When it comes to equality in sports, one can hardly ignore Serena Williams‘ husband, Alexis Ohanian’s contribution. Owning a female soccer team and investing in an all-female track event with generous prizes, this tech mogul has confirmed his stance in favor of women’s sports with sheer dedication. Now, he drops an interesting revelation highlighting how investment in female athletes will be beneficial in the age of social media. His opinion, backed by evidence, raises a question: Does Ohanian have a point?
Ohanian offered great insight into how female athletes are more hardworking in creating an incredible social media image. He explains that female athletes invest time creating engaging content, helping them gain a huge following on Instagram. Ohanian focuses on this to highlight why the NCAA should support them and create more opportunities for their future.
The Reddit co-founder explained that in the age of social media, engaging content helps generate positive publicity. It connects the athletes with their supporters, bringing positive feedback. Therefore, the NCAA shouldn’t complain about a smaller audience for their matches when female athletes have large, active followings on social media. Alexis shared a clip on his Instagram profile where he had a conversation with former American football player Fred Taylor about why the NCAA should promote women’s basketball.
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In this clip from the Super Bowl before this year’s WNBA season, Ohanian said, “In the age of social, if you look up to these athletes in college – and let’s use college basketball right now, on followers. None of this is about charity. This is democracy. This is people clicking follow on the largest social network in the world and saying, ‘I would rather follow her, for instance, than this dude.’ Female athletes have such an edge in social because they create content to create memes. We know women overperform as content creators than men.”
Ohanian’s clip referred to Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, who have a large following on Instagram. These players have made women’s basketball very popular among the younger generation. Despite that, they are not receiving the hype they deserve. For Ohanian, supporting female athletes has become a strong passion. Crediting his wife, Serena Williams, for shaping his thoughts, Ohanian took his first positive step by investing in Angel City FC.
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The Reddit co-founder revealed an interesting fact about investing in women’s sports based on internet trends. Speaking about growth opportunities, Ohanian shed light on how female athletes perform incredibly well in the attention-driven landscape of social media.
Alexis Ohanian reveals an interesting point about supporting female athletes
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Alexis Ohanian's support for women athletes—Is this the kind of allyship we need more of?
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In an interview with Adweek in September, Ohanian offered an interesting reason to invest in women’s sports. He highlighted how social media focuses heavily on women in its attention-driven landscape and creates opportunities for female athletes to stay in business.
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“The internet is the free market of attention. Follower counts don’t care about your feelings. Every day, you have to wake up and fight for attention, and where is it online? It’s on the women,” Ohanian claimed. Bringing his passion for female athletes, the Reddit co-founder started his venture firm, 776, to bring positive change to women’s sports. He also invested in a female track and field event, offering opportunities to female sprinters in terms of economic benefits.
Alexis Ohanian’s firm stand for female basketball players is commendable. The way he tries to establish the influence of female athletes highlights his dedication to an equal sports world. With such hard work, it feels like Alexis Ohanian will soon fulfill female athletes’ dreams of receiving financial and mental support equal to their male counterparts. Do you think Ohanian can make it happen?
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Alexis Ohanian's support for women athletes—Is this the kind of allyship we need more of?