The Nationwide Girls's Soccer League is embarking on its tenth season this yr by welcoming two new groups to the sector. One in all them is Los Angeles' Angel Metropolis Soccer Membership, which was based by actress Natalie Portman and is backed by a star-studded group of feminine traders.
The membership, which is the biggest female-led possession group in skilled sports activities, is difficult business norms by giving gamers a lower of the cash constituted of ticket gross sales, offering higher work situations and providing coaching to assist gamers discover careers after soccer.
Final Friday, 22,000 followers sporting pink and black gear, faces and hair crammed Los Angeles' Banc of California Stadium to witness Angel Metropolis's inaugural residence match. The crew now has greater than 100 traders, together with Abby Wambach, Mia Hamm, Serena Williams and Billie Jean King.
"It makes me actually joyful, we're at a tipping level. These are a whole lot of the desires coming true that I used to dream as a youthful individual," King informed CBS Information.
The membership is already making participant pay a precedence — hometown hero Christen Press was the primary to signal on to Angel Metropolis for a reported $700,000 contract over three seasons, making her one of many highest paid athletes within the league.
"That is perception in our enterprise. That is perception that now we have worth," Press mentioned. "It isn't a charity to run a girls's soccer crew. It is a enterprise alternative and I feel that is inherently totally different and it feels totally different."
One other co-owner is Olympic gold medalist and gymnast Shawn Johnson.
"I feel as an athlete myself from the Olympics, I knew that USA Gymnastics as an organization was utilizing our identify and likeness to revenue their business," Johnson informed CBS Information. "Angel Metropolis clearly has created a enterprise out of this to start out a motion however a whole lot of these income are going on to the athletes, which I feel is fairly cool."
Heavy funding in feminine athletes has not been the norm, however a current World Cup win and profitable high-profile lawsuit for equal pay helps change the sport for soccer.
Angel Metropolis lead investor Alexis Ohanian mentioned he realized the pay was low for feminine athletes whereas watching the 2019 World Cup Last together with his spouse, tennis star Serena Williams and their daughter, Olympia.
"I clearly have my very own form of private agenda for this as a result of little Olympia was working round throughout the 2019 World Cup Last in her Alex Morgan jersey and I point out to my spouse, like, 'Would not or not it's good at some point if Olympia performed within the World Cup?'" Ohanian mentioned. "And with out lacking a beat, Serena says, 'Not till they pay her what she's value.' And I mentioned, 'problem accepted.'"
The problem is deeply private, as Olympia can also be a co-owner of the crew at simply 4 years outdated.
"Frankly it has been handled as a charity. I actually imagine the NWSL will be extra in style than the MLS," Ohanian mentioned. "Our legacy of girls's soccer in the USA is that of greatness, proper? It's World Cups, its Olympic gold medals… as we begin to present the viewership numbers, the ticket gross sales, the sponsorship ranges, the merchandising. All that stuff, increasingly folks will proceed to gravitate in the direction of the greatness of the ladies's sport."
Different NWSL groups are duplicating the superstar funding mannequin. Tennis star Naomi Osaka invested in North Carolina Braveness and the Washington Spirit is partially owned by Chelsea Clinton and Jenna Bush Hager.
However to make all this work, Press mentioned it comes down to at least one very fundamental sports activities idea.
"I feel the purpose for me is to win… essentially the most impactful factor we are able to do for the world is to win, as a result of that is how they hear," she mentioned.
The NWSL's tenth season is airing all yr lengthy on CBS, CBS Sports activities Community and Paramount +, together with the Problem Cup Last this Saturday.