Tennis Champion Invests In NWSL Soccer Team To Push For Women's Sports

KEY POINTS

Naomi Osaka makes a wise investment to help other women into sports
Osaka joins a long list of personalities investing in NSWL
Osaka will serve more as a strategic advisor for Courage

On the tennis court, there is no denying that Naomi Osaka has established her name as one of the successful women players to play the sport.

Having amassed millions, the 23-year-old is now using her earnings wisely following reports that Japanese has invested in a champion women’s soccer team.

According to People.com, Osaka now owns a financial stake in the National Women’s Soccer League team North Carolina Courage.

This means she officially joins owner Steve Malik who bought the franchise in 2017. Osaka stated that all this is part of her drive to boost women’s sport.

"I've been wanting to get involved with the NWSL for a while, to promote women's sports and also as a business investment because I can see it growing rapidly," she stated. "The commissioner of the league introduced me to a few teams and after lengthy conversations, I decided the Courage was the best fit for me."

Osaka, currently preparing for the Australian Open, said that she chose North Carolina because of the diversity among players and the success they had on the field.

Part of the club’s success is winning the NWSL title in 2019.

"They align so closely with my values and interests—promoting women's sports through grassroots and using the team as a platform to do good in the community," Osaka explained.

The three-time Grand Slam champion thus becomes the latest personality to invest in an NWSL team. Others who have done the same before her include Candace Parker, Billie Jean King, and Patrick Mahomes' fiancee Brittany Matthews, TMZ noted.

Aside from those names, Osaka is also another figure who has taken notice of soccer’s growing popularity.

Last July, a group that included actress Natalie Portman won the right to bring a new NWSL team to Los Angeles.

Japan's Naomi Osaka, the US Open champion, was among five people named Sports Illustrated's Sportspersons of the Year on Sunday for their social activism away from competition as well as their championship sport efforts GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / MATTHEW STOCKMAN

With her busy schedule, Osaka also explained that she does not plan to be in the front office. Instead, she will serve more as a strategic advisor to the Courage.

"We have some plans to do some really unique and cool stuff together—I plan to be involved as more of a strategic advisor on things like growing the brand, promoting women's sports, encouraging the next generation, and tackling social issues," she explained.