NWSL implements new 'Rodman rule' amid union opposition - ESPN

The NWSL on Tuesday implemented a «High Impact Player» rule (HIP), which would allow teams in 2026 to spend up to $1 million outside of the salary cap on star players, such as the Washington Spirit's Trinity Rodman, who meet certain criteria.

The news came minutes before the NWSL Players Association voiced their opposition, issuing a statement saying they would now take action to «to enforce the rights of the Players we represent.»

In Tuesday's statement, the union said: «The NWSL Players Association opposes the League's decision to move forward without bargaining over the High Impact Player Rule.

»Under federal labor law, changes to compensation under the salary cap are a mandatory subject of bargaining — not a matter of unilateral discretion. Fair pay is realized through fair, collectively bargained compensation systems, not arbitrary classifications.

«A league that truly believes in the value of its Players would not be afraid to bargain over it.

»The NWSLPA has put forward a clear, lawful alternative: raising the Team Salary Cap to compete in a global labor market.

«Additionally, we have proposed that through collective bargaining, we work together to create a system for projecting revenue sharing numbers in future years so that Teams and Players can negotiate multi-year deals with certainty. The Union remains ready and willing to engage in good-faith bargaining.»

Earlier this week, NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke told ESPN that the creation of any such rule requires collective bargaining and that the union opposed it.

«Our position is actually that this exceeds the scope of the league's authority,» Burke told Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy on their Welcome to the Party podcast. «Our position is that they must