"Americans love greatness" - Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian highlights women's tennis dominance and how it influenced his NWSL investment 

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In his continued advocacy for women in sports, Serena Williams' husband, Alexis Ohanian highlighted the impact she and other legends have had on women's tennis and shared how it influenced his investment in Angel City FC.

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Alexis Ohanian, an internet entrepreneur and investor, is the largest shareholder of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club Angel City, having invested in 2020 through his venture capital firm Seven Seven Six.

On Monday, Ohanian posted a video on his Instagram account explaining how the giant strides of the Williams sisters and Billie Jean King have impacted women's tennis. He stated that the greatness of women's tennis has made fans more interested in women's sports than in men's sports in America, and it was one of the reasons he invested in the NWSL.

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“Women's tennis was actually one of the reasons I knew the NWSL was undervalued because I had already seen firsthand, that in America as long as you have greatness in you, you could create a storyline and a business where the fans were more interested in women than in men."
For instance, even to this day the US Open final is watched by many more people when women are playing than men. Women's tennis is the dominant tennis in America, obviously thanks to the Williams sisters and Billie Jean King. Let's be real, Americans love greatness,” Serena Williams' husband said.
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He added that when you ask an average American sports fan about soccer greatness, they think of women, even if they don't follow the sport. This motivated him to invest in Angel City FC.

“What I saw in women's soccer was undeniable greatness, the average American sports fan if you ask them think of soccer greatness - they're thinking of women even if they don't follow the sport and it was something the NWSL just hadn't been leaning into. Investing in and so starting a team, Angel City was the obvious way forward.”
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Serena Williams's husband, Alexis Ohanian urged fans to watch more WNBA games if they aren't satisfied with Caitlin Clark's salary

2019 US Open - Day 13
2019 US Open - Day 13

In April, Serena Williams' husband shared a video on X expressing his opinion on the staggering difference between the salaries of rookie players in the WNBA and their male counterparts and urged fans to watch more WNBA matches if they aren't satisfied with her salary.

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Caitlin Clark signed with the WNBA team Indiana Fever, and her rookie year salary is around $76,535, which has garnered a lot of reactions from sports fans worldwide. Ohanian stated that fans should be upset with Clark's salary, as she reportedly has an eight-figure sneaker deal with Nike.

“I just left Nike global headquarters, where Caitlin Clark allegedly has an eight-figure sneaker deal which is amazing for her, but it seems weird juxtaposed with her $76,000 Indiana fever contract. Should you be upset at all the institutions around sports? Yes. Should you also be upset at fans? Yes,” he said.
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He also said that in 2019 when he invested, women's soccer was undervalued, but today, they are seeing more and more investments coming in.

“It's a symbiotic relationship, this was the bet in 2019 when I said women's soccer was the most undervalued thing in sports right now and I wanted to buy a team, the talent is there, the fan base is there, we're selling out every other match."
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You're seeing more brands coming in which means more dollars, fans are filling up stadiums, salaries for players are also going up commensurate with that. If you're mad about Caitlin Clark's salary, go to a WNBA match,” Serena Williams' husband said.

Serena Williams joined actress Natalie Portman, venture capitalist Julie Uhrman, and a group of sports personalities, entertainers and other investors as a shareholder in Angel City FC along with her husband Alexis Ohanian.

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Edited by Aayush Kapoor
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