The principles of equity and inclusion existed from day one at ACFC. A vast majority of the club’s investors are women, including celebrities, athletes, and activists like Natalie Portman, Eva Longoria, Abby Wambach, Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Billie Jean King, and many more. For these women and their fellow investors, giving to the club meant serving a vastly overlooked group: female sports fans.
“We haven’t been acknowledged as women that are sports fans,” said Bush. “This is a moment that has taken generations to build, and people go, ‘Why did Barbie make a billion dollars? Why did Beyonce and Taylor Swift’s tours do what they did this summer?’ People look at women as though what we want [is] somehow not valuable. And nobody wants to watch us? L-O-L. Look what we’ve done.”
What they’ve done is create the most valuable women’s sports team in the United States. Currently, Angel City FC’s estimated worth is $180 million, double that of their next closest NWSL competitor. Some experts even purport that the club may be the most valuable women’s sports team anywhere in the world – one result of a significant trend in female athletics.
This past summer, the FIFA Women's World Cup shattered records across the board, including in attendance, television ratings, and revenue. Additionally, the NCAA women’s basketball tournament viewership numbers were up, while the men’s were down. By all accounts, these are unprecedented times for female athletes, and ACFC is leading the charge.
“This is an incredible story,” said Dean Garrett. “We’re talking about one of the most amazing stories certainly in American sports and probably in global sports that’s happened in such real time.”
Despite the odds, Nortman and Uhrman don’t completely buy the narrative that women’s sports face an uphill battle. They believe there’s an obvious opportunity – especially in Los Angeles – to flourish with a strong community of fans.
“People used to say to us: ‘Why does LA need an 11th professional sports team?’ That’s such a crazy question, and we had to answer it every single day,” said Nortman. “We’re a county of 14 million people. We’re asking twenty thousand people to show up eleven times a year and have fun…You start there, and all the other revenue streams flow from that.”
Revenue is just one piece of the puzzle. For Nortman and Uhrman, they strive for much more, and they hope their staff and players do too.
“We just have the most extraordinary team. To work in women’s sports is to work in mission,” said Nortman. “The people that are going to do the best work are dedicating their lives to it.”
As Angel City continues to win on and off the field, it appears that others may join that calling as well, whether it be as investors, players, or fans in the stands.
The livestream of this special Deans’ Dialogue was made possible by the USC MARSHALL TORCH INITIATIVE FOR WOMEN'S PHILANTHROPY.