#the wsl in its current form can also not be considered a professional league

[hardtchill]

I feel stupid asking but I didn’t watch NWSL before 2024 and it still confuses me, but I often see people talk about the way Tobin left thorns and how it seemed she was bitter, do you mind explaining why? I’ve tried to look in to it I’m just completely lost. Sorry to ask!

oh god anon you just unlocked my hidden rage. Strap in, this is going to be a wild ride.

Tobin played for the Thorns ever since the start of the NWSL (2013), she was the biggest and most popular player there. She was loved in that city and she wanted to be there. If you don't know Tobin well, you need to know this part. Tobin didn't really consider any place home and traveled all the time. When she got to Portland she started to settle down and actually said she finally found her home. She had said multiple times that she wanted to finish her career in Portland. She even tried to get Portland to sign Christen so they could finally live in the same city and play together. I cannot overstate how much Portland loved Tobin and what an icon she was for that team.

Fast forward to 2020 and covid hitting. Tobin by then has bought a home and she spent quarantine in Portland with Christen. The NWSL wanting to be the first professional sports league back decides to organize the challenge cup in june 2020. Still one of the stupidest and most reckless ideas in NWSL history. Tobin (and Christen) elect not to play which Portland, turns out, really did not like. In september 2020 Tobin (and Christen) are signed by Manchester United to play overseas because they did want to play again (but somewhere safe).

It is important to note that Tobin's rights were still owned by Portland because in the NWSL players aren't human, they are cattle. In the 2020 expansion draft in which Louisville joins the league Portland decides not to protect Tobin and Louisville takes her rights (again, cattle). Everyone and their mother knows this is a foul thing to do and Tobin (and Christen) completely ignore Louisville up until this day. Portland got huge criticism for the way they treated Tobin, feeling like not protecting her (and also the lack of attention to her being drafted) was disrespectful to a player so important to the club. Portland also did nothing to trade her back which would have been perfectly allowed.

Afterwards Louisville being the cunts they are refused to give up Tobin's rights even though Tobin never wanted to play there (keep in mind that rights doesn't mean contract, tobin got no choice in the matter). Tobin couldn't sign with another NWSL team as long as Louisville refused to trade her rights or give them up. So Tobin decides to spent another year in England playing for Arsenal. She got injured again which what we now know to be a chronic knee issue. She returned to the NWSL briefly to join Reign (after Louisville FINALLY pulled their heads out of their asses) but never truly got back to fitness.

Basically Tobin's story is a classic example of why the NWSL will never be a professional league until they consider players to be humans who deserve human rights.