Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian claps back at naysayers after co-created NWSL Reality show 'The Offseason' kicks off with over 3 million views
Serena Williams' husband, Alexis Ohanian, recently hit back at critics after the first episode of the newly released reality series 'The Offseason' crossed the 3 million views mark. The 41-year-old co-created the series, which follows 11 NWSL (National Women's Soccer League) players training together in Miami during the 2024 offseason.
Ohanian has been a staunch advocate for women's sports. A few years ago, the Reddit co-founder invested in the NWSL club Angel City FC to promote women's football in the country. He is the primary shareholder in the team with a $100 million investment.
Taking his passion for sports a step further, Ohanian, along with NJ/NY Gotham FC forward Midge Purce, co-created The Offseason. The reality series features several NWSL players, including Michelle Alozie, Kelli Hubly, and Taylor Smith.
The first episode of the docu-series, which premiered a few days ago, has now surpassed 3.2 million views, according to Ohanian. The 41-year-old shared the update on X, responding to those who doubted the audience's interest in a reality show featuring pro women athletes.
"3,200,000 VIEWS and counting 😮💨 and people told us there wouldn't be an audience for a reality show starring pro women atheltes," Ohanian wrote.
Similar to Ohanian, his wife, 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, has been a steadfast advocate for women's sports. One of the 43-year-old's notable contributions to the cause was joining Nike's Athlete Think Tank in 2022, a $1.3 million initiative to improve the lives of women in sports.
A "dare" from Serena Williams prompted Alexis Ohanian to invest in Angel City FC
Alexis Ohanian revealed at an NWSL event two years ago that his interest in Angel City FC began with a dare from Serena Williams while they watched the 2019 Women's World Cup final.
"Angel City [FC] was largely prompted by a dare from my wife [Serena Williams]," Ohanian said.
Ohanian added that while his daughter Olympia was running around in an Alex Morgan jersey, he imagined her playing for the USA in the future. When he shared this with Williams, she remarked that she would only play if paid what she is worth, emphasizing the need for equal pay in men's and women's sports.
Ohanian took her comments as a challenge and contemplated bringing about change.
"As I was watching the 2019 Women's World Cup final and my daughter was running around in an Alex Morgan jersey. I was just musing like, 'Hey, wouldn't it be cool if she played for the women's national team one day?' And Serena without missing a single beat said, 'Not until they pay her what she's worth.' I was like, alright, challenge accepted, let's see if I can do some things to help," he added.
Ohanian and Williams met in 2015 and got married two years later. Their eldest daughter, Olympia, was born in 2017, nearly two months before their marriage. They welcomed their younger daughter, Adira, in August of last year.