Stars and Strikers: Why the NWSL’s HIP Rule Should Have Been Subject to Bargaining

By Grace Higgins

Edited by Tesher Baer, Katherine Hu, and Will Stutzman

The National Women’s Soccer League created a “High Impact Player Rule” in December 2025, aimed at increasing the competitiveness of the League and retaining star players. The Rule allows teams to spend money in excess of their salary cap on players that meet certain “high impact” criteria. The National Women’s Soccer League Players Association challenged the Rule, claiming it violated their Collective Bargaining Agreement and federal labor law. Through an analysis of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the National Labor Relations Act and existing case law, it becomes clear that the National Women’s Soccer League should have bargained over the Rule. The Association did not waive their rights to bargaining related to the subject of the Rule through the Collective Bargaining Agreement, meaning that the League could not create the Rule unilaterally under the National Labor Relations.