Venturing into the soccer world is a new trend in town. In the world of Ryan Reynolds and JJ Watt, who stepped into the men’s realm, Serena Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, took the road not taken and chose to invest in the women’s side of the beautiful game, becoming part-owners of Angel City FC. But who would have thought that the brainchild behind their $100 million investment in the NWSL side was none other than their current rival, Alex Morgan?
It all dates back to 2019, when Ohanian, underscoring the role of women in sports, expressed his wish to own an NWSL team. Surprisingly came Morgan in his tweets, insisting on extending her support to guide him. Fast forwarding to the present, the Reddit owner didn’t forget the favor of the USWNT star. “It was Alex Morgan who reached out and said I can help,” he said while speaking at the Sportico LA conference and sharing this glimpse via a small clip on Instagram.
“I cannot stress enough it is because of Alex that I got to spend the day with her learning, ask a ton of dumb questions about professional women’s soccer, and get the confidence to say, ‘Yes, this is a huge investible opportunity,’” he said. Of course, investing in a part of the game that wasn’t fancied by tons, especially the haters who criticized women’s soccer, was not helping to buy an NWSL team.
However, it was the ‘energy‘ that somehow motivated Ohanian to show interest in Angel City. Today, the astute entrepreneur proudly says, “Those women’s sports haters are having a tough time these days. They’re down bad.” Even though it shows things look quite well for Ohanian and his club, the question looms as to why they are seeking new ownership.
Is the help from Alex Morgan regarding Angel City ownership working well for Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian?
There’s no doubt that Angel City has come a very long way since its inception. However, the NWSL’s most valuable franchise according to Sportico is apparently looking for new ownership. The board of the club has reportedly even hired Moelis & Company to explore the potential sale of controlling interest in the franchise. This comes after alleged tensions among board members regarding team governance.
Notably, despite having the largest shareholding of the $180m valued club, Alexis Ohanian does not have control over the board. Hence, it remains to be seen exactly what percentage of equity is available for sale. The matters may be complicated even more, considering that there are over 100 investors in Angel City which includes many Hollywood A-listers, athletes, and other small investors.
Hence, the situation appears to be different from initial perceptions. However, there is no doubt that it was remarkable of Alex Morgan to assist Alexis Ohanian in taking his first steps as an investor in the soccer world.
