Reddit co-founder and tech investor Alexis Ohanian got a common piece of feedback when he brought an NWSL expansion franchise—Angel City FC—to Los Angeles.

Doesn’t LA already have enough teams? The area has two franchises in each of the five biggest U.S. leagues, plus USC and UCLA—not to mention numerous non-sports magnets for time, money and attention. 

“I remember everyone who told me that LA could not handle another team,” Ohanian said in a phone interview. “We obviously proved them wrong.”

Angel City is now the most valuable NWSL franchise, according to Sportico’s valuations, and Ohanian has yet to find the limit of Angelinos’ capacity for sports. He still holds an investment in Angel City after its sale to Willow Bay and Bob Iger, and along with his wife Serena Williams and her sister Venus, Ohanian also purchased the first team in tech-forward golf league TGL in 2023, dubbing it Los Angeles Golf Club.  

Now Ohanian is bringing professional women’s volleyball to Tinseltown. LOVB Los Angeles will become League One Volleyball’s seventh pro team beginning in January 2027. 

“It may not seem obvious where women’s soccer, golf and women’s volleyball all fit together, but these are three major, major sports that have major, major fan bases in Southern California,” Ohanian said. “We’re going to have a lot of shared resources there and then just a lot more momentum.” The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics have the potential to further boost sports teams in the market.

Both TGL and LOVB launched as centrally owned entities. LOVB still controls the competitive product and core operations, while team owners focus on local growth. Ohanian paid an expansion fee and made an investment in the league overall. Financial terms were not announced and a home venue has not been set.

LOVB began its inaugural pro season in January, using its existing club programs for 25,000 junior athletes as a source of revenue, physical infrastructure, fans and potential future stars. It already has multiple programs in Southern California. LOVB raised $100 million in preparation for its pro league launch and recently struck a deal that will see matches, including the championship, air on USA Network beginning in January 2026. It plans to add an eighth team for 2027 as well.

But LOVB also has competition. Major League Volleyball is expected to launch in 2026 after merging with the Pro Volleyball Federation. It recently raised $40 million at a valuation of more than $325 million, with one of eight founding teams based in San Diego.

Given Ohanian’s growing experience in the LA market, crowdedness isn’t a concern.   

“Competition is good for everybody; I’ve had it in everything I’ve ever done,” he said. “I’d actually be a little unsettled if there wasn’t competition for a company that I’m starting or building.”

Ohanian’s other sports investments include women’s track and field series Athlos and a minority stake in the Chelsea FC women’s soccer team. Ohanian said he’s learned from his initial Angel City arrangement; he was the team’s founding control owner, but he did not have control of the club’s board. That rare setup contributed to internal friction over team operations and finances. 

“I got it right with LA Golf Club—fully own the team, fully control the board,” he said. “We’re following a similar model here with League One.”