Full Name
Jessica Berman
Job Title
Commissioner
Company
National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Speaker Bio
Jessica Berman was named Commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in 2022. Under Commissioner Berman’s leadership, the NWSL has risen as a global force in professional sports. Key achievements include significant growth in viewership, attendance, revenue, investment, and fan engagement.
In 2023, Commissioner Berman announced landmark media partnerships for domestic media distribution with CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video and Scripps Sports, generating record breaking distribution and revenue for the NWSL and marking a key turning point for league viewership. Notably, starting in the 2024 season, there are over 120 games that can be watched on national broadcast platforms.
The NWSL continues to build momentum under Commissioner Berman. Between the 2022 - 2023 season, game attendance increased by 32%, and crowds of 10,000+ more than doubled, setting the average attendance record in 22 years of women’s professional soccer in the U.S. To date in 2024, social media followers are up 198% since 2023, and the January transfer window led to a record 22 players joining the NWSL from the world’s best leagues.
Commissioner Berman led the league's expansion to 15 clubs, established record valuations and reset the enterprise value of the franchises by more than 10 times. She also navigated the NWSL through a comprehensive internal investigation into abuse allegations, resulting in substantial culture reforms.
In 2024, Berman was named a CNBC Changemaker, and her leadership contributed to the NWSL being named number five on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2024. Berman was also recognized as Sports Business Journal's Best Hire in 2022 and was named Executive of the Year by Sports Business Journal in 2024, the first woman so honored in the history of the award.
Previously, Berman was Deputy Commissioner at the National Lacrosse League as the first female deputy commissioner of a men’s professional sports league, and she spent 13 years at the National Hockey League, where she contributed to collective bargaining and drove community engagement and growth. Prior to that she was a labor lawyer at Proskauer Rose LLP.
A University of Michigan alum and Fordham University law graduate, she is on the alumni board of the UM Sport Management Advisory Board and the Fordham Sports Law Forum Alumni Board. She is on the Board of U.S. Soccer and is on the UJA Sports for Youth Committee. Jessica lives in Larchmont, New York, with her family and rescue dogs.
In 2023, Commissioner Berman announced landmark media partnerships for domestic media distribution with CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video and Scripps Sports, generating record breaking distribution and revenue for the NWSL and marking a key turning point for league viewership. Notably, starting in the 2024 season, there are over 120 games that can be watched on national broadcast platforms.
The NWSL continues to build momentum under Commissioner Berman. Between the 2022 - 2023 season, game attendance increased by 32%, and crowds of 10,000+ more than doubled, setting the average attendance record in 22 years of women’s professional soccer in the U.S. To date in 2024, social media followers are up 198% since 2023, and the January transfer window led to a record 22 players joining the NWSL from the world’s best leagues.
Commissioner Berman led the league's expansion to 15 clubs, established record valuations and reset the enterprise value of the franchises by more than 10 times. She also navigated the NWSL through a comprehensive internal investigation into abuse allegations, resulting in substantial culture reforms.
In 2024, Berman was named a CNBC Changemaker, and her leadership contributed to the NWSL being named number five on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2024. Berman was also recognized as Sports Business Journal's Best Hire in 2022 and was named Executive of the Year by Sports Business Journal in 2024, the first woman so honored in the history of the award.
Previously, Berman was Deputy Commissioner at the National Lacrosse League as the first female deputy commissioner of a men’s professional sports league, and she spent 13 years at the National Hockey League, where she contributed to collective bargaining and drove community engagement and growth. Prior to that she was a labor lawyer at Proskauer Rose LLP.
A University of Michigan alum and Fordham University law graduate, she is on the alumni board of the UM Sport Management Advisory Board and the Fordham Sports Law Forum Alumni Board. She is on the Board of U.S. Soccer and is on the UJA Sports for Youth Committee. Jessica lives in Larchmont, New York, with her family and rescue dogs.
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