Serena Williams‘ life partner, Alexis Ohanian, looks up to his wife as much as the world does. Being the Queen of the Court, she did not have to try hard to inspire her husband. Ohanian invested in Angel City FC and ATHLOS NYC to motivate the young generation of females toward track and field. He is someone who speaks for the equality of women’s sports and recently revealed his wife to be the reason.

Ohanian attended Squawk Box’s discussion on CNBC regarding the rise of women’s sports. The LA women’s soccer team is funded by many stars, including Natalie Portman and Eva Longoria, and now welcomes Disney CEO Bob Iger and his wife, Willow Bay. However, Ohanian credits the recent success to the 23-time grand slam champion.

“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.“

Although enjoying the success of his team now, he was not always aware of the state of women’s sports. The Reddit co-founder once said, “To be clear, I jumped on this bandwagon really when I met my wife. That was the first time I really watched tennis as a sport. But I really went whole hog in 2019; now I’m really into it.”

In the Business Sports Summit, Ohanian revealed that he can’t “think of American soccer greatness without thinking of women,“ and he realized it in 2019 before investing in Angel City FC. He felt that “women’s soccer was so attractive” and “it’s similarly why doing a track event in America makes so much sense. Because we know that audience is hungry.” 

He then moved towards the viewership and stated how stalwarts like Serena and Venus Williams or Bille Jean King brought so many viewers towards tennis compared to male tennis players. “You look at those viewer numbers, even to this day more Americans watched the US Open final for the women than the men, and that’s the legacy, the Williams sisters, Billie Jean King and even else,” Ohanian said. 

Ohanian invested in a female soccer club inspired by Williams but always believed in Williams’ greatness. While at the beginning, his wife was the prototype for his business, another person influenced Ohanian to invest in Angel City FC.

Alexis Ohanian reveals his daughter Olympia’s love for soccer as a triggering point for his investment

In an interview with On Her Turf, Ohanian revealed that his elder daughter, Olympia, is a soccer fan, which motivated the Reddit co-founder to invest in Angel City FC. “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,” Ohanian revealed.

The trio was enjoying the US women’s national team’s 2019 World Cup victory when the idea popped into his mind. Ohanian further revealed how he talked to his wife, while Olympia showed a keen interest in Alex Morgan’s jersey. “I commented to my wife, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be nice one day if Olympia played on the national team?” And without missing a beat, Serena said, ‘Not until she’s paid what she’s worth.’ And I said, ‘Alright, challenge accepted,” he said.

Ohanian’s revelations tell the reason behind his investment in Angel City FC, is his admiration for the strong women in his house, his wife, and his daughter. His inspiration also built his keen interest in uplifting female athletes. How far will he continue?