be playing by rather than this American idea of a
draft and that sort of thing. And I think the
league came to us and said, you know, there's something
to this. We need to really rethink our approach, and
(14:45):
you know this contract is the result of a collective
effort to imagine something different.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Yeah, Tory.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
She mentioned the league actually approached the PA this time,
hoping to get a new deal done well before the
current one expires. So how did them coming to you
the tenor of the conversation.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
I think you saw the league. Yeah, the tone.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
The tone was different, not as resistant to our ideas
as in the past.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
Maybe they would have been.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
I think that we had already been thinking about sending
our own letter, and I think for them to jump
the gun on us was it was great. It was
it showed that we were aligned in thinking that we
could we could meet and discuss some of these aspects
of the contract that could be immediately improved upon. And
I think that that's just a testament to the very
(15:37):
hard work that we've done to lay a completely different
foundation for the league and where it's going to go.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
You were a number seven overall draft pick when the
league launched, and a draft is such a mainstay of
professional sports and often is cited as the only way
to maintain parody, to help small market teams draw players,
to help struggling teams get a chance to improve. The
NWSL will be the first major North American professional sports
league to eliminate the draft. How does the PA imagine
(16:06):
being able to keep the parody that so many people
love about the NWSL without a draft.
Speaker 5 (16:10):
I'm so glad you asked that Tory go ahead.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
I think I was quoted earlier and I won't use
the explative because I think my mom would be mad.
Speaker 5 (16:19):
But we don't. We don't like the draft.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
We want players to be able to choose where they
end up, no matter if they're in college or if
they are currently in the league and there's an expansion team.
We want players to choose what market they're in, because overall,
when a player chooses you, I think that overall, it's
just it's better for the team. They can get to
(16:43):
a place where there's a sense of loyalty and respect there,
and we want to roll with that. I think that's
in the best interest of the players and the league
and the clubs. We've said now a few times that
when players win, we all win. And yeah, I think
being in a draft is not a fun experience when
(17:04):
you don't know where you're going to end up. You
don't know, yeah, how far you're going to need to
drive to get there, or if that market is gonna
suit your needs developmentally and even playing time wise. Am
I going to have to go out of pocket to
pay for something? So yeah, I think as I was
as I was growing up and coming into the league,
(17:26):
even being drafted to the WPS in it folding a
week later, it's it's not a completely fun experience as
a player. There's a lot of Yeah, there's a lot
of entertainment around it. But I was going to say,
there's other ways to have competition.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Yeah, the fun part is the dressing up, the welcome
to the Pro's moment, that feeling of pageantry around it.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Is there a way to recreate that?
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Or we instead going to get the like commitment on
the caps on the table, hovering over, putting it on
fake and putting it back down new cap, Like, what
are we going to do instead.
Speaker 5 (18:01):
Creative enough to create something else?
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Right?
Speaker 5 (18:03):
I mean, look, I think Sarah at the promise to
your question. Actually, this is something Tory and I were
talking about earlier, this idea of parody. It's really interesting
because you have a draft in Major League Baseball, NFL, NBA,
and I don't think they're.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
Nearly as competitive as nwslo's.
Speaker 5 (18:18):
When you look at the top of the bottom of
the table, parody, it implies sameness, same. This is boring.
We're not interested in parody. We're interested in is competition.
This is going to foster more competition. Teams are going
to have to really make a case for themselves to
attract some of the world's best players to come and
play here. And you know you're speaking to Tory. Of course,
was drafted. A lot of the players, most of the
(18:38):
players in a bargain committee were drafted a million years ago.
I was drafted in the WSA days and I'll be honest,
my family, we all celebrated. It was, like you said,
the pageantry of it, there's a party around it. But
the reality of the draft is that that's not the
I made it moment. I made it moment. Is the
signing of the contract. That's the I made it moment.
And so I would say I might have already been
(18:59):
playing some seeds okay with folks who you know, think
of these things like, surely we can come up with
a really cool pageantry style for sure, pop and circumstance
event that's going to celebrate the un needed moment.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
I want to also talk about something you sort of
alluded to, Tori, about getting to decide where you play
is about a lot of different factors. Sometimes it's the
city or being near your family, or you know, big,
big market, small market. But there's also some, in particular
for female athletes, pretty serious consequences to being in certain spaces.
When the league announce at the NWSL was going back
(19:33):
to Utah in twenty twenty two, one of the concerns
was the state's laws, which are currently in flux but
threatened to essentially outlaw abortion if there are expansion teams
in places like Texas that's going to be an issue
as well. So how important was the national political landscape,
the gutting of reproductive rights, attacks on LGBTQ plus individuals,
and laws around identity and expression, Like, how important was
(19:55):
that in crafting this CBA and giving players autonomy over
where they live and train?
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Hugely important, I think full stop. It is one of
the things that we're talking about all the time. Our
first and foremost priority as a players association is player
health and safety, and access to healthcare is part of that.
And even more so, I'll take it a step step
(20:20):
further than that, is the next.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
Expansion club that comes in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 4 (20:25):
The location of.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
That market is hugely important, and it's questions that we're asking,
and we need our players to have access to healthcare
that is relevant to them.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Yeah, Megan, what are the CBA elements can we expect
in place immediately and which ones will we look forward
to over time?
Speaker 5 (20:43):
Well, the most immediate thing you're going to feel is
the opening of the free agency window on September first.
We're super fired up to release the list of free agents.
We're anticipating about one hundred or more players will be
free agents when the window opens on September first. It's
going to be a free agency frenzy in future years.
The free agency window will open six months prior to
(21:05):
the end of the contract term, which is July first,
so we'll actually be earlier in the future. Obviously, it
took some work to get this CBA done, so we
weren't able to get it done in time to open
on July one, but that's going to be immediate, you know.
There are also some provisions in the contract. For example,
the league hiring a surfaces specialist who's going to inspect
all the match and training facilities and provide the union
(21:26):
of the report make sure that we're fostering the most
professional environment possible in this league.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
There's a number of things like.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
That, increasing medical staff, team staff, and then really the
compensation stuff is kind of an interesting one. Minimum salaries
will increase, we now know what the collectively bargained salary
cap will be. And then revenue sharing is a headline
coming out of this contract. You'll feel it next year,
but it's actually this year's media and sponsorship revenues that's
going to increase next year's base salary cap. So I
(21:54):
mean that's happening right now as we speak. So there's
a lot of things that are you're going to feel
an immediate impact, and a few things that you'll start
to see take effect next year.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
I'll tell you a free agent frenzy in September as
music to Myers, as the host of a daily show
who's got full content brain, I'm already like ideating around
how fun that's going to be for all the moves
to happen and for.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
That to be such a big thing.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
Was there an issue in particular that the NWSLP and
the league started off the furthest apart.
Speaker 5 (22:19):
On economics were a tough one. I think they always
are in any negotiation. It was important to the league
to eliminate or phase out team provided housing, but it
was important to us, as the union and the players,
that every single player in this league is housing secure.
We don't expect that every single player is gonna, you know,
make the kind of money you'd retire on an nw's help,
(22:40):
but we definitely want every single player to singularly focus
on their craft, and so it took a bit of
work to find the compromise solution on that and fair
play to everybody involved. We hired an economist, doctor Beth Pollin,
former chair of the economics department at LaSalle University. The
NWSELL brought in their staff CARLN.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
Hudson, Steph Lee, Tatiana Hyini.
Speaker 5 (23:00):
They had a really great crew of people on their
side who all of us really were just trying to
find solutions. It's not necessarily that we were at loggerheads,
but more just it was like a puzzle, like how
do you do this?
Speaker 4 (23:09):
How do you phase this.
Speaker 5 (23:10):
Out while achieving hasing security and meet everyone's goals. That
took the longest amount of time, and I'm really proud
of the work that everybody put in to get to
the right result.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
Yeah, the housing was gosh.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
When I was a minority owner of the Red Stars,
that was one of the biggest things that the players
came to the new owners with absolutely first was this
needs to be solved. The owner at the time was
like the landlord for the players, so they were going
to him for a broken toilet, which was a complete
problem in terms of power dynamics. So some of those
things feel so antiquated now as we're entering this new,
(23:44):
truly professional era for this league, which is so exciting.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
We talked about this.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
The new CBA grants unrestricted free agency. This is fantastic
and wonderful. All the players deals are guaranteed, all trades
require player consent. This is all awesome for the players.
But Megan, I remember remember the early days of women's
pro soccer, players were often moved to a team near
where their husband or wife was working or got moved.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Their deals would be made whenever.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Possible to prioritize player comfort and happiness and lifestyle. And
that was almost necessary because the salaries were so low,
the benefits were so low. To demand that players gave
this many months of their lives to something that wasn't
monetarily sustaining made sense.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Now that you've got league revenue.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
Skyrocketing, investments skyrocketing, you have people with a lot of
skin in the game. For this to be professional, how
do you reconcile what's best for a team and winning
and their investment with what a player wants.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
I think they're one and the same.
Speaker 5 (24:39):
Right for this for a team to be successful in
neither players to be successful. And I just don't believe
that holding people has to do in an employment situation is
the best solution, right. I think one of the things
we need to talk about in free agency is freedom
of choice and what it means to be loyal right.
Loyalty is not something that's coerced, so it's earned exactly,
(25:00):
And that's what's going to happen here, is that teams
will earn the loyalty and commitment that a player makes
to them, and in return, teams are making.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
The same level investment in them.
Speaker 5 (25:08):
Teams are going to have to hire, you know, scouts
and technical directors because they can no longer rely on
signing someone and saying, wow, we'll just fire them if
we can get it wrong or trade them.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
You got to get it right now. So the jobs,
you know, gms are going to have a tougher job.
Speaker 5 (25:20):
Teams are going to have a tougher job constructing rosters
and making player personnel decisions. And we've talked about this
with our players on the flip side, as a player,
you're making a commitment to them, and you've got to
uphold your end of the deal. Right, So when a
player chooses to go play for a team, they're given
their all. They're making a serious commitment. And I talk
about this a lot that the window of time that
(25:42):
professional athletes have to be professional athletes, Like maybe you
get three years. If you're really lucky, you get five
or seven. Very rare is the you know, do you
have a Tory Houster who plays for the same team
for eleven years? But even then in the Sarah, you
and I are probably about the same age. Like you
look back now and you're like, eleven years isn't even
that long a period of time, right, So yeah, players
(26:02):
and teams need to maximize this window of opportunity that
they have.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
You and I actually talked last year about whether or
not the league should prioritize helping boost the struggling teams
that are less resource to lift up from the bottom,
or further encourage the successful, wealthy teams who were setting
an example of what the future should look like because
the rising tide lifts all boats. Toy, I'm sure this
has come up in negotiations when you're creating this new CBA.
(26:27):
Do you think it will disproportionately affect teams with more
or less capital, more or less revenue, bigger or smaller markets.
Will it be harder for some of the teams in
the league to accommodate the new CBA elements.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
I think it's really just an opportunity to step up.
I think it is we want we want variety in
the league and so smaller market, bigger market, whatever it
is we want. We want owners and investors in our
league that understand that this is something that is can
(27:00):
generate revenue, that this is not charity, and we're all
we're all ready to make money and to showcase what
players can do on the field and really just capitalize
off of this momentum. And I think that's that's going
to be a good thing. Whether you have a small
(27:22):
market or not. It really just comes down to whether
an owner is willing to make the investment. And I
hope that's the case that it should be the case.
I think if you're going to invest in a professional
professional sports environment, I mean, we've seen the valuation, so
they're definitely there's some positive coming out of owning.
Speaker 4 (27:44):
A professional sports team.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
So it's it's a good thing to invest in one.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Keep up or get out. I'm picturing the theme song
for next year. Can you keep up? Megan?
Speaker 1 (27:55):
I'm wondering what you want other leagues to take from
your new CBA.
Speaker 5 (28:00):
I think the most important takeaway is the power of
collective action. Our players are deeply committed to the idea
of solidarity and the commitment to one another. I think
it's really important for everyone to know they of course
we all know, you know, Alex More going to listen
there these players, they're also play representatives on our bargaining committee.
And then you have people like Brianna Pinto, Damie Weatherhole,
Haley Hopkins, bart Nicole Barnheart, who's been around the game forever, right,
(28:25):
you know, who are quietly just making such a lasting
impact on our sport. We do think that this shows
set a new standard for professional sports in North America.
This is the tectonic shift in the American sports landscape.
But I also believe in the power of unions, and
it's for players, athletes and other unions to decide for
themselves what their priorities are, what's important to them, what
(28:45):
they want to see change. This at least provides them
with a blueprint if they are interested in eliminating a
draft and moving to a world where free agency is
the rule. This shows how it can be done.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
I'm glad you're sitting on a beach now because you're
going to be getting a lot of phone calls from
the folks asking you how you got it done?
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Can they use you to negotiate theirs?
Speaker 1 (29:03):
What are the secrets all that stuff? I'm leaving the
last question for the most important tory. Does the CBA
have anything about when the schedule is released? Because I'm
sick ofware in my is the schedule out? Meg t
shirt that Meg Lenahan sent me because she got so
damp sick of people asking her if the schedule was
out yet, like a day before the season started.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
So is that in the CBA?
Speaker 5 (29:23):
I don't even know how to answer that. I got
an answer.
Speaker 4 (29:26):
You go ahead, President Easter, you got this.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
You know I it difficult because we are not primary
tenants at our CDMs, and until we are, it's going
to remain difficult. You have seen someone like Angie Long
and Chris and Chris Long building their own stadium and
that's the gold standard. So they're going to be able
to set their game times when they want them, and
(29:52):
I think that's something everyone should should point towards. At
this point, the schedule, I think is potentially still going to.
Speaker 5 (30:01):
Be a late arrival. Keep that shirt.
Speaker 4 (30:05):
Okay, shurt longer, but.
Speaker 5 (30:07):
I'm gonna give you that I'm going to be an optimist.
I'm rarely the optimist in this conversation, but I'm going
to say this. One of the things in this contract
that the league is able to do now is they
have a little bit more flexibility over setting the calendar,
this season footprint, And if you will, you can infer
from this process that they're planning ahead.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
The league is finally trying.
Speaker 5 (30:26):
To position themselves and get the tools they need to
be able to make plans further in advance. And so
I believe this contract is the right one for everyone
for a lot of reasons. And this is one of
the reasons why there will be some pain points inevitably,
But you can infer from this the league is thinking
a few moves ahead and is trying to game out
what could the next several years look like so that
we don't find ourselves Sarah.
Speaker 4 (30:46):
Tweeting at each other.
Speaker 5 (30:47):
Yeah, you know, a few weeks into the season, do
you have a schedule?
Speaker 4 (30:50):
Do you have a schedule?
Speaker 5 (30:51):
I get those those text messages too, Yeah, Also.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
Because I want to start scheduling my life around going
to trips in in spots where games are happening, and
planning my schedule around getting to those stadiums and seeing
those teams so easier to do with a little more
lead time. Megan Burke, Tori Huster, thank you so much
for your time. Thank you so much for your hard
work on this. This is absolutely thrilling to see happen,
and I'm so happy for the league and the players.
Speaker 5 (31:12):
Thanks Sarah, Thanks you, Sarah. Thanks for having us on
me a lot.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
We got to pay the bills when we come back.
I've got my site set on a new.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Ass I'll explain coming up. Welcome back slices.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
We love that you're listening, but we want you to
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good game play of the day. The Paris Paralympics begin
on Wednesday. We're going to link to a great guide
and a few of our favorite pregames stories so you
can read it before the opening ceremony. And this week
we'll be talking to a couple para athletes, some that
are going to give you perspective on the games and
one you're going to want to keep an eye out
(31:48):
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(32:08):
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(32:31):
and I want that killer ass. I don't know how
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I said, go now, it's your turn. Rate and review.
Thanks for listen. Make sure you come back tomorrow. For
our chat with the American Tennis Protein their townsend Good Game, Tory,
Good Game, Megan. You you the one point one seconds remaining
in the sky Aces game on Sunday, leaving Becky Hammond
just enough time to drop up the perfect play for
Asia Wilson to hit the buzzer beater and hamm.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
My team, A Big, Fat l.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Good Game with Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
You can find us on the.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Azzi
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Jenny Kaplan.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
And Emily Rudder.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
Our editors are Jenny Kaplan, Emily Rudder, Britney Martinez and
Grace Lynch. Production assistants from Lucy Jones and I'm Your
Host Sarah Spain
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we'll be
smiling all day after hearing that Ted Lasso is coming
back for a fourth season. Do you remember that last
episode of season three is an AFC Richmond women's team
on the way I feel like we fell out of
the lucky tree and hit every branch on the way down,
then ended up in a pool.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Of cash and sour patch kids.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
On today's show, we're going to dig into the NWSL's
new collective bargaining agreement with Players Association President Tory Huster
and executive director Megan Burke. Plus, we're going to dish
on NWSL legend Megan Rapino receiving her flowers, recommend some
pre Paralympics prep, and relive a magical night with one
of the most underrated pro athletes out there. It's all
coming up right after this Welcome back slices. Here's what
(00:50):
you need to know today. In soccer, the Orlando Pride
set the NWSL record for longest unbeaten streak with a
one nil win over the Houston Dash on Friday, extending
their run to eighteen straight games without a loss that
dates back.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
To October fifteenth of last year.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
The final game of the twenty twenty three regular season,
which also happened to be a one nail victory over Houston.
Washington Spirit rookie midfielder Croy Bethune tied the NWSL single
season assist record this weekend. She now has ten, putting
her square with the great Tobin Heath. And let's take
a quick minute here to highlight the season Bethune has head.
(01:28):
The former Georgia Bulldog, was selected third overall in the
twenty twenty four NWSL draft and is a top contender
for Rookie of the Year. She was initially named as
an alternate for the US Olympic team, but after Jaden
Shaw was ruled out of a game with an injury,
Bethune got the chance to compete in France. Definitely one
of those players we can't wait to watch for years
to come. Also, the Seattle Rain retired Meghan Rapinos jersey
(01:49):
in a special ceremony on Saturday night. The pink haired
icon of both soccer and social justice is nothing short
of a legend everywhere, but especially in Seattle. If you're
wondering just how much she means to that city, here's
a couple ways her impact was commemorated. The Space Needle
illuminated the skyline in Rain purple on Saturday night. On
(02:09):
Saturday and Sunday, the five twenty Bridge lit its sentinels purple,
and the Museum of Pop Culture went purple.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
On the night of the match.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
The Columbia Center's iconic crown lit up purple above the
Seattle skyline. The Great Seattle Wheel shined purple over the waterfront.
Seattle Rain FC's home lumin Field shind purple, and the
Seattle Convention cent are Arch glowed purple, while the statues
of Seattle Mariner's legends Ken Griffy Junior and Edgar Martinez
right outside t Mobile Park wore scarves in Pino's honor.
(02:37):
We love to see a legend really get a whole
city behind her.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
So cool.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
In the WNBA last week, we told you about Maya
more Irons becoming the fourth Minnesota Links player to have
their jersey retired. While along with having her jersey hung
in the rafter, she was also gifted something extremely rad.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
She got a custom jacket.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
And a shoecase of gold versions of notable Jordan shoes
that she wore during her career. Maya was the first
female player to be signed by the Jordan brand. Also,
memo to Jersey retirement organizers, can we maybe like space
them out a little bit next time? Because Rapino and
more in the same weekend was pretty tough on the
old heartstrings and it required far too much Kleenex. Meanwhile,
(03:16):
in game action in the WNBA, the Connecticut Sun and
the Minnesota Lynx picked up two wins a piece this
weekend and officially clinched their playoff spots, joining the New
York Liberty. And of course we saw a bunch of
movement in the record books as well, which kind of
feels like par for the course this WNBA season.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
And of course it was the two spectacular rookies added again.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
The Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark became the fastest player in
WNBA history to five hundred points and two hundred assists,
only took her twenty nine games. She's also the first
player to achieve both of those numbers in their rookie season. Meanwhile,
Chicago Skuy's Angel Reese tied Tina Charles for most double
doubles by a rookie in a single season, and she
notched her third straight game with twenty plus rebounds. Yeah,
(03:55):
you heard that right, her third straight game with twenty
plus rebounds, the first play to do that in WNBA history.
She's also the first player in league history with multiple
games of ten or more offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds
in the same game.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Also, it's not a record.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
But we have to mention that Marina Maybray absolutely torched
the Chicago Sky in her first game back against her
former team, twenty four points in the win for the
Sun on Friday night. Cold blooded stuff. I'm still shivering, y'all.
I told you she was a dog. I told you
I was bummed about that trade. Ugh, okay, let's get
to golf. The AIG Women's Open came to a thrilling
(04:31):
conclusion on Sunday, with multiple lead changes during the final round.
It was New Zealand's Lydia Coe who finished on top,
winning her third career major, but her first and eight
years it's been a pretty fantastic summer of golf for Co.
She also won Olympic gold in Paris, earning enough points
to qualify for induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame. Also,
(04:51):
today is the day I learned that you need qualifying
points for the LPGA Hall of Fame out at St
Andrew's American Stelly Coorda and Lily Avoo were Amie those
tied per second to tennis on the hard courts. The
US Open is finally upon us. Coco Goff plays at
approximately two pm today. Taylor Townsend plays her first singles
match around two fifteen pm Eastern. Don't miss tomorrow show,
(05:14):
by the way, because you're going to hear from Taylor herself.
Also quick shout out to men's tennis player Francis Tiapo.
He was rocking a Trinity Rodman's Spirit jersey during a
training session at the US Open.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
We love to see it. Go ahead, young man, I
know me.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
She likes to see a DMB guy supporting a DMB team.
All right, slice is It's almost time to talk to
a couple of the people who were in the room
making the NWSL's new CBA happen. In case you missed it,
at the end of last week, the NWSL announced a
historic new CBA, extending the current deal through twenty thirty
(05:48):
with some major new benefits for the players. Headlines include
the elimination of the college draft and the much despised expansion, draft,
free agency for all, no more trades without player consent
beginning next year, contracts increases in minimum salaries and revenue sharing,
and that's just the start. We talked to Players Association
President Tory Huster and executive director Megan Burke, who generously
(06:10):
joined us from vacation literally on the beach, to get
a better understanding of the new CBA, what it took
to make the deal come to life, and how this
moment might impact.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
The rest of the sports landscape.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
We have to take a quick break, but when we
get back, we're jumping right into that conbo keep it here.
She is the president of the nwsl Players Association and
a former player who spent most of her career with
the Washington Spirit. Fun fact, before retiring last December, she
(06:42):
was the only player who have been on the Spirit
for all eleven seasons of its existence.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
It's Tory Huster, what's up.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Tory, Hey, Sarah, thanks for the introduction and thanks for
having us on joining her.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
She's an attorney and the executive director of the NWSLPA
who led negotiations of the league's first ever CBA in
twenty twenty two. A former professional soccer player, and former
coach nicknamed the Berknader. We once made a thirteen person
human pyramid at two am outside of bar in Louisville.
It's Megan Burke. What's up, Megan?
Speaker 4 (07:11):
What's up, Sarah? We got to bring the pyramid back.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
It's time always, it's been too long. It's been too long.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
First of all, congratulations on what was a lengthy and
i'm sure difficult process to get to today, where the
NWSL Players Association announced a historic new CBA, extending the
current contract, which was set to expire in twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Six through twenty thirty.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Now we've already shared with our listeners a couple of
the highlights, but for both of you, I want to
hear what you're most proud of in this agreement. So, Torri,
what's the part that you are really, like, just super
psyched about.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
I'm continuously just proud, and I think the most striking
part of this whole thing is the engagement that we
see with the players. We had a forty nine person
bargaining committee more players than that when we reached out.
We're willing to give feedback the number of hours that
players spent on zoom calls with us. Even through you know,
(08:02):
boring legal documents being up on the screen. They were
committed to getting a really great deal out of this negotiation,
and I think that's exactly what we did.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
It's such a cool through line too, that we've seen
from US women's national team through to NWSLPA that the
players are consistently involved in the advocation of their own
rights and for the future of the sport and the
players coming behind them, which is so cool.
Speaker 5 (08:28):
What about you, Megan, Well, look, I think this contract
achieved something that we weren't the first to think a
free agency.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
For sure.
Speaker 5 (08:36):
It's been at least fifty five years in the making.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Sarah.
Speaker 5 (08:38):
I know you're a baseball fan. Yeah, I'll forgive you
for being a Cubs fan pardners of my team. But
Kurt Flood fought for free agency, took his case all
the way to the US Supreme Court in the late
sixties early seventies and lost.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
And so now.
Speaker 5 (08:52):
For our players to finally achieve what he'd imagined, I
think is really special. You know, you just pointed out
the US Women's national what they achieved if equal pay.
You look at what the WNVPA has achieved, especially in
recent years. The longest running women's professional league in this country,
and now what the NDBSL Players Association has achieved. I
think it's just the testament of the fact that women
(09:14):
are changing the sports industry.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Yeah, setting an example for others to follow. And we'll
get to some other elements of this deal that certainly
might be influential to other leagues to I want to
go back quickly to what you said about the players.
I was so not surprised, but certainly hardened to hear
that there were current and former players in the room
negotiating this deal, putting in the time when they were
in theory on vacation. What were you surprised to hear
(09:37):
from fellow players and folks around the league. Did anything
surprise you in terms of what they said, Hey, when
you're in that room, this is what we want you
to ask for or talk about.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
I think because we are we're so well connected with
our current players and even with our former players. I mean,
our players are intelligent. They are Often times they'll have
an MBA and we won't even know about it. I
think one of the most I think that one of
(10:07):
the most surprising things that actually happened during in person
bargaining was we found out that Brianna Pinto has a
math degree and she was helping us kind of figure
out some Excel spreadsheets in the wee hours of the night,
which we weren't totally expecting but was extremely useful.
Speaker 5 (10:26):
So there's little there's little things like that.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
But I think because we're so well connected and we're
asking for feedback all the time and players are willing
to give it, there's there's a lot with being former
players ourselves too that we really understand. I mean, we're
a labor union that is run by former players, and
it is an organization that is, you know, completely just
(10:52):
in the depths on it too. We've had a number
of experiences ourselves and so there's not a whole lot
that is super surprising, but I think the intelligence of
our athletes is just phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah, Megan, the last time you were negotiating a CBA,
the league's first in twenty twenty two, not that long ago.
But the main goal there was the bare minimum ensuring
player safety. It was a burn it all down and
build it back up time for the NWSL, a league
that was plagued by some toxic coaches and leadership was
still hanging on to some bad habits that established when
(11:27):
there were shoestring budgets and there was no oversight.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
How different did this negotiation just a couple.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Of years later feel, Oh, it's massively different.
Speaker 5 (11:36):
I'm sure every negotiation has its own context, in its
own place and time. What was really refreshing about this
process is that it was, as you know, it's done quietly,
and we started, you know, what was it ten months ago?
And because even though it was done quietly, doesn't mean
that it wasn't an intense, hard fought negotiation. We spent
(11:56):
I think we had thirty or more bargaining sessions, hundreds
of hours that were spent not just in bargaining, but
in preparation consulting, as Tori said, with our players, figuring
out their priorities or where we could move where we couldn't.
And I think what's really unique about this negotiation is
that it's just the right result. This isn't you know,
this was a situation where both sides had to come
(12:18):
to an agreement if we wanted. If we wanted to
come to an agreement, that we would. If it was
the right contract, we would do it. But if it
wasn't the right contract. Either side could walk away at
a given time, and neither did that. That just shows
you the commitment that I think the union, the players,
the league, the teams all had to ensuring our collective
future and figuring out what does the future need to
(12:38):
look like for us to maintain our competitive advantage as
I think we all want to be the most elite
league in the world, and I think this contract sets
us up to do that.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
You let me write to my next question, which is
about some of the impetus to get this done. And
you've been quoted as saying that the new deal was
partly due to the twenty twenty three World Cup. The
national teams most represented in the end WSL right now
are US, Canada, and Brazil. None of those teams made
it past the round of sixteen. You looked at that
and you said, this is telling us something about how
(13:08):
the league is made and built, and it's falling short
of the game's global growth. Tell us about that, tell
us how that informed some of the decisions you made here.
Speaker 5 (13:16):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Well, so this contract establishes a new.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
It's a complete tectonic shift in the American sports landscape,
but it's also the global standard, so the rest of
the world in the sport. In the sport we play,
we play the world's game. And in soccer, the rest
of the world has free agency rights. You can't be
traded without your consent or transferred. Every contract is guaranteed.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
We saw in.
Speaker 5 (13:37):
Previous drafts Katerina Makario and the Official or two examples
of players who decided to go play in other countries
even though they developed here in the United States. They
wanted to go play elsewhere because they wanted to They
didn't want to be drafted, they wanted to have control
over their careers. And I think that speaks to an
under an emerging consciousness among this generation of players that
this isn't my only only option anymore. The world's game
(13:59):
has evolved. We have competition in Europe, in Mexico. You
look at what's happening in England, Spain, in France and Germany,
which is awesome. Right, even the USL now here in
the States exactly, Yes, you got the USL Super League
which just took off last weekend. Tremendous attendance, especially in Charlotte,
which is great to see. There are more opportunities and
more options for players, and so we can no longer
(14:20):
just rest in our laurels.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
And I really appreciate that. I think the teams.
Speaker 5 (14:24):
The league all saw what happened last summer at the
World Cup, and it became undeniably true things we've been
saying for years, which is that the world is passing
us by. There's a different set of rules we should
be playing by rather than this American idea of a
draft and that sort of thing. And I think the
league came to us and said, you know, there's something
to this. We need to really rethink our approach, and
(14:45):
you know this contract is the result of a collective
effort to imagine something different.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Yeah, Tory.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
She mentioned the league actually approached the PA this time,
hoping to get a new deal done well before the
current one expires. So how did them coming to you
the tenor of the conversation.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
I think you saw the league. Yeah, the tone.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
The tone was different, not as resistant to our ideas
as in the past.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
Maybe they would have been.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
I think that we had already been thinking about sending
our own letter, and I think for them to jump
the gun on us was it was great. It was
it showed that we were aligned in thinking that we
could we could meet and discuss some of these aspects
of the contract that could be immediately improved upon. And
I think that that's just a testament to the very
(15:37):
hard work that we've done to lay a completely different
foundation for the league and where it's going to go.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
You were a number seven overall draft pick when the
league launched, and a draft is such a mainstay of
professional sports and often is cited as the only way
to maintain parody, to help small market teams draw players,
to help struggling teams get a chance to improve. The
NWSL will be the first major North American professional sports
league to eliminate the draft. How does the PA imagine
(16:06):
being able to keep the parody that so many people
love about the NWSL without a draft.
Speaker 5 (16:10):
I'm so glad you asked that Tory go ahead.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
I think I was quoted earlier and I won't use
the explative because I think my mom would be mad.
Speaker 5 (16:19):
But we don't. We don't like the draft.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
We want players to be able to choose where they
end up, no matter if they're in college or if
they are currently in the league and there's an expansion team.
We want players to choose what market they're in, because overall,
when a player chooses you, I think that overall, it's
just it's better for the team. They can get to
(16:43):
a place where there's a sense of loyalty and respect there,
and we want to roll with that. I think that's
in the best interest of the players and the league
and the clubs. We've said now a few times that
when players win, we all win. And yeah, I think
being in a draft is not a fun experience when
(17:04):
you don't know where you're going to end up. You
don't know, yeah, how far you're going to need to
drive to get there, or if that market is gonna
suit your needs developmentally and even playing time wise. Am
I going to have to go out of pocket to
pay for something? So yeah, I think as I was
as I was growing up and coming into the league,
(17:26):
even being drafted to the WPS in it folding a
week later, it's it's not a completely fun experience as
a player. There's a lot of Yeah, there's a lot
of entertainment around it. But I was going to say,
there's other ways to have competition.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Yeah, the fun part is the dressing up, the welcome
to the Pro's moment, that feeling of pageantry around it.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Is there a way to recreate that?
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Or we instead going to get the like commitment on
the caps on the table, hovering over, putting it on
fake and putting it back down new cap, Like, what
are we going to do instead.
Speaker 5 (18:01):
Creative enough to create something else?
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Right?
Speaker 5 (18:03):
I mean, look, I think Sarah at the promise to
your question. Actually, this is something Tory and I were
talking about earlier, this idea of parody. It's really interesting
because you have a draft in Major League Baseball, NFL, NBA,
and I don't think they're.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
Nearly as competitive as nwslo's.
Speaker 5 (18:18):
When you look at the top of the bottom of
the table, parody, it implies sameness, same. This is boring.
We're not interested in parody. We're interested in is competition.
This is going to foster more competition. Teams are going
to have to really make a case for themselves to
attract some of the world's best players to come and
play here. And you know you're speaking to Tory. Of course,
was drafted. A lot of the players, most of the
(18:38):
players in a bargain committee were drafted a million years ago.
I was drafted in the WSA days and I'll be honest,
my family, we all celebrated. It was, like you said,
the pageantry of it, there's a party around it. But
the reality of the draft is that that's not the
I made it moment. I made it moment. Is the
signing of the contract. That's the I made it moment.
And so I would say I might have already been
(18:59):
playing some seeds okay with folks who you know, think
of these things like, surely we can come up with
a really cool pageantry style for sure, pop and circumstance
event that's going to celebrate the un needed moment.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
I want to also talk about something you sort of
alluded to, Tori, about getting to decide where you play
is about a lot of different factors. Sometimes it's the
city or being near your family, or you know, big,
big market, small market. But there's also some, in particular
for female athletes, pretty serious consequences to being in certain spaces.
When the league announce at the NWSL was going back
(19:33):
to Utah in twenty twenty two, one of the concerns
was the state's laws, which are currently in flux but
threatened to essentially outlaw abortion if there are expansion teams
in places like Texas that's going to be an issue
as well. So how important was the national political landscape,
the gutting of reproductive rights, attacks on LGBTQ plus individuals,
and laws around identity and expression, Like, how important was
(19:55):
that in crafting this CBA and giving players autonomy over
where they live and train?
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Hugely important, I think full stop. It is one of
the things that we're talking about all the time. Our
first and foremost priority as a players association is player
health and safety, and access to healthcare is part of that.
And even more so, I'll take it a step step
(20:20):
further than that, is the next.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
Expansion club that comes in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 4 (20:25):
The location of.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
That market is hugely important, and it's questions that we're asking,
and we need our players to have access to healthcare
that is relevant to them.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Yeah, Megan, what are the CBA elements can we expect
in place immediately and which ones will we look forward
to over time?
Speaker 5 (20:43):
Well, the most immediate thing you're going to feel is
the opening of the free agency window on September first.
We're super fired up to release the list of free agents.
We're anticipating about one hundred or more players will be
free agents when the window opens on September first. It's
going to be a free agency frenzy in future years.
The free agency window will open six months prior to
(21:05):
the end of the contract term, which is July first,
so we'll actually be earlier in the future. Obviously, it
took some work to get this CBA done, so we
weren't able to get it done in time to open
on July one, but that's going to be immediate, you know.
There are also some provisions in the contract. For example,
the league hiring a surfaces specialist who's going to inspect
all the match and training facilities and provide the union
(21:26):
of the report make sure that we're fostering the most
professional environment possible in this league.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
There's a number of things like.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
That, increasing medical staff, team staff, and then really the
compensation stuff is kind of an interesting one. Minimum salaries
will increase, we now know what the collectively bargained salary
cap will be. And then revenue sharing is a headline
coming out of this contract. You'll feel it next year,
but it's actually this year's media and sponsorship revenues that's
going to increase next year's base salary cap. So I
(21:54):
mean that's happening right now as we speak. So there's
a lot of things that are you're going to feel
an immediate impact, and a few things that you'll start
to see take effect next year.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
I'll tell you a free agent frenzy in September as
music to Myers, as the host of a daily show
who's got full content brain, I'm already like ideating around
how fun that's going to be for all the moves
to happen and for.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
That to be such a big thing.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
Was there an issue in particular that the NWSLP and
the league started off the furthest apart.
Speaker 5 (22:19):
On economics were a tough one. I think they always
are in any negotiation. It was important to the league
to eliminate or phase out team provided housing, but it
was important to us, as the union and the players,
that every single player in this league is housing secure.
We don't expect that every single player is gonna, you know,
make the kind of money you'd retire on an nw's help,
(22:40):
but we definitely want every single player to singularly focus
on their craft, and so it took a bit of
work to find the compromise solution on that and fair
play to everybody involved. We hired an economist, doctor Beth Pollin,
former chair of the economics department at LaSalle University. The
NWSELL brought in their staff CARLN.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
Hudson, Steph Lee, Tatiana Hyini.
Speaker 5 (23:00):
They had a really great crew of people on their
side who all of us really were just trying to
find solutions. It's not necessarily that we were at loggerheads,
but more just it was like a puzzle, like how
do you do this?
Speaker 4 (23:09):
How do you phase this.
Speaker 5 (23:10):
Out while achieving hasing security and meet everyone's goals. That
took the longest amount of time, and I'm really proud
of the work that everybody put in to get to
the right result.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
Yeah, the housing was gosh.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
When I was a minority owner of the Red Stars,
that was one of the biggest things that the players
came to the new owners with absolutely first was this
needs to be solved. The owner at the time was
like the landlord for the players, so they were going
to him for a broken toilet, which was a complete
problem in terms of power dynamics. So some of those
things feel so antiquated now as we're entering this new,
(23:44):
truly professional era for this league, which is so exciting.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
We talked about this.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
The new CBA grants unrestricted free agency. This is fantastic
and wonderful. All the players deals are guaranteed, all trades
require player consent. This is all awesome for the players.
But Megan, I remember remember the early days of women's
pro soccer, players were often moved to a team near
where their husband or wife was working or got moved.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Their deals would be made whenever.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Possible to prioritize player comfort and happiness and lifestyle. And
that was almost necessary because the salaries were so low,
the benefits were so low. To demand that players gave
this many months of their lives to something that wasn't
monetarily sustaining made sense.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Now that you've got league revenue.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
Skyrocketing, investments skyrocketing, you have people with a lot of
skin in the game. For this to be professional, how
do you reconcile what's best for a team and winning
and their investment with what a player wants.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
I think they're one and the same.
Speaker 5 (24:39):
Right for this for a team to be successful in
neither players to be successful. And I just don't believe
that holding people has to do in an employment situation is
the best solution, right. I think one of the things
we need to talk about in free agency is freedom
of choice and what it means to be loyal right.
Loyalty is not something that's coerced, so it's earned exactly,
(25:00):
And that's what's going to happen here, is that teams
will earn the loyalty and commitment that a player makes
to them, and in return, teams are making.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
The same level investment in them.
Speaker 5 (25:08):
Teams are going to have to hire, you know, scouts
and technical directors because they can no longer rely on
signing someone and saying, wow, we'll just fire them if
we can get it wrong or trade them.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
You got to get it right now. So the jobs,
you know, gms are going to have a tougher job.
Speaker 5 (25:20):
Teams are going to have a tougher job constructing rosters
and making player personnel decisions. And we've talked about this
with our players on the flip side, as a player,
you're making a commitment to them, and you've got to
uphold your end of the deal. Right, So when a
player chooses to go play for a team, they're given
their all. They're making a serious commitment. And I talk
about this a lot that the window of time that
(25:42):
professional athletes have to be professional athletes, Like maybe you
get three years. If you're really lucky, you get five
or seven. Very rare is the you know, do you
have a Tory Houster who plays for the same team
for eleven years? But even then in the Sarah, you
and I are probably about the same age. Like you
look back now and you're like, eleven years isn't even
that long a period of time, right, So yeah, players
(26:02):
and teams need to maximize this window of opportunity that
they have.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
You and I actually talked last year about whether or
not the league should prioritize helping boost the struggling teams
that are less resource to lift up from the bottom,
or further encourage the successful, wealthy teams who were setting
an example of what the future should look like because
the rising tide lifts all boats. Toy, I'm sure this
has come up in negotiations when you're creating this new CBA.
(26:27):
Do you think it will disproportionately affect teams with more
or less capital, more or less revenue, bigger or smaller markets.
Will it be harder for some of the teams in
the league to accommodate the new CBA elements.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
I think it's really just an opportunity to step up.
I think it is we want we want variety in
the league and so smaller market, bigger market, whatever it
is we want. We want owners and investors in our
league that understand that this is something that is can
(27:00):
generate revenue, that this is not charity, and we're all
we're all ready to make money and to showcase what
players can do on the field and really just capitalize
off of this momentum. And I think that's that's going
to be a good thing. Whether you have a small
(27:22):
market or not. It really just comes down to whether
an owner is willing to make the investment. And I
hope that's the case that it should be the case.
I think if you're going to invest in a professional
professional sports environment, I mean, we've seen the valuation, so
they're definitely there's some positive coming out of owning.
Speaker 4 (27:44):
A professional sports team.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
So it's it's a good thing to invest in one.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Keep up or get out. I'm picturing the theme song
for next year. Can you keep up? Megan?
Speaker 1 (27:55):
I'm wondering what you want other leagues to take from
your new CBA.
Speaker 5 (28:00):
I think the most important takeaway is the power of
collective action. Our players are deeply committed to the idea
of solidarity and the commitment to one another. I think
it's really important for everyone to know they of course
we all know, you know, Alex More going to listen
there these players, they're also play representatives on our bargaining committee.
And then you have people like Brianna Pinto, Damie Weatherhole,
Haley Hopkins, bart Nicole Barnheart, who's been around the game forever, right,
(28:25):
you know, who are quietly just making such a lasting
impact on our sport. We do think that this shows
set a new standard for professional sports in North America.
This is the tectonic shift in the American sports landscape.
But I also believe in the power of unions, and
it's for players, athletes and other unions to decide for
themselves what their priorities are, what's important to them, what
(28:45):
they want to see change. This at least provides them
with a blueprint if they are interested in eliminating a
draft and moving to a world where free agency is
the rule. This shows how it can be done.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
I'm glad you're sitting on a beach now because you're
going to be getting a lot of phone calls from
the folks asking you how you got it done?
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Can they use you to negotiate theirs?
Speaker 1 (29:03):
What are the secrets all that stuff? I'm leaving the
last question for the most important tory. Does the CBA
have anything about when the schedule is released? Because I'm
sick ofware in my is the schedule out? Meg t
shirt that Meg Lenahan sent me because she got so
damp sick of people asking her if the schedule was
out yet, like a day before the season started.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
So is that in the CBA?
Speaker 5 (29:23):
I don't even know how to answer that. I got
an answer.
Speaker 4 (29:26):
You go ahead, President Easter, you got this.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
You know I it difficult because we are not primary
tenants at our CDMs, and until we are, it's going
to remain difficult. You have seen someone like Angie Long
and Chris and Chris Long building their own stadium and
that's the gold standard. So they're going to be able
to set their game times when they want them, and
(29:52):
I think that's something everyone should should point towards. At
this point, the schedule, I think is potentially still going to.
Speaker 5 (30:01):
Be a late arrival. Keep that shirt.
Speaker 4 (30:05):
Okay, shurt longer, but.
Speaker 5 (30:07):
I'm gonna give you that I'm going to be an optimist.
I'm rarely the optimist in this conversation, but I'm going
to say this. One of the things in this contract
that the league is able to do now is they
have a little bit more flexibility over setting the calendar,
this season footprint, And if you will, you can infer
from this process that they're planning ahead.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
The league is finally trying.
Speaker 5 (30:26):
To position themselves and get the tools they need to
be able to make plans further in advance. And so
I believe this contract is the right one for everyone
for a lot of reasons. And this is one of
the reasons why there will be some pain points inevitably,
But you can infer from this the league is thinking
a few moves ahead and is trying to game out
what could the next several years look like so that
we don't find ourselves Sarah.
Speaker 4 (30:46):
Tweeting at each other.
Speaker 5 (30:47):
Yeah, you know, a few weeks into the season, do
you have a schedule?
Speaker 4 (30:50):
Do you have a schedule?
Speaker 5 (30:51):
I get those those text messages too, Yeah, Also.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
Because I want to start scheduling my life around going
to trips in in spots where games are happening, and
planning my schedule around getting to those stadiums and seeing
those teams so easier to do with a little more
lead time. Megan Burke, Tori Huster, thank you so much
for your time. Thank you so much for your hard
work on this. This is absolutely thrilling to see happen,
and I'm so happy for the league and the players.
Speaker 5 (31:12):
Thanks Sarah, Thanks you, Sarah. Thanks for having us on
me a lot.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
We got to pay the bills when we come back.
I've got my site set on a new.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Ass I'll explain coming up. Welcome back slices.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
We love that you're listening, but we want you to
get in the game every day too, So here's our
good game play of the day. The Paris Paralympics begin
on Wednesday. We're going to link to a great guide
and a few of our favorite pregames stories so you
can read it before the opening ceremony. And this week
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one you're going to want to keep an eye out
(31:48):
for in Paris. We always love to hear from you,
so hit us up on email, good game at wondermedianetwork
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Rate and review. It's easy watch seeing Pink live in concert,
rating billions of beautiful stars review. Why did I wait
(32:08):
so long? Everybody was telling me that Pink was a
revelation live and yet there I was missing shows because
I was traveling, not prioritizing others. And now I'm way
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I have changed my entire life school. I want to
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(32:31):
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I said, go now, it's your turn. Rate and review.
Thanks for listen. Make sure you come back tomorrow. For
our chat with the American Tennis Protein their townsend Good Game, Tory,
Good Game, Megan. You you the one point one seconds remaining
in the sky Aces game on Sunday, leaving Becky Hammond
just enough time to drop up the perfect play for
Asia Wilson to hit the buzzer beater and hamm.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
My team, A Big, Fat l.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Good Game with Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
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You can find us on the.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Azzi
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Our editors are Jenny Kaplan, Emily Rudder, Britney Martinez and
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