Alexis Ohanian, Reddit co-founder and husband of tennis legend Serena Williams, says his ambition in women’s sport is “only just beginning”. Speaking in Abu Dhabi, where he received the Time100 Impact Award, Ohanian reflected on how an obvious market gap in the United States first led him to invest in women’s sport.
Already a major backer of Angel City FC and, more recently, a 10 per cent shareholder in Chelsea Women, he said the logic was straightforward: “Women’s soccer has always been considered great in America simply because the women are exceptional and the American men have never won anything [at the World Cup].”
Backing Speed, Star Power And New Formats
In 2024, Ohanian launched Athlos, a high-profile women’s track and field competition that offers a remarkable USD 60,000 payout to race winners.
The good news is, a lot of brands want to be aligned with speed.
But his latest investment signals a new frontier.
Why Ohanian Is Betting Big On Volleyball
League One Volleyball, a professional league that debuted this year, confirmed in October that Ohanian and his venture firm Seven Seven Six will purchase a Los Angeles franchise. He believes women’s volleyball sits on an untapped foundation of huge demand, even if it has not yet crossed into mainstream popular culture.
Professional volleyball is not really on the cultural radar at all. But I think broadly in the world, women are front and centre. It is already accepted that this is a women’s sport, and we celebrate women playing it.
He pointed to the sport’s enormous collegiate footprint across the American Midwest. “There are college programmes with tens of thousands of viewers, packed auditoriums to watch the sport,” he said. League One Volleyball’s youth-first model, he added, builds both a talent pipeline and a sustainable fan base. Many of the sport’s top players already earn seven-figure contracts overseas. “All of that is attention, and all that attention is monetisable. That means value.”
Ohanian predicts women’s volleyball will become a major professional sport in the US within ten years. “It’s going to come quick,” he said.
Chelsea Women And The Football Pendulum
Ohanian’s investment in Chelsea Women reinforces his belief that England is on the brink of a cultural shift.
Football was invented there. As soon as people realise you shouldn’t be comparing a woman footballer to your favourite men’s footballer… very quickly we’re going to see that pendulum swing in England.
Serena Williams, Tennis, And Redefining Comparisons
As Serena Williams’ husband, Ohanian is quick to hold up tennis as the clearest demonstration of what parity looks like when a sport embraces women’s excellence. “Tennis was the example I had in mind when I knew it would be possible to have certain women’s sports at the same level as men’s,” he said, crediting Billie Jean King for leading the transformation.
But he pushes back firmly on the idea of reviving “Battle of the Sexes” matches, such as the proposed Dubai exhibition between Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka.
You’re asking the wrong question if you want to see who’s going to win, because they’re different vehicles. Is anyone out here watching a Formula One car versus a NASCAR? No.
For Ohanian, the message is clear: women’s and men’s football, and indeed most sports, should not be measured against each other. “There are reasons to love women’s football that don’t diminish men’s football. They’re just different sports.”
