Ms. Kang’s influence grows rapidly amid the new wave investment and interest in the women’s game.
In the summer of 2020, a diverse group of owners including actors Natalie Portman and Eva Longoria, soccer legend Mia Hamm and tennis great Serena Williams announced the formation of a team in Los Angeles, Angel City FC, which debuted in 2022, along with another expansion club, the San Diego Wave. An additional club, Racing Louisville FC, entered the league in 2021 and the Utah Royals were sold and their properties moved to a new franchise in Kansas City, presently. The Utah Royals will be added back to the NWSL in the 2024 season, along with another expansion club, Bay FC League, which is currently in its 11th season, considering further expansion.
These come as no surprise to Ms. Kang, who seems dumbfounded if not disappointed at how anyone can underestimate a women’s professional soccer league, or why. investment delays.
“I give full credit to the people who ran the teams,” she continued, referring to the former NWSL owners. “But it is viewed as a charity or non-profit organization, and business principles do not apply from my position.”
Natalie L. Smith, an associate professor of sports management at East Tennessee State University who studies women’s soccer, says that attitude signals legitimacy in a unique way.
If Angel City signals legitimacy through celebrities, Ms. Kang signals value through business investment, she said, which also sends a message to other potential investors.
Stefan Szymanski, economist at the University of Michigan and co-author of the book “football economics.” “One thing is clear is the rise of women’s football, which is too late and seems to be happening quite quickly at the moment. The second is the transformation of football ownership and the management of clubs in general around the world.”
