Eli Manning And Bryce Young May Be Stepping Into NWSL Sex-Eligibility Firestorm As New Advisors

Eli Manning and Bryce Young, perhaps two of the least controversial figures in sports, are potentially stepping into a men-in-women's-sports controversy as the National Women's Soccer League has announced the two icons will be joining a newly formed advisory board.

The NWSL said this week it is forming a league advisory board which will help to promote the league’s growth, cultural impact and the future of women’s soccer.

"It's a shadow board of advisors to our governing board," NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman called it Thursday morning. "[They] want to evangelize what is great about women's soccer and make those positive messages more pervasive and things people are focused on because in the absence of positive stories and positive messages, people will refer to their worst place.

"And I think that's a lot of what we're seeing today." 

NWSL Sex Eligibility Question Arises

The issue with that is that recently the NWSL's cultural impact includes standing up for one of its players, Barbra Banda, who was previously ruled ineligible for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations after failing to meet sex eligibility requirements.

The league also seemingly pushed back on one player, Elizabeth Eddy, who is advocating sex-based eligibility requirements so that biological women play against biological women in the league.

"Barbra Banda is a top player in the NWSL," the league said in an official statement. "Barbra’s selection to the FIFPRO World XI, a distinction voted on exclusively by her peers from across the global game, is a testament to her extraordinary talent, relentless work ethic, and impact on our sport and league.

"Any harassment or hateful attacks toward Barbra are unacceptable and have no place in our sport, league or our communities. We stand unequivocally with Barbra and with every NWSL player." 

The implication of that last paragraph is obvious. Any questioning of Banda will be equated to harassment or hate.

(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Elizabeth Eddy Says Decisions Necessary

Eddy, who responded to the statement, recently made it clear that direction is needed within the league on sex testing. And that direction is likely to fall, at least partially, on the laps of the advisory board.

"Decisions the NWSL makes — or shirks its responsibility to make — will shape opportunities for young athletes of all backgrounds for decades to come. We must get them right by finding the most ethical and innovative path ahead," Eddly wrote recently.

"It would be nice to have no need for clear eligibility criteria. Unfortunately, when money, power and fame are at stake, which inevitably happens in professional sports, competitors may try to push on what is right or fair. Especially when the goal of winning requires using every available advantage."

And now Manning and Young – a former two-time Super Bowl champion and the current quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, are going to be advising the league on such cultural and other issues.

The advisory board, according to the NWSL, brings together voices in sports, entertainment and business -- all of whom are current investors in NWSL clubs. 

The board will work alongside existing ownership and leadership groups. They will look to find new opportunities for league partnership and expand fan reach. Beginning in 2026, the advisory board will convene twice per year.

Young is an investor in the NWSL's Portland Thorns FC.

Manning is an investor in Gotham FC.

Advisory Committee Agenda In Spotlight

It's unclear at what point the league's advisory board will take up the issue of men in women's sports. The league's strategy so far has been an attempt to silence the lone voice from within, Eddy, who has brought up the topic.

But this is a cultural phenomenon that is not likely to merely go away.