"Actual male athletes are generally hugely supportive of women athletes" - Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian 

Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian recently said that male athletes generally extend their support to their female counterparts.

Ohanian has always been a staunch advocate for women's sports. Together with Serena Williams, he has made investments in Angel City FC, a football club that became a part of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2022.

The tech entrepreneur actively creates opportunities to ensure the growth of women's sports. His capital venture firm Seven Seven Six also strives to bring about positive transformations in the sports industry.

Alexis Ohanian recently took to social media to opine that there are still a few insecure men out there who do not wish to see women succeed in sports.

The 40-year-old added that male athletes, on the other hand, are highly supportive of their female counterparts and that it's primarily the keyboard warriors who hide behind their online personas and tweet otherwise.

"Imagine a world where men didn't feel threatened by the success of women's sports. It's not zero-sum, folks. What's so interesting is that actual male athletes are generally hugely supportive of women athletes. It's the keyboard jocks who furiously type angry tweets," Ohanian posted.

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"Not just racism & sexism; a legacy of gross business incompetence" - Alexis Ohanian on the underinvestment in women's sports

Alexis Ohanian speaking to the press

Alexis Ohanian has cited business incompetence as the main factor behind insufficient investment in women's sports.

Ohanian has made an investment of $100 million in Angel City FC, a start-up club that joined the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2022. The tech entrepreneur's decision to invest in the club was largely influenced by his daughter Olympia.

Angel City FC already has a roster of high-profile celebrity investors. This includes Serena Williams, Natalie Portman, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Garner, Uzo Aduba, and Jessica Chastain.

During a conversation with Bloomberg Quicktake, Alexis Ohanian listed out the factors contributing to the lack of investment in women's sports.

According to him, the root cause of this issue is the low expectations that people have for women's sports. Ohanian further elaborated that underinvestment over the last few decades cannot be solely attributed to racism and sexism, but also to business incompetence.

"I mean it’s the curse of low expectations," Alexis Ohanian said. "When we look back on the legacy of underinvestment in the last, call it 50 years, it will not just be a legacy of sexism and racism, which it is. It'll be a legacy of gross business incompetence."

When asked about how to build a brand around women's sports, the 40-year-old said that the key is to cultivate a dedicated fan base on a global scale. Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of consistently raising the bar in terms of brand partnerships.

"You build a rabid, dogged fan base all over the world. You continue to raise the bar on brand partnerships. You continue to demonstrate the value," Alexis Ohanian said. "Women's sports fans are such amazing supporters because they’ll buy into the brands that are partnered with the clubs. Right? I mean there’s real value there."