Alexis Ohanian heads new professional volleyball team in Los Angeles | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - Alexis Ohanian poses for photos on the red carpet at the Women's Sports Foundation's Annual Salute to Women in Sports, Oct. 12, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)

Alexis Ohanian heads new professional volleyball team in Los Angeles

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and his venture capital firm Seven Seven Six will lead the ownership group for a new professional volleyball team in Los Angeles, League One Volleyball announced Wednesday.

It will be the seventh team in the league, known as LOVB. The LA team will debut in January 2027 for the league’s third season.

“Volleyball is such a natural addition for Southern California, which has already proven how warmly it embraces new pro sports teams,” Ohanian, who is married to tennis great Serena Williams, said in a press release.

Ohanian is already a presence in the Los Angeles sports scene as a founding control owner of the National Women’s Soccer League’s Angel City FC and the Tomorrow’s Golf League’s Los Angeles Golf Club.

LOVB opened its first season in January with six city-based teams: Omaha, Nebraska; Austin, Texas; Madison, Wisconsin; Houston; Salt Lake City; and Atlanta. They own a network of youth clubs across the country in addition to their pro league, making their model unique in American professional sports.

The first season attracted big-name sponsors like Skims and Adidas and garnered 38.9 million views of match content, according to the league.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Alexis and the Seven Seven Six team, true women’s sports champions who share our vision for the impact of professional volleyball can have in the United States,” said Rosie Spaulding, the president of LOVB Pro. “We can’t wait to work with them to bring professional women’s volleyball to Southern California as we continue to grow the sport across the U.S.”

The expansion team comes during a growth moment for professional volleyball in the United States. After years of top volleyball stars having to go to international leagues to continue their playing careers, leagues are starting to spring up domestically. A competing league, the Pro Volleyball Federation, started in January 2024. The PVF recently merged with Major League Volleyball and now operates under that name.

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