After $250 Million Success, Serena Williams Amplifies Alexis Ohanian’s Bullish Call for Women’s Sports in Powerful Revelation

Serena Williams isn’t just a legend on the court; she’s a game-changer for athletes everywhere. Over her two-decade-long career, she’s smashed records, broken barriers, and brought women’s sports to the forefront like never before. But even after hanging up her racquet, Williams’ mission to uplift female athletes is far from over. Recently, Williams echoed similar sentiments to her husband, Alexis Ohanian, about the untapped market potential of women’s sports. The duo has always been vocal about their belief in the power of female athletes, and now they’re championing this cause louder than ever.
The 43-year-old engaged in an interaction with the New York Times and deliberated on a wide range of factors including her tennis career and her life after retirement. She also opened up about the financial investment in women’s sports and highlighted the importance of spending on women’s sports sharing that the potential had always existed but people have started to realize it only recently.
Speaking in the interview, Williams said, “I always say that women sports is not having a moment. It’s always been there. We women athletes have often been around. We have always been amazing and we’ve always been great. You guys are just noticing and I think its important that people realize that.” Continuing further, she highlighted how she and her sister Venus Williams have set some great records. “We’ve had the most viewers ever at the US Open and multiple, every single grand slam of any kind women athlete ever,” she shared. And interestingly, it was not just Serena and Venus’ encounter against each other that set some great records for broadcasters.
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When Serena played the final match of her career against Ajla Tomljanovic at the US Open, ESPN scored a record 4.8 million viewers, which was its highest in 43 years back then. Speaking of similar things, Williams added, “It’s also the fact that there is other amazing athletes have been doing so well for so long. But now other people are noticing and now they’re investing in them. And when you invest in women, you see what product you get. There is so much great potential out there.” Remember, Williams’ thoughts are quite similar to what her husband believes about investing in female athletes.
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In an interaction with ADWEEK, Alexis Ohanian stated, “The silver lining of women’s sports being so underinvested was that they were so easy to invest in. You can try anything you want. There is no way that things have been done before.” And probably, he realized it quite early.
In 2020, Ohanian became a founding investor in the Los Angeles NWSL team Angel City FC, in which his wife Serena Williams, and daughter Olympia also have ownership. This year in July, Disney chief executive Bob Iger and his wife Willow Bay, a dean at the University of Southern California, became the new majority controlling owner of the team, valuing it at $250 million. However, this is not the only instance of the Ohanian-Williams family’s investment in women’s sports.
The Reddit co-founder made a whopping investment and organized the ATHLOS NYC. What caught global attention was the fact that it had a total purse of at least $500,000, with $60,000 going to first place, $25,000 for second, and $10,000 for third. Meanwhile, Serena Williams has not just emerged as an inspiration for athletes across the globe, but also for her husband who claims her to be the driving force behind such investments.
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Alexis Ohanian revealed how Serena Williams and daughter inspired him to invest in women’s sports
Alexis Ohanian has always proved his love for his family. Even when it comes to business, he claimed to have received immense inspiration from his wife and daughter highlighting their impact in driving him to make some remarkable investments. And the reason is definitely adorable!
In a conversation with CNBC, Ohanian admitted, “The core phenomenon here probably came from a certain someone I’m married to, right? Serena Williams is the prototype for how you can show women’s sports is and can be and should be on the same level as men’s.” He also spoke about how icons like Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Billie Jean King played a crucial role in amplifying viewership as compared to men’s events. Another person he attributes to such investments is his daughter. “A big part of the reason why I started Angel City FC was because Olympia was running around, this is 2019 in a Alex Morgan jersey,” said Ohanian.
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Now, with Serena Williams highlighting similar sentiments to her husband over the need to spend in women’s sports, she reflects on the couple’s dedication to bringing about a positive change.