Casual sexism is an aspect most women endure in their day-to-day lives. We have seen multiple instances of that over the years and women’s sports are sadly also a victim of the same. The sexism also leads to pay parity in women’s and men’s sports. The biggest argument behind this pay gap is the interest or viewership the sport generates. Many argue women’s sports are not as enticing and generate less traffic, which translates to less viewership and less revenue for the organizers. However, the US Open changed that outlook and became the first tournament to offer the same prize money in both gender categories. In fact, when Serena Williams‘ husband Alexis Ohanian put up hard facts, he still had to shut down an internet troll using casual sexism to disprove his point.
In a tweet from September 12th, the co-founder of Reddit pointed out how the US Open final between Coco Gauff Vs. Aryna Sabalenka had a viewership of 3.422 million. He compared that with the US Open final between Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev, which brought in a viewership of 2.321 million. After Ohanian tweeted this information, a user attempted to ridicule him.
User @bjmorr170 tweeted, “Hey Alexis: I have an idea: why not just combine the two tours? Men and women play each other in the same tournaments. May the best player win. How about it? I figured as much.”
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To this, Ohanian had the perfect reply to this tweet where he pitted Formula 1 against Formula E.
SPOILER: They're fundamentally different cars. Happy Formula E fans don't threaten F1 fans like this… why is this somehow a clever response to the rise of women's sports? Why don't you bring that same energy to complain about Formula E cars "needing" to race F1 cars??
— Alexis Ohanian 🧠 (@alexisohanian) September 18, 2023
Ohanian replied, “I have an idea: why not just combine F1 and Formula E? F1 cars and Formula E cars race each other on the same courses. May the best car win. How about it?”
Ohanian’s reply perfectly sums up that despite being an obvious difference between the two pieces of machinery, both sports are equally enjoyed. That is the whole point, co-existence without discrimination.
However, this isn’t the first time the American businessman expressed his opinion around F1.
Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian expressed his unfiltered opinion on behalf of his friend Lewis Hamilton
As we are all aware, Lewis Hamilton and Serena Williams are old friends, a relationship which they tried to extend with their attempts to buy into Chelsea Football Club. Apart from that, the two are old friends who support each other from time to time.
This courtesy is extended to Ohanian as well, and he showcased that during the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi GP.
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Like many, the 2021 finale divided Ohanian’s opinion as well. During the race, toward the controversial end, the American tweeted, “THIS IS BULLSH*T @F1” after Michael Masi’s decision to restart the race.
Soon after the world of F1 stood shocked a lap later, he again took to X to express his frustration. He tweeted, “CONGRATULATIONS, SAFETY CAR #AbuDhabiakasGP”. We clearly know where Ohanian’s loyalties lie and he wasn’t afraid to express them.
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He showcased that with his argument about the US Open viewership stats as well while advising to invest in women’s sports.