Megan Rapinoe has got a dime a dozen things to be proud of, on and off the pitch. She recently revealed what makes her proud other than her storied USWNT and NWSL stint. The currently improved state of women’s soccer makes Rapinoe gush with pride about her off-the-field endeavors. Speaking of the northward journey of women’s soccer in the US, Rapinoe unsurprisingly touched upon the NWSL’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement. She stresses that the NWSL Players Association’s new CBA is a classic example of players saying ‘We’ve had enough.’

The former Seattle Reign star sat down for an interview with the King 5 Channel, where she highlighted that women’s soccer is in a better state in the US. When she was asked what she is proud about off the pitch, Rapinoe said, “I think just knowing that the game is in such a better place and that I was, you know, one of the many people to have a really big part in that.” Thereafter, the US veteran proudly claimed that things are changing forever with respect to equal pay and the NWSL.

Megan Rapinoe added.

Prior to the new CBA, players did not have autonomy over their careers. Revenue sharing was also limited. Now that the draft is scrapped by the NWSL, players have achieved a lot more freedom, and the US-based league is as player-friendly as its European counterparts.

Speaking of CBAs, the US Women’s soccer scene is celebrating a historic one in the NWSL. Well, Rapinoe was at the center of a previously iconic CBA that the USWNT signed. And what’s in common in both the CBAs? Player welfare.

Recalling Megan Rapinoe’s role in landmark USWNT CBA, as NWSL prioritizes player welfare

We have seen Megan Rapinoe often take the brunt for projecting progressive and what many ridiculously term as ‘woke’ ideas. Well, if it weren’t for Rapinoe’s progressive vision, the US soccer system wouldn’t have achieved equal pay. Rapinoe and her USWNT pals filed a gender discrimination lawsuit in 2016 to challenge drastic pay differences between the USWNT and the USMNT. Six years later, the USSF agreed to a new CBA that guarantees equal pay for the USWNT.

Two years later, the NWSL CBA also puts player welfare first with a huge pay increase. The new CBA will see the US-based soccer league raise its minimum salary from $48,500 to $82,500 by 2030. Besides, teams will now have to share an increased cut of their revenue to compensate for players’ services. The NWSL has notably also implemented complete unrestricted free agency with the new agreement.

Indeed, the landmark CBA in women’s soccer we must say. And the new faces of the USWNT and the NWSL will surely be thanking Megan Rapinoe and other predecessors for fighting for the betterment of the women’s game.