Houston Dash player Veronica Latsko is definitely ready to raise the bar in more ways than one. The Pittsburgh native is currently applying to law school. She wants to be a civil rights lawyer and focus on women’s rights. Club Eleven recently caught up with her at Agora Coffee in Houston, TX.
When asked why she wanted to apply to law school while still under contract with the Dash, Latsko responded by saying that she really got into that path during her second year at the University of Virginia when she got involved with sexual assault survivors and prevention programs. “That really drove me towards having a degree in public policy. From there, I wanted to expand and have some kind of legal credentials so I could make effective changes.”
And then in 2018, the Houston Dash drafted her and law school took a back seat. “At one point, I was not even sure if I was going to get drafted by a team and play pro or if I was going to law school. I had already taken the LSAT exam, and then things sort of happened,” she told Club Eleven.
When asked what stood out to her during her rookie campaign, Latsko said that pay and housing issues stood out. “You’re making the equivalent of poverty level wages in eight months. The other four months, you don’t get paid and don’t have a place to live. You have to figure that out.”
There have been some changes since 2018. Players are now guaranteed housing and pay for the entire year. Prior to those changes, many players would spend the offseason playing in Australia. “You’re a professional athlete and you should be paid the entire year,” she said.
The main difference between the National Women’s Soccer League and Australia contracts is a guarantee. In Australia, the contracts are fully guaranteed. In the NWSL, the contracts are semi-guaranteed. This means any club can trade a player at any point in the season.
Latsko is also part of the NWSL Player’s Association and is on the Collective Bargaining Agreement Committee. “With the CBA, we lay out the demands to not only start the season, but to keep it going as well,” Latsko said.
When asked why she’s applying to law school in the middle of her soccer career, Latsko said that there is no shortage of women’s rights violations in professional soccer and that was all she needed. With her LSAT score about to expire, if she doesn’t apply to law school now, she will have to retake the exam and start over.
When asked why she wanted to pursue civil rights, Latsko stated that everything she has seen showed her there is always a demand for civil rights lawyers.
Whether or not she gets accepted into law school, Veronica Latsko will always be advocating for women’s rights and equality.
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