There were so many “firsts” the NWSL enjoyed this past season. Sophia Smith became the youngest MVP in NWSL history; the championship was showcased on primetime; and the league will experience its first free agency period. All of these steps in the right direction were largely overshadowed by reports of systemic abuse across U.S. women's soccer.
This is a pivotal time for women's soccer. There was a certain trust broken between the fans, the players, and their families, some of who had to learn of the trauma they suffered through for so many years. If this is a problem that ranges across all of women's soccer, as many players and coaches have stated, there can be an assumed hesitancy for parents to unleash their children into that culture.
Enter Mana Shim.
The former NWSL player has been named as the chair of the new participant safety task force at the U.S. Soccer Federation. This excerpt from the New York Times' report should breathe some hope into the future of women's soccer.
In her new role, Shim, 31, will direct a committee of 25 to 30 people including not only players and coaches but also psychologists, trainers and team doctors. The hope, Shim said, is that such a diversity of experiences will ensure that all viewpoints are taken into account as U.S. Soccer creates pathways, educational programs and reporting systems to eradicate abuse in the sport.
This is what progress looks like. Blank statements public relations teams send out about “needing to be better” are useless when actions aren't followed by their words. By bringing in Shim, the U.S. Soccer Federation is doubling down on its previous statements about wanting to cultivate an environment where its members aren't threatened or harassed by their superiors.
Shim has clearly thought about how she wants to execute spreading the remedy to women's soccer's abuse problem. The “diversity of experiences” jumps out from the Times' report. A small committee wasn't going to fix this issue and, by having people from every sector of the sport, more precise protocols for handling allegations and confirmed cases of abuse can be put into place.
I have a new job: I'm going to work at U.S. Soccer as the chair of its new Participant Safety Taskforce. We still have so much work to do! LFG.
Here’s my full statement: pic.twitter.com/wtj2BrMr8f
— Mana Shim (@meleanashim) October 31, 2022
Shim also serves as one of the faces of this movement to change the culture in the sport. Having an ex-player put in charge instead of corporate figure who is fed by the hands of the federation is what it needed to stabilize U.S. women's soccer's reputation. There is a pre-existing bond that is formed with players and other members of the federation have with those who have dealt with the same environments they have in the past. Athletes want to listen to other athletes. Everyone else's opinion is typically secondary.
There is real momentum building for the NWSL and women's soccer as a whole. The ratings have jumped year after year and more people have a sense of nationalism when watching the United States Women's National Team compared to the men's team, which has continuously floundered. People want to tune into a product they can attach themselves to but can't if systemic abuse takes over their experience. The NFL had this problem in 2016 with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. However, there was already a pre-existing relationship between the masses and the league. The NWSL doesn't have that luxury (yet).
With Shim at the helm, real change within the sport is on the horizon. It couldn't have come at a better time.
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