From Silicon Valley to the Starting Line: Investing in Team USA's Future
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When Alli and Byron Deeter arrived in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games with their family, they expected world-class competition, and they were not disappointed.
Byron recalled being swept up in the moment, feeling the energy from the French fans cheering for their athletes and finding himself cheering alongside them.
“It was electric,” he said. “And all I could think was, I can’t wait for this to happen on our home soil in Los Angeles.”
For the Deeters, sport has always been more than entertainment or statistics. It’s personal. The two met at the University of California, Berkeley — Alli, an honors student and lifelong sports fan and Byron, a fellow student and four-time collegiate rugby national champion. Over time, their shared love of sport evolved into something bigger: a passion for supporting athletes.
The California couple was introduced to the movement through friends and attended events in hopes of learning more about Team USA and where their support would go. But what sold them was meeting athletes and hearing their stories of how donor support allowed them to train and not feel the financial burden they’d felt in the past.
Their reason for supporting Team USA through the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation is simple: “Belief in the power of sport to unite people, build high-character leaders and create opportunity.”
What draws them in are the areas of Team USA that connect deeply to their own lives.
In June 2018, the Deeters made their first gift to support Team USA. Over the years, their philanthropy has focused on two of the USOPF’s key initiatives: the Performance Innovation Fund and the Women’s Fund.
The Performance Innovation Fund drives the performance, well-being and competitiveness of Team USA athletes through cutting-edge technology, data and research. The Women’s Fund creates a steady source of funding to ensure Team USA’s female athletes have the resources and support they need to succeed—both in competition and in life beyond sport. Residing in Silicon Valley as a former tech founder, Byron has brought a forward-thinking mindset to the Performance Innovation Fund. He is most passionate about innovation that leads to results on the podium and helps athletes build confidence in the future.
“There's a leaderboard at every Olympic Games; I like seeing the U.S. at the top,” Byron said. “For those of us in Paris—along with those watching on TV—it was surreal to watch the medal count come down to the final event on the final day.”
In 2017, before getting involved with Team USA through the USOPF, Byron joined the board of Guild, the official education, skilling and career mobility provider of Team USA. He and Alli later extended that commitment by joining the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation Board of Directors in 2022.
For Alli, her passion centers on women in sport. She joined the USOPF’s Women’s Circle to champion women, help solve the unique challenges they face in competition and empower them in navigating adversity in everyday life. She also helped launch the Women’s Fund and committed to being part of that essential work.
“We’re focused on easing that transition from sport, showing how the skills they’ve honed are transferable beyond competition,” Alli said. “By creating spaces where athletes can share their stories on a human level, good folks connect with good folks and support them as they navigate their next chapter.”
In 2024, the Women’s Health Taskforce led 10 webinars for the Team USA women’s community. The taskforce focuses on education and outreach to empower female athletes and their support networks. Covering topics from nutrition and hormones to injury prevention, fertility and pregnancy, the monthly sessions connect athletes with experts, providing resources, answers and a supportive community to address the unique challenges women face in every stage of life.
What are the Deeters looking forward to next? Attending every Olympic Games through 2034, when the Winter Games return to Salt Lake City.
“We’re excited to head to Italy for the Milano Cortina Games and support Team USA in Italy,” Alli shared. "The value of going to the Games, bringing your family and seeing how your support directly impacts the athletes is something we want to experience in person at every upcoming Games.”
The Los Angeles 2028 Games, taking place just a few hours south of their home base, will be even more special: the Deeters expect to welcome an even larger group than they brought to Paris 2024, where nine family members joined them, including their three children: Baily, Skylar and Logan.
That sense of shared pride is also what fuels their desire to give back, ensuring the athletes they cheer for have the resources and support they need to thrive.
"The reality is, these athletes are competing at the highest level in the world, yet many are living below the poverty line,” Byron said. “There’s no government funding. Their ability to train, travel and recover comes down to the generosity of people like us. When you give, you’re not just supporting medals: you’re helping someone reach their potential and transition into life after sport. It’s one of the most direct, human ways you can make an impact."
For more information about the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation, visit give.teamusa.org (or click to make a gift).
To learn more about attending the Olympic or Paralympic Games with the USOPF, contact the team at gameshospitality@usopc.org.
