Is the NWSL prepared for bad-faith attacks on its league or the targeting of specific players?

It’s a question I considered when I asked commissioner Jessica Berman ahead of the NWSL championship whether the league was prepared to support players during the incoming presidential administration, after an election cycle that had often fixated on the “protection of women’s sports.”

Berman said the league was “going to continually live by our values and support everyone in our ecosystem,” including fans, players and employees.

“We’re committed to ensuring that our players and our staff get all of their needs met, whether that’s health care, other protections around mental health — any support that anyone needs in our ecosystem,” she said.

But when faced with public attacks on one of its players less than a week later, including from well-known author J.K. Rowling, the league office was silent. A statement would have been the bare minimum — but it suggested the league was still completely unprepared for the more foundational protections it still needs to build.

Only days after Orlando Pride striker Barbra Banda lifted the NWSL championship trophy in one hand and her NWSL championship MVP trophy in the other, she became a lightning rod for hate after winning a women’s footballer of the year award from the BBC.

Banda, who is a Black cisgender woman, became the center of attacks by Rowling and others over her eligibility to compete in women’s divisions, which has never been seriously questioned. Despite the misinformation that has been spread about her and her eligibility to play for the Zambia women’s national team, Banda has never broken any rules set by world governing body FIFA, CAF (the African confederation) or the NWSL and, despite speculation, has not been subject to any gender verification tests, which have long been criticized in the sports world as invasive.

Jessica Berman stood alongside the Orlando Pride and Barbra Banda after the NWSL championship victory. (Bill Barrett / Getty Images)

Banda won BBC’s fan-voted award, selected from a short list of five athletes selected by “a large panel of experts involved in football around the world, including coaches, players, administrators and non-BBC journalists,” per the BBC’s announcement. And yet, instead of celebrating, executives from her team and players association were left to stand up for Banda and her right to play.

Many around the NWSL stepped up, whether to reframe the conversation or to celebrate Banda and all that she accomplished this season. Pride general manager Haley Carter used her platform to highlight the challenges faced by Banda and the other players on Zambia’s national team.

“For those fighting the good fight, women athletes need your awareness of the real issues facing them,” she concluded in a thread on X. “Lack of proper training facilities and equipment. Lack of competent, experienced medical and performance staff. The exploitation of power imbalances by bad acting coaches and officials.”

NWSL Players Association director Meghann Burke earned some headlines of her own with her direct response to Rowling: “You come for her, you come for all of us.” The PA also released a formal statement celebrating Banda’s accomplishments last Wednesday. The Orlando Pride released one of their own as well.

The lowest form of discourse is personal insult cloaked with racism and lies, on X no less. Barbra Banda is a proud member of @nwsl_players. She is the best of us. Just so we’re clear, @jk_rowling: you come for her, you come for all of us. Me first. Let’s go.

— Meghann Burke (@meghannburke) November 27, 2024

The women’s sports world does not need saving from one of its brightest stars. Instead, women’s sports need support rebutting bad-faith attacks like the one from Rowling. To call such attacks controversies instead of sexist and transphobic attacks gives them validation. To ignore them feels impossible, too, since they endlessly recycle the same tired arguments, rooted in the policing of women’s bodies.

Though the league has not ignored the issue, it has settled for reposting the Pride’s statement and sharing Carter’s additional thoughts. Not even a week after Berman had committed to supporting NWSL players in whatever form might be needed, the NWSL sat Wednesday’s firestorm out.

Monday, The Athletic sent a series of questions to the NWSL’s communications staff. Had the league considered issuing its own statement last week? Does the league employ a player safety officer? Had the league reached out directly to Banda to offer support? Did the league have any larger concerns following this incident about the targeting of players?

“We are committed to fostering an environment where our athletes are supported and equipped with all the necessary tools to compete and succeed at the highest level,” a spokesperson for the league replied via a statement. “No one should have to endure or be asked to respond to baseless attacks and discrimination. Every resource at the league is available to Barbra Banda and we will support her fully as an NWSL player.

“We will continue to assess and refine our policies and resources to address emerging challenges so our players can focus on their careers without undue concern for their safety and well-being.”

Though the statement did not directly address the content of the questions, the league confirmed there is a director of player safety, and each club employs a player safety officer (some teams have two).

Barbra Banda won MVP at the NWSL championship last month. (Kyle Rivas / Getty Images)

The Athletic also asked about protections for players specifically on social media, similar to FIFA and FIFPro’s social media protection service that was used during the 2023 World Cup. Though the league did not provide any specific details on social media monitoring for its athletes, the NWSL did hire former FIFPro director Sarah Gregorius as a senior sporting director in September. Her experience at the international and union level will be crucial for the NWSL.

GO DEEPER

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Maybe the answer also lies in how U.S. women’s national team coach Emma Hayes handled a line of questioning last Wednesday ahead of the USWNT’s match against England at Wembley.

“A couple of weeks ago, you called Barbra Banda the ‘best striker in the world,’” a reporter asked Hayes during her prematch availability. “This week, we’ve seen people like J.K. Rowling comparing her winning the BBC women’s footballer of the year award to ‘a spit in the face of women.’ As an international manager, are you prepared for the potential fallout in the future if you pick a player whose eligibility may be questioned? Do you think the authorities should come out and create an enforceable standard for issues like this?”

Hayes did not answer either of the two questions she was asked, instead rejecting the premise and reframing her answer as a defense of Banda, whom she affirmed once again as an “amazing” player.

“I think it’s ridiculous that she has to endure questions like this, to be quite honest with you,” Hayes replied. “She has our support. She’s someone who’s done a tremendous amount, not just for her club, but for her country, and what a brilliant season she’s had. We should be talking about that, the impact she’s had on the NWSL. Saw it firsthand in the Olympics, wow. The way she stretched the line, her ability.”

Emma Hayes spoke about Barbra Banda before a USWNT friendly. (Richard Heathcote / Getty Images)

It matters whom we lend our ears to in these moments. Hayes, who has spent more than a decade coaching and growing women’s soccer, has nothing to gain from defending an opposing player. It’s simple respect.

Despite what one British author might want you to think, the faces of women around the world remain untouched by metaphorical saliva.

Support is crucial in these moments, but the real challenge lies ahead in determining meaningful proactive approaches, resources and policies. When I asked Berman my question ahead of the NWSL final, I was thinking, too, of the targeting of Megan Rapinoe dating to 2016 when she kneeled during “The Star-Spangled Banner” for the first time. That targeting flared up again during the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, especially after the team’s exit in Australia. Though the entire USWNT had experienced hateful and irrational commentary regardless of whether it won or lost at international tournaments, Rapinoe had been the lightning rod who had caught the worst.

When athletes can be targeted not just for losing, but also for winning — or simply existing — having a clear plan for how to handle attacks against a team, an individual or the sport itself is deeply necessary.

There is a responsibility for the NWSL to protect its players in the public sphere from targeting. Berman has promised the league will live by its values. Next time, I hope we see that in the moments when it matters.

(Top photo: Kyle Rivas / Getty Images)