CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE (PART TWO)

THE NWSL IS REBORN

After years of growth, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) hit two consecutive bumps in the road. The first it shared with the rest of the professional sports world — the COVID pandemic. But, then after the 2021 season, scandal rocked the league and left everyone concerned that it would potentially fold. However, Marla Messing came in as interim CEO and stabilized the league. Not only did it find a way to recover from the challenges, but hit a new period of growth — ratifying the league’s first Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), adding key sponsors and expanding into multiple new cities over the coming years.

The NWSL’s rebirth, thanks in large part by the short tenure of Messing, launched the league into a new phase of growth that has elevated women’s professional soccer to new heights. She joined the shows to talk about the critical window in the league’s history, how she approached a job that came about so abruptly and had so many challenges, and so much more.