For women sports owners, what does it look like for a team's brand to be savvy and have integrity?

This is a column by Shireen Ahmed, who writes opinion for CBC Sports. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

Leo Messi, LeBron James and Serena Williams are three of the most recognizable faces in the world. Their images and likenesses are used by major brands worldwide, they are investors in media and entertainment, and they have things like sports shoes named after them that have made them household names.

And in addition to being sports stars, they are also co-owners of sports teams.

James is part owner of The Fenway Sports group, which means he is also part-owner of the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC, the US Sports network NESN and NASCAR's Rous Fenway Racing Team. James also helped Renee Montgomery become the first WNBA player to own a team when she bought the Atlanta Dream a year ago.

Serena Williams, her husband Alexis Ohanian, and their daughter Olympia are co-owners of Angel City Football Club (AGFC), a new soccer team based in Los Angeles which began play this month in the National Women's Soccer League. 

Angel City FC played its inaugural game this past weekend against the San Diego Wave, another expansion team. But the striking difference between the two teams is the level of fame of their respective owners.

In addition to Williams and her family, Angel City FC is co-owned by a handful of former professional women soccer players including Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, and Shannon McMillan, as well as women's tennis legend Billie Jean King.

And it being L.A., also in the ownership group are entertainment greats Natalie Portman (who, according to The Guardian, spearheaded the creation of the team), Jennifer Garner, Eva Longoria, Uzo Aduba, Jessica Chastain, James Cordon and Christina