Serena Williams joins Nike's $1.3 million initiative to empower women in sport
Serena Williams recently joined hands with Nike's Athlete Think Tank, an initiative to improve the lives of women in sport and create better opportunities for the upcoming generation of female athletes.
The Athlete Think Tank was founded on a collective effort by 13 trailblazing women from a range of sports. Apart from Williams, footballer Ada Hegerberg, sprinter Scout Bassett, and fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad were among those involved in the initiative.
Hailing from different walks of life, these athletes contributed different visions to the project. They were also instrumental in identifying 20 organizations from various countries working to uplift female sportspeople, that Nike invested $1.3 million in.
The Nike Athlete Think Tank is a collective dedicated to amplifying the voices of women athletes. Because women and girls don’t have equal access to play and sport, we teamed up to share our experiences and turn insights into action and fight for gender equality. https://t.co/z7liY5fh3u
In a recent post on social media, Serena Williams emphasized that the initiative is aimed at amplifying the voices of female athletes. She highlighted the existing gender disparity in access to physical recreation and how the Athlete Think Tank is a step towards creating a more equal sporting landscape.
"The Nike Athlete Think Tank is a collective dedicated to amplifying the voices of women athletes," the former World No. 1 wrote on twitter. "Because women and girls don’t have equal access to play and sport, we teamed up to share our experiences and turn insights into action and fight for gender equality."
The 23-time Grand Slam champion further explained how women working together towards a common goal facilitates real change. She went on to stress the importance of an "equitable environment" for future generations of women athletes.
"Women supporting women is what helps lay the foundation to drive real change," the American said. "Creating a culture of positivity is why I teamed up with @Nike for the Athlete Think Tank – a collective of women athletes holding honest conversations to help drive change. Because when we work together, we can fight for a brighter future and more equal and equitable environment for the next generation of women athletes."
Serena Williams engages in off-court activities as return to tennis remains uncertain
Serena Williams last played at Wimbledon 2021, where she retired during her first-round match after sustaining a leg injury. She has since dropped down to No. 236 in the WTA rankings.
The American, however, has kept herself busy off the court. She has extensively promoted her clothing line 'Serena' on social media whilst focusing on her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures. The company recently raised a whopping $111 million to invest in startups with "diverse points of view".
The 40-year-old recently traveled to Paris Fashion Week, where she walked the ramp for late designer Virgil Abloh's final collection. Over the past few months, Serena Williams has also been actively promoting her father's biopic, King Richard. The film, which was released last November, is in the running for six awards at the 2022 Oscars.
It’s finally here!! @KingRichardFilm is now playing in theaters and streaming on @HBOMax. Get your #KingRichard tickets today! kingrichardfilm.com https://t.co/iOSV8SyJAL