Sometimes you have to fight for your right to play. Olivia Moultrie, who turned pro at the age of 13, still hasn’t played a professional minute in the two years since turning pro. This has prompted her to file an antitrust lawsuit against the NWSL, The Athletic reported on Wednesday.
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The lawsuit asks for preliminary injunction relief so she can immediately sign a professional contract to play with the Portland Thorns’ first team, per The Athletic.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play professionally in the U.S.,” Moultrie said in a statement provided by her lawyers, via The Athletic. “I know girls my age are competing around the world and I just want to get on the field and officially compete.”
Olivia Moultrie, a 15-year-old soccer prospect who accepted a scholarship offer to UNC at age 11, has filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NWSL.
Moultrie alleges that the NWSL's age minimum violates the Sherman Act. https://t.co/BR6OMtl3N4
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 5, 2021
According to the suit, Moultrie has made several requests to sign a professional contract and each time its been rebuffed by the league.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland alleges that the NWSL’s requirement that players be 18 to sign a contract and play on the top-level team violates the Sherman Antitrust Act.
The fact that she still has three years to go before she turns 18, makes this case very interesting.
Can you be considered an adult under 18? Nope. So why should she be playing in a professional league? This is a tough one.
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