Megan Rapinoe might have been long retired. But the spotlight doesn’t really leave her. Rapinoe is now the talk of the town after the Seattle Reign retired her jersey, honoring her for her decade-long stint with the club. Meanwhile, she is also notably vocal about the Presidential election. Well, that was how Rapinoe has always been.

She is always concerned about putting an effort on and off the pitch. The USWNT will forever honor her dedication to fighting for equal pay in US Soccer. A forever champion of player welfare, the 39-year-old believes her endeavors have yielded the betterment of women’s soccer in the US.

Megan Rapinoe spoke at length about the Reign retiring her jersey during her appearance on the Futbol Americas podcast. Later, she was asked what part of her off-field efforts made her proud. “I think I’m most proud that the game is in just such a better place,” said Rapinoe. She emphasized the importance of collaborating with her teammates to work together and improve the women’s soccer scene in the US.

“We played with all these years like we really were doing two things at once. We were trying to be the best that we could and win championships. And we also were trying to do that off the field,” Rapinoe added.

Continuing, the OL Reign legend hinted that the NWSL’s new CBA signing itself is a result of former players’ hard work. “Look at the national team now or where the league is. They just signed an incredible CBA and new media deal last year. Just the place that women’s sports are, I feel like we had a nearly big impact on that,” Rapinoe added.

Thereafter, the two-time World champion revealed her optimism about the NWSL in light of the new CBA.

Megan Rapinoe is bullish on the NWSL for the next 10 years!

The NWSL and Players Association’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement is valid through 2030. That’s six years, marking a new chapter in American soccer. But Megan Rapinoe thinks, the American top-tier women’s league is well off for the next decade.

“Just look at the next 10 years in the NWSL and think ‘wow how incredible that’s going to be,'” Rapinoe added during the podcast. Earlier, the former USWNT superstar famously opined that the new CBA was nothing but groundbreaking.

“We just saw a new, you know, pretty groundbreaking CBA by the NWSL players. You know, a reckoning of abuse in the league that the players really took on themselves and changed it forever,” Rapinoe said in a previous interview.

Indeed, the NWSL’s new CBA is truly one of a kind. In a first in major American sports leagues, the NWSL got rid of drafts and trades without players’ consent. Like all other renowned women’s soccer leagues, the NWSL has now emphasized player welfare (about time). Besides, all players will also enjoy unrestricted free agency under the new CBA.

Not to mention, players’ base salaries will dramatically surge by 2030. This CBA is a result of current NWSL stars’ fight for betterment. But who laid the path for them to start the fight? Who else, other than Rapinoe and her peers?