The NWSL’s landmark new collective bargaining agreement marks yet another stride for the league’s players, who have more freedom of movement than ever before thanks to multiple new initiatives that will be effective immediately. One of the league’s rule changes, though, could lay the groundwork for a seismic shift in the American sports landscape by doing away with a longtime staple — the college draft.
The new CBA makes the NWSL the first major American sports league to abolish the college draft, which has been part of the regular cadence in the U.S. since the NFL held their first one in 1936. That said, the writing has been on the wall for the NWSL’s version of the college draft, which has existed since the league’s inaugural season in 2013. The NWSL Players Association has pushed hard to loosen restrictions on player movement since they began negotiating the league’s first CBA in May 2021, and NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke told CBS Sports earlier this year that the league should rid itself of its drafts.
While the league has yet to announce its new plans to recruit collegiate athletes, the choice to abolish the draft will likely pique the interest of many across American sports, especially as the landscape at youth levels changes dramatically with the introduction of name, image and likeness deals for amateur athletes in 2021. However the NWSL’s post-draft future plays out, the move forces several questions of the league itself and perhaps the American sports landscape as a whole.
A new recruitment landscape
Though few specifics are available on the NWSL’s plans to replace the draft, the NWSLPA’s announcement of the new CBA teased that young players could essentially act as free agents, empowered
How the NWSL’s choice to eliminate college draft could impact the entire American sports landscape
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