Every few days Naomi Osaka surprises us with a new major sponsorship deal or investment. The tennis star’s latest business project is a financial stake in professional women’s soccer team North Carolina Courage.
The 23-year-old Osaka announced the news on social media:
The women who have invested in me growing up made me who I am today, I don’t know where I would be without them. Throughout my career I’ve always received so much love from my fellow female athletes so that’s why I am proud to share that I am now a owner of the North Carolina Courage.
The North Carolina Courage was formed in 2017 and has since enjoyed consistent success, competing at the highest level in the US – the National Women’s Soccer League. The NC Courage have won three consecutive NWSL Shields, the inaugural Women’s ICC Championship, and the 2018 and 2019 NWSL Championships.
The three-time Grand Slam champion sees this as an opportunity to support women’s sports, while at the same time investing her money in something she projects will grow rapidly. Her role with the Courage will be mostly that of a strategic advisor, as she told People:
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.
Last year it was announced that Osaka was the highest-earning female athlete in history, while this year, even though we’re still in January, she’s already added three new major sponsorship contracts to her portfolio: Louis Vuitton, TAG Heuer, and Workday. Now she’s broadening her reach into sports investments.
