The 2021 NWSL is starting in an unorthodox fashion. It’s being played in Australia, and it’s a tennis match.
As difficult as everything was in 2020; the theme of the NWSL was growth with a 500% increase in year over year viewership; the first team sport to return in the United States, which helped other leagues like the WNBA, NBA, and NHL follow suit. And the announced expansion of a team in Los Angeles. While expansion alone grabs headlines, the names connected took it from the sports pages to the world of pop culture. Specifically, 39-time Grand Slam champion, and tennis legend, Serena Williams, her three-year-old daughter Alexis Olympia and husband Alexis Ohanian.
With the calendar changing to 2021, the NWSL didn’t waste time trying to one-up their 2020 successes. On Jan. 12, they announced that Sacramento was joining Los Angeles as another new 2022 side. Then, just over two weeks later on Jan. 29, 23-year-old tennis star Naomi Osaka was introduced as an investor in the two-time, and reigning, NWSL champions NC Courage. While it will take a lot of time for Osaka to catch up on the 36 Grand Slam titles gap between the two; she didn’t waste any time getting involved in the top-flight women’s soccer league in the United States.
The two entrepreneurs will play each other for the fifth time in their careers; Wednesday in the Australian Open semi-final, but it’ll be the first time they compete against one another as league owners. So far, both of their investments can’t be seen as silent partnerships.
On Feb. 11, 2021, Australian Open champion Osaka debuted her team’s new kit at the grand slam event and has been seen wearing a Courage cap at the media table.
👀 🌊 @naomiosaka
— NC Courage (@TheNCCourage) February 11, 2021
👕 | https://t.co/5Ej46oAKy7 pic.twitter.com/By8W1gieAV
Also, during a media availability, both Osaka and Williams have spoken fondly of their new investments. But more importantly the motivation of lifting up other female athletes. When asked about her new Courage ownership, Osaka said: “I think for me it’s more of a unity thing. I know when I was coming up, there was a lot of female athletes that even still are really supportive.”
Williams went a step further, calling women’s soccer “one of the most exciting sports ever.”
🐐TALK.@serenawilliams is all in 🙌
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) February 15, 2021
📸: @AustralianOpen pic.twitter.com/3dhXYdjzAe
Outside of the occasional jersey reveal or drafting, signing, and trading players; the offseason can be somewhat of a downer for supporters. These past couple of days have been anything but. The build-up to this semi-final has brought a jolt of excitement to a league that has had a lot of them in the past 12 months.
For those starving to see their favorite NWSL players, and for Los Angeles fans that still have to wait an entire year to see their team on the field; Williams versus Osaka gives people a rooting interest. Whether you’re a Courage fan, an LA fan, or a fan that is sick of seeing the Courage win; there are a lot of ways to approach their matchup.
No matter who advances to the Australian Open finals, the NWSL wins.
The official 2021 NWSL season starts with a return of the Challenge Cup; the bubble tournament used to springboard women’s soccer during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, on April 9. Luckily for the players, they won’t be competing while living isolated in a hotel for over a month.
It will be followed by a summer season between May 15 and Oct. 30 and the playoffs kicking off Nov. 6th. The NWSL Championship game is scheduled for either Nov. 20 or 21. Supporters that can’t wait for April also have the SheBelieves cup; pitting the United States, Canada, Argentina, and Brazil’s international squads against one another, starting Thursday, Feb. 18.
Check back throughout the 2021 season for more coverage on the NWSL and international women’s soccer from Beyond Women’s Sports.
Follow me on Twitter @1ThomasCostello. And check out Beyond Women’s Sports for more articles on amazing women and their sport.
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