Serena Williams’ Daughter Becomes Investor in New Los Angeles Soccer Team

*Serena Williams’ two years old daughter, Olympia Ohanian, is now a co-owner of “Angel City,” the new women’s soccer team launching in Los Angeles. 

As noted by Yahoo, “this makes her the youngest owner in pro sports.”

Olympia’s father, Alexis Ohanian, took to Instagram to touch on his decision to become an investor of the team while also securing a better future for his daughter. 

 “As someone who spends hours kicking around a football with my two-year-old daughter, I want her to have a front row seat to this revolution,” he wrote. “I’m personally investing on behalf of my family because creating more opportunities in women’s sports is important to my wife @serenawilliams and me, and we want to be a part of making a better future for our daughter.” 

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@weareangelcity

A post shared by Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr. (@olympiaohanian) on Jul 21, 2020 at 9:07am PDT

Here’s more from the press release:

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) today announced that a majority woman-founded group led by Academy Award-winning actress and activist Natalie Portman, technology venture capitalist Kara Nortman, media and gaming entrepreneur Julie Uhrman, and tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist Alexis Ohanian who led the investment through his firm Initialized Capital, has secured the exclusive right to bring a professional women’s soccer team to Los Angeles to kick off in Spring 2022.

Led by consortium President Julie Uhrman, the founding investor group includes Serena Williams and daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr., actors Uzo Aduba, Jessica Chastain, America Ferrera, Jennifer Garner, and Eva Longoria, late night talk show host Lilly Singh, former US Women’s National Team players including twelve representing Southern California including Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Rachel Buehler, Shannon Boxx, Amanda Cromwell, Lorrie Fair Allen, Ronnie Fair Sullins, Joy Fawcett, Angela Hucles, Shannon MacMillan, Tisha Venturini Hoch, and Saskia Webber, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and FIFA World Cup Champions Lauren Cheney Holiday and Abby Wambach, author and activist Glennon Doyle, Netflix VP Original Content Cindy Holland, tech entrepreneur and filmmaker Casey Neistat, Founding Board Member of Baby2Baby, Sabina Nathanson, Media Executive David Nathanson, Baby2Baby Co-President Norah Weinstein, and Bad Robot President and COO Brian Weinstein.

“We took this as an opportunity to listen, talk to players, union reps, presidents and owners to develop a totally new playbook of how to build a professional sports team where mission and capital, entertainment and sport, were equally important,” Founder Kara Nortman said.

 

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Disparities between men and women occur in all facets of entertainment, including sports media. The global sports fanbase is 50/50 men and women, yet female athletes receive just 4% of sports media coverage. And yet… US viewership of the 2019 Women’s World Cup final was 22% higher than the 2018 men’s final! After the unstoppable legacy of @USWNT, I was hungry to see and do more. ⚽️ That’s why I’m proud to help bring @weareangelcity to the City of Angels. This team is rewriting the playbook, and you can be a part of it. Welcome to the beginning. This is the kind of ambitious lead investing @Initialized is all about and we’re excited to announce this one-of-a-kind lifestyle, apparel, and sports organization. I am proud to be a part of this wonderful group (majority women!) working to bring a women’s professional football club to Los Angeles. Chiefly, because I’m a fan of the game, but also because I believe there is massive potential for the sport and it’s been undervalued by too many people for far too long. As someone who spends hours kicking around a football with my two-year-old daughter, I want her to have a front row seat to this revolution. I’m personally investing on behalf of my family because creating more opportunities in women’s sports is important to my wife @serenawilliams and me, and we want to be a part of making a better future for our daughter @olympiaohanian #WeAreAngelCity

A post shared by Alexis Ohanian Sr. (@alexisohanian) on Jul 21, 2020 at 9:02am PDT

“The growth trajectory of the NWSL is incredibly exciting, but we also need to be strategic and thoughtful about how fast we expand and the communities we partner with,” NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird said. “We’ve long sought the right partner in LA considering the NWSL fanbase that already exists in the region and the massive interest in women’s soccer in general. Those factors, along with an incredible ownership group make this an ideal situation and we couldn’t be more thrilled to move forward.”

“I am proud to be a part of this wonderful group working to bring a women’s professional football club to Los Angeles, ” Lead Founding Investor Alexis Ohanian said. “Chiefly, because I’m a fan of the game, but also because I believe there is massive potential for the sport and it’s been undervalued by too many people for far too long.”

“Today we take an exciting step by announcing the first women majority-owned and led ownership group,” Founder Natalie Portman said. “I am thrilled by the opportunity to partner with this incredible group of people to bring a professional women’s soccer team to Los Angeles.

Together, we aim to build not only a winning team on the field, but also to develop a passionately loyal fan base. We also hope to make a substantive impact on our community, committing to extending access to sports for young people in Los Angeles through our relationship with the LA84 Foundation. Sports are such a joyful way to bring people together, and this has the power to make tangible change for female athletes both in our community and in the professional sphere.”