Serena Williams, husband Alexis Ohanian & daughter Olympia meet-greet USWNT stars Midge Purce, Lynn Williams & Alyssa Thompson after China Friendly
Serena Williams and her family were at DRV PNK Stadium in Florida on Saturday for the United States Women's National Team's friendly against China, which the hosts won 3-0.
Sophia Smith opened the scoring in the eighth minute, followed by second-half goals from Lindsey Horan and Trinity Rodman. Later, Williams, her husband Alexis Ohanian and their daughter Olympia met with members of the team, as revealed on social media by Ohanian.
Taking to Instagram, Ohanian shared an image of Serena Williams and daughter with Lynn Williams, who plays in the NWSL for Gotham FC, and with Alyssa Thompson, who plays for the Williams and Ohanian-owned Angel FC in the league.
"I'm just the guy who photo bombs. It was great seeing @nwsl champ @lynnwilliams9 & @weareangelcity phenom @alyssthomp with the fam. 😮💨⚽️🇺🇸 @uswnt got it done easily in the friendly today vs China," Ohanian captioned the post,
The USWNT's social media also shared a video on Twitter (now X), where Olympia looked visibly excited to get an autograph from Midge Purce, who was honored as the Championship MVP for leading Gotham FC to their maiden League Championship title in the 2023 season.
"And Papa made sure she's the youngest owner in pro sports! @WeAreAngelCit — but Jr was excited to get an auto from the 2023 Champ + MVP @100purcent" Ohanian tweeted, quoting the video.
"It's the curse of low expectations" - Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian on the underinvestment in women's sports
Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian has been a lifelong champion of women's sports, often lamenting that there's a underinvestment in the area for several decades, stemming not just from racism and sexism but also incompetence.
"I mean it’s the curse of low expectations. 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," Alexis Ohanian said.
The American, though, is extremely appreciative of the fans of women's sports, praising them for sticking by their athletes and buying into brands that represent them.
"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.
"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," he added.