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Bend It Like Berman, Part II

NWSL’s Jessica Berman returns to talk about her priorities for the 13th season: broadcast discoverability, cultural relevance, and the star power of the Triple Espresso. Not necessarily in that order.

Jessica Berman nwsl
Berman’s game plan was clear: The actual soccer must be top-quality, and the league has to do everything it can to help its players and teams become even more culturally relevant. Photo: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
John Ourand
March 10, 2025

The National Women’s Soccer League is about to start its 13th season with a ton of momentum. Last season, the league set viewership and attendance records (over 17 million total broadcast viewers); it started a new media deal with some of the biggest companies in the business (ESPN, CBS, Amazon Prime Video, Scripps); and it developed crossover stars (Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, etcetera). The league’s commissioner, Jessica Berman, joined the Varsity podcast yesterday to discuss how she can continue that momentum going into this season.