Five years ago, stars in the league packed Amazon boxes or drove for DoorDash to make ends meet on meager salaries. A new CBA opened doors for off-field pursuits in line with their passions

On a cold winter night in Ketchum, Idaho, Chicago Stars midfielder Bea Franklin was pulling off a different sort of physical feat than what she usually does on the soccer field. Under the eyes of taxidermied animals at the Pioneer Saloon, she deftly balanced martinis as a cocktail waitress, wearing cowgirl boots and ensuring the olives didn’t drip when she walked down stairs.

Franklin did not take a second job as a cocktail waitress in a Rocky Mountain ski resort town not out of necessity, but as a way to think about more than just the sport that has dominated much of her life.