Serena Williams congratulates Alexis Ohanian
Serena Williams‘ husband and co-founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohanian, is a diehard soccer fan. In 2022, he invested a whopping $100 M in Angel City FC, a start-up club that had then recently joined the National Women’s Soccer League. Currently, its net worth is around $180 M. But did you know what everyone in Hollywood told Ohanian about his other ‘Radical‘ idea surrounding the soccer world?
Recently, in a statement to the American magazine ‘Variety’, Alexis Ohanian made a big announcement on the women’s soccer reality series ‘The Offseason.‘ Let’s find out what did he say during the conversation.
‘We’re already on the right track’- Serena Williams’ husband speaks on his million-dollar decision
Angel City FC has star-studded investors, including the tennis star herself. The team exceeded expectations during its inaugural campaign, starting from season tickets to average attendance or corporate sponsorship. But what exactly made Ohanian feel they’re on the right track with the reality series? “It was a radical idea in 2019 for me to start an NWSL club in LA, and in 2023, everyone in Hollywood told me it was a radical idea to incubate a production company and unscripted show like ‘The Offseason,’ which makes me think we’re already on the right track,” said Ohanian.
So, NWSL is all set to have its own reality show as USWNT star Midge Purce and Alexis Ohanian join hands to launch ‘The Offseason.’ Ohanian further went on to add, “All of the most successful reality TV shows feature women, and with Midge’s vision & these acclaimed producers’ execution, everyone is going to realize women’s sports was an obvious vehicle all along. Someone just had to be first.”
Alexis Ohanian is an avid sports lover. He played soccer for almost nine years while growing up and recently, he even bought Lewis Hamilton‘s Ferrari merchandise. But do you know what influenced Serena Williams’ husband to invest in Angel City FC?
‘A big part of the reason why…’-Alexis Ohanian
During an interview with ‘On Her Turf’, Ohanian said that his daughter’s love for soccer encouraged him to invest in the team. He said, “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.” Alexis Ohanian believes women’s soccer is extremely “under-resourced, under-marketed, undervalued, underappreciated, under-supported.“
So, he believes it is a great business opportunity, and this initiative will in turn help grow women’s soccer in the country. Ohanian recalled his conversation with Serena Williams during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The family sat together and watched their national team lift the most coveted prize in the soccer world.
Ohanian said, “I commented to my wife, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be nice one day if Olympia played on the national team?”’ In reply, Serena Williams said, “Not until she’s paid what she’s worth.” Alexis Ohanian then accepted the challenge. Share some more moments where you can recall Alexis Ohanian publicly portraying his love for sports.
