Serena Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, a staunch supporter of women’s sports, reacted to the recent viewership record set by the WNBA. The WNBA Finals between the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty set a new record for the most-watched Game 1 in WNBA Finals history.
Thursday night’s WNBA Finals Game 1 on ESPN continued the league’s strong viewership trend this year, even competing against Thursday Night Football and MLB postseason games.
Sports Media Watch reported that the game averaged 1.14 million viewers across ABC and ESPN, marking the highest viewership for a Game 1 in WNBA Finals history.
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian celebrated the milestone on X, commenting:
“Everyone watches women’s sports,” Ohanian wrote.
This game also became the most-watched WNBA Finals match since Game 3 of the 2003 Finals.
Some fans had initially doubted the viewership potential due to the absence of one of the most popular WNBA players, Caitlin Clark, and her team Indiana Fever in the Finals. However, the ratings tell a different story, as this is now the third game of the season to surpass 1 million viewers without Clark’s participation, proving the league’s widespread appeal.
Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian is a staunch supporter of women’s sports
Alexis Ohanian, married to 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, has become a vocal advocate for women’s sports but emphasized that his support extends beyond his marriage to one of the greatest female athletes. He has seen disparities that have made him work towards a better platform for women’s sports.
Ohanian joined the pre-race show at Athlos NYC, hosted by Serenity Douglas, Aisha Praught-Leer, and Talitha Diggs, via Citius Mag. He said:
“What was so compelling was women’s tennis was so exhilarating, so exciting, not just because I’m married to the GOAT [Serena Williams], but because it was actually just an amazing sport. You don’t think twice. Of course, women’s tennis is just popular in America as men’s. But then I saw these disparities in things like women’s soccer, where the women suddenly disappeared outside of the World Cup, but I still knew their names,” he said.
Ohanian is one of the majority owners of a women’s soccer team Angel City FC. He is also producing an X-exclusive reality series called The Offseason, which will spotlight 11 NWSL players as they spend two weeks together in Miami during their off-season.
Ohanian’s major step into women’s sports also included hosting a one-night, women-only track event called Athlos NYC in late September. The event featured top athletes like Gabby Thomas and Faith Kipyegon, showcasing elite talent in a unique setting.
