Former NWSL player says league culture pressured athletes to support political messages they opposed

After spectators displaying a "Save Womens Sports" banner were confronted by other fans and removed from Fridays Portland Thorns game, former NWSL player Elizabeth Eddy is calling out a league culture she says pressures players to support political messages they do not necessarily believe.

Eddy, who retired earlier this year after an 11-year professional career, told OutKick that the confrontation left her "really, really disheartened" but "not surprised at all." Her concerns extend beyond the stands to team environments where, she says, supporting a cause could become a test of being a good teammate.

"Hey, everyone wear the shirt, be a good teammate, be a good ally," she recalled.

But behind those public displays, Eddy said, "there was like no room to voice a different opinion."

For the retired NWSL veteran, that message created a difficult choice: publicly support a position she did not share, cover it with a sweatshirt or explain herself to people she depended on to succeed on the field.

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"There was a lot of times where that was like the situation where you either wear it, you wear a sweatshirt over it, or you just flat out say, Im not wearing this," Eddy said.

"And then the repercussions of saying youre not going to wear it on different teams in different political or social causes have different, I would say, responses and none of them are great."

Eddy, who announced her retirement in March after an 11-year professional career, is describing what she considers a gap between the NWSLs public messaging and the private beliefs of some players. Her account centers on social pressure, team relationships and the perceived cost of disagreeing, rather than a specific disciplinary action she says was imposed for refusing a shirt.

She said the expectation to present a united front could leave little space to question a cause.

"There was like no room to voice a different opinion," she said.

Eddy described players being directed toward reading material when they disagreed. "Reeducate yourself" was how she characterized that response.

Her criticism comes from someone who spent years moving through the leagues locker rooms. Eddy played for the Western New York Flash, North Carolina Courage, Sky Blue/Gotham, Houston Dash and, most recently, Angel City FC. Her Angel City tenure ran from 2023 through 2025.

One example she cited was Angel Citys "Immigrant City Football Club" campaign. The club introduced the shirts in June 2025 as a show of support for Los Angeles immigrant communities, describing the campaign as a reflection of the city and the people within the organization.

Eddy said she was not dressing for the game, she recalled and watched from the stands, so she did not have to wear that shirt.

But she said players preparing to compete could feel that questioning a message was another distraction from the job they were trying to do.

"Most girls, I dont really think believe in a lot of the stuff that theyre getting told to wear, and then like publicly parade around like theyre supporters of it," she said.

Asked specifically about messaging supporting transgender people, Eddy recalled teammates wearing shirts she believed said "protect trans kids." She acknowledged uncertainty about whether wearing them was required.

"I dont remember if it was ever mandated or not," she said.

She said she did not think she personally had to wear the shirt because she may have been injured or not selected