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Jessica Berman wants to earn players’ trust as NWSL commissioner

(Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

New NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman knew she wanted to work in sports from the time she was 16 years old. Sitting beside a fan in a suit and another in jeans and a baseball cap at a New York Islanders game, Berman watched as the crowd erupted and the fans hugged each other after an Islanders goal.

Following the game, she asked the two people if they knew each other. They did not.

“The only thing that united them in that moment was their love for the Islanders, and I decided I had to work in sports,” Berman said Wednesday during her introductory press conference with the NWSL. “That moment was the moment I decided that sports has a platform that is unique among other cultural elements, and I think at this time, in this moment, women’s sports has that perhaps more so than any other sport.”

When Berman steps in for five-month interim CEO Marla Messing and begins her new role on April 20, she plans to foster the same level of unity she saw that day at the Islanders game. Her first priority is to form a strong relationship between the league and the NWSL Players Association. After a year in which multiple coaches were fired amid abuse allegations, an owners dispute dragged out publicly for months and players criticized the NWSL front office for a lack of transparency under former commissioner Lisa Baird, Berman knows the league has a lot of work to do to earn back players’ trust.

“I like to think that everyone has a superpower,” she said. “My superpower, I believe, is building consensus and really listening and learning and trying to understand different people’s perspectives.

“I would really want to seek to understand and learn the context of what is the underpinning of any of those challenges and then work to figure out solutions. I believe that working together with all the stakeholders, we can combat almost anything.”

The former NHL executive said she isn’t afraid to push back on the NWSL owners and to stand up for what the players want. In fact, she believes that mindset is why she landed the job, since players played a key role in the search and hiring process.

“Consensus-building doesn’t mean everybody always gets what they want; it means that they understand the context and the rationale for why we need to make a particular decision,” Berman said.

Berman has learned how to lead through adversity during the 13 years she spent at the NHL and the two and a half years she served as deputy commissioner and executive vice president of business affairs of the National Lacrosse League. Before joining the NLL, she had a front-row seat to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman’s communications with the board of governors, an experience she believes has prepared her for this next challenge.

“That’s the job of the commissioner: to help the teams really understand and the board to really understand the broader context for why and how decisions are being made,” she said.

Berman will serve a four-year term as commissioner, but she’s intent on building trust with the players now while there are no outstanding urgent tasks, such as the collective bargaining agreement the league and NWSLPA ratified on Jan. 31.

Just as she does at 10 a.m. every Tuesday in the National Lacrosse League, Berman will set up standard meetings where NWSLPA representatives can bring forward issues or questions. She and NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke have already arranged weekly calls.

“Those are the things that, in my experience, build trust,” Berman said. “It doesn’t mean we’ll always be able to agree, doesn’t mean we’ll always be able to reach solutions at every turn, but we will have discussions openly and transparently. We will be professional and respectful.”

If there’s ever a need for a neutral arbitrator in discussions, Berman will make that happen — whatever it takes to help the NWSL and Players Association maintain a relationship, she said.

When asked about the league’s relationship with Black Women’s Player Collective (BWPC), a non-profit created by the Black players in the NWSL to advance opportunities for Black girls in sport, Berman referenced her personal background. Growing up in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Brooklyn, N.Y. sparked Berman’s “obsession,” as she calls it, with breaking down barriers and recognizing privilege.

“This is an area I’m interested in, focused on, always wanting to learn, make sure we’re informed by subject matter experts,” she said, adding that she spoke to BWPC board member Midge Purce on Tuesday about diversity in the league.

The Players’ Commissioner Search Committee included Burke, Crystal Dunn, Kaylie Collins, Jane Campbell, Bri Visalli, Nicole Barnhart, Emily Menges, Tori Huster. They didn’t have the authority to make decisions about candidates, but their opinions were taken into consideration.

“Hats off to the union for requesting [involvement] and to the Board of Governors for agreeing to have them be part of the process and have a seat at the table,” Berman said.

She met with the PA player representatives during two separate calls: one with the east group and the other with the west. Those conversations gave her a better understanding of their expectations are and how they envision working together going forward.

“It actually helped me to feel confident coming into the position,” she said.

After answering their questions — which Berman said were thoughtful, engaging and passionate — she had the opportunity to ask some of her own, allowing her to dig into how the players believe the league can move forward and the ways in which they want to see that happen.

“I appreciate the enormity of the task at hand,” she said. “I would only really do it if I felt like I had the tools and the skill set to come forward and help this league to achieve its success.”

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

USC’s McKenzie Forbes: From Gap Year to the NCAA Tournament

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate McKenzie Forbes. 

Here are five things to know from our conversation with the graduate transfer from Folsom, California.

#1 Inspired by USC’s Head Coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, McKenzie wants to be a basketball coach or work in the front office in the future.

When weighing in on what makes a good coach, McKenzie said x’s and o’s are important but “Coaching is a lot of relationship managing and people managing. I think you have to be a good people person and be able to build those relationships, but also in that same breath, you can’t be afraid to have people dislike you in moments. I think that’s a big part of leadership.”

#2 McKenzie says the trajectory of her career changed when she made the decision to transfer from Cal to Harvard.

 In order to transfer, she was forced to take a gap year and spend a lot of time in the gym. “I completely transformed my body and, going into the Harvard season, felt like I was a completely different player. Going to Harvard and playing in a more mid-major conference, I had the ball in my hands a lot more than I might have if I transferred to another Power 5. It really developed other parts of my game.”

#3 How does McKenzie think USC will do in the Women’s College Basketball Tournament?

“I’m not going to give a typical interview answer. I want a Final Four. We have that potential and capability. Like why not? Why not us? I think we have all the pieces.”

#4 Her older brother, Marcus, was her biggest mentor growing up.

“He was basically my trainer from Elementary school on until he went to college.”

#5 Fun facts about Forbes:

She can juggle and she was the quarterback of her Pop Warner football team. “I was slow but I could throw it!”

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Christen Press back training with Angel City FC

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Christen Press #23 of Angel City FC waves to fans following a game between the Portland Thorns and Angel City FC at BMO Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Christen Press continues to inch her way back to a return, having returned to training with her club team Angel City. 

Angel City FC coach Becki Tweed said on Wednesday that Press is back with the team full-time as she continues to make her way back from an ACL injury. While she’s still working on rehab, her being back with the team gives staff a better picture of her progress. 

"Christen [Press] is back with us full time which is amazing,” she said. “Having her in and around the team every day, continuing to work hard on rehab ... she's in a space where being in with the team is really important to her and her progression as well.”

The status update comes days after Press posted videos to social media that featured her doing lateral movement in cleats on grass. 

“Look out world she’s on the move !” Press captioned it. 

Press has been sidelined with an ACL injury since 2022, which caused her to miss the 2023 World Cup. She’s since had four separate surgeries to help repair her ACL.

Press told The Athletic a month ago that she’s been “relentless” in her optimism with her recovery despite it being a “slow process.”

“I have a bit of relentless optimism,” she told The Athletic. “I never, ever doubted that I would make it back on any of the timelines I’ve been on."

"Every single time I’ve heard, ‘You have to have surgery,’ I’m completely shocked,” she said. “When somebody asks me how it’s going, I’m like, ‘It’s going great. And it was going great every time. So I don’t know what to tell you anymore!’”

Sophia Smith re-signs with Portland on record deal

(Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)

Sophia Smith is now the NWSL’s highest-paid player. 

The Portland Thorns announced on Wednesday that they have signed Smith to a new contract through the 2025 season, with an option for 2026. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the team did reveal that Smith is now the highest-paid player in the league on an annual basis.

It’s the latest in what has been a series of record-breaking contracts in the NWSL offseason. 

Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson, Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji, and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda all signed multi-year deals worth between $2 million and $2.5 million in total. While Smith’s contract is shorter and not worth as much over the long-term, the annual worth is higher. 

“We are over the moon to have Soph commit again to the Thorns. She is a proven, world-class talent and one that we are excited to have contribute to the team’s continued success,” said head coach Mike Norris in a statement. “We look forward to working with her in a Thorns jersey as she continues to shine as one of the top strikers in the world.”

In just four seasons in the NWSL, Smith has led the Thorns to five trophies – including the 2022 NWSL championship – while winning league and championship MVP in 2022. In 61 appearances with Portland, she has 34 goals – including a brace to start this season against Kansas City. 

She’s also a member of the USWNT, having scored 16 goals in 44 international appearances.  Set to become a free agent at the end of this season, she told ESPN she “thought of all the options” but ultimately Portland felt like the right decision.

"There is no place like Portland," Smith said in a small roundtable interview that included ESPN. "I don't believe there's an environment like Portland to play in and it's a city that's so special to me and a city that I feel like I've grown up in almost and become who I am."

She also told ESPN that the team’s new ownership “changes everything.” The club is now led by the Bhathal family, who bought the club after Merritt Paulson was forced to sell it following his part in the NWSL’s abuse scandal. 

"Since I've been here there has been a lot of things going on with this club -- a lot of not-great things going on with this club -- and I have just been waiting for some stability and some reassurance that this club is headed in the right direction, and the Bhathal family coming in is doing exactly that, if not more,” Smith said. 

"Their vision for this club is so exciting, and you can just tell how passionate they are about making this what it should be and continuing to push the standard in women's soccer globally.”

Caitlin Clark offered $5 million to compete in Ice Cube’s league

IOWA CITY, IOWA- MARCH 25: Guard Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates as time runs out in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during their second round match-up in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark has been offered $5 million to play in Ice Cube's Big3 league, he confirmed on social media Wednesday after the offer leaked.

"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship," Ice Cube wrote on social media. "But I won't deny what's now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn't we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3."

While there has yet to be a women's player in the league, both Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie have been part of the league as coaches and won championships.

"The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men's pro team, and she won the championship in her first year," Ice Cube continued. "Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes."

Ice Cube, whose name is O’Shea Jackson, says that the offer was made with the intention that Clark be able to compete in the WNBA “offseason.” Clark is largely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft in April. But it’s unclear how the scheduling of the two leagues would work. 

The 2024 Big3 season is set to tip off on June 15, with 10 games spanning through mid-August. The WNBA regular season, meanwhile, begins on May 14 and ends on Sept. 19.

On “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, Jackson said that the league has yet to hear back from Clark. 

“We just need an answer, as soon as they are ready to give it to us,” he said. “It’s always 50-50 till we get a no. At the end of the day, it’s a generous offer.”

The offer – as well as the confusion on Jackson’s part about the timing of the WNBA season – caused some current WNBA players to react. 

"It's funny cause I be seeing his son at W games.. they don't talk?" wrote former No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard

"So no other women's basketball player has came to mind in the last 7 years?" wrote Lexie Brown, adding that she'd support if Ice Cube wanted to build a women's iteration of the league. She later discussed it on the Gils Arena Show, noting that his reasoning of wanting to “uplift and support WNBA players and women athletes” is a “cop out.”

Kalani Brown, meanwhile, told Clark to "take that money" and start a women's Big3.

WNBA salaries has been a talking point in recent months as more collegiate stars declare for the league. WNBA stars have often made more money playing abroad than they have in the WNBA. Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 15, with a rookie salary of $76,535 for lottery draft picks (Nos. 1-4) that rises to $97,582 by her fourth season. But she also has an NIL valuation of almost $3.5 million.

Diana Taurasi famously skipped the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian club, who paid her more to sit out than she would have made in the W. Her contract with the club was reportedly near $1.5 million per year.

Jackson also seemed to suggest that his league could be an alternative to going abroad

“America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet,” he wrote. Although it’s unclear whether or not the rapper intends to make offers to additional WNBA players. 

While the league does hold prioritization rules in its CBA, those typically apply only to players playing in overseas leagues. It’s unclear whether or not that would prevent Clark’s participation in the Big3 league.

WNBA players that don’t want to go overseas currently have the option of playing in Athletes Unlimited, which competes in the WNBA offseason.

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