“Massively Underfunded:” Naomi Osaka on Becoming the Co-Owner of US Soccer Club North Carolina Courage

Naomi Osaka recently won her fourth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open 2021. She defeated almost all the WTA superstars on tour and was able to lift her second Australian Open title.

However, despite her brilliance in tennis, Osaka is passionate about other sports too. Soccer, for instance, is one of Osaka’s areas of interest.

World No.2 Naomi Osaka recently invested in and became a co-owner of the women’s professional soccer team, the North Carolina Courage. Considering how out of the blue the announcement was, a substantial portion of her fanbase was left surprised.

However, in a recent interview, Osaka revealed the real reason for taking up the new role.

“Generally, in tennis, there is equal prize money distributed amongst the men and women. Unfortunately, it’s one of the only sports where that is the case,” said Osaka in the interview.

She mentioned that even though men and women get equal prize money in tennis, it doesn’t happen in other sports. She certainly believes that women have performed better than men in US soccer, and she can definitely bring in a change.

“I think that women’s soccer is massively underfunded — despite the USWNT [US Women’s National Soccer Team] being much more successful than their male counterparts — so I wanted to get involved because I think that there is so much potential for the league,” added the Japanese star.

Read More: Who is Naomi Osaka’s coach?

Naomi Osaka feels that she can inspire other women to take up leadership roles by taking this job

Osaka has always been a source of inspiration for other young women. Although she is just 23 right now, she has shown some exemplary skills on and off the court.

She believes that with her new role, she can inspire other women to take up leadership roles within organizations.

“I hope that in my new role, I can increase inspire women to take leadership positions within organizations as well,” concluded Osaka.

Fans, especially in the US, are quite excited about Osaka’s new journey as an owner. They are also confident that after having a great start, she can win many more titles in the 2021 tennis season. Will Osaka be able to end the year as the World No.1 player?

Also Read: Naomi Osaka Reveals Her Ambitious Endeavor to Promote Sports in Society