Alexis Ohanian is not only one of the most successful businessmen in the United States, he is also among the most generous. Since marrying Serena Williams, Ohanian has sought various ways to promote women’s sports, as he just did with a generous donation to his alma mater’s basketball team, the Virginia Cavaliers.
As one of the founders of Reddit, Ohanian has accumulated a personal net worth of around $150 million. After leaving the famous social network board in 2020 due to differences in the management of the company, Ohanian has dedicated himself to championing various causes, including equality in women’s sports.
Among his efforts in this area, the businessman created the exclusively women’s track and field league Athlos, whose first competition was held this past September 26 in New York. Continuing down this path, Ohanian recently made a large donation to the University of Virginia (UVA) women’s basketball team.
There would be no Reddit without UVA
In a post on his X account (formerly Twitter), Ohanian said, “It has been a very good year for me with Reddit going public, and there would be no Reddit without the University of Virginia, so it made sense that my first big investment in women’s basketball would be at my alma mater.”
He also said he was proud to contribute to the development of women’s basketball at his school and emphasized, “We’re gonna make sure that we’re among the top programs in the country.”
This is not the first time that Ohanian has shown his commitment to women’s sports. In addition to Athlos, the businessman is the founder of Angel City FC, a National Women’s Soccer League team, majority owned by women, including Serena Williams and actress Natalie Portman.
UVA to put donation to good use
Although the amount of the donation has not been disclosed, press reports claim it is the largest donation in the history of the school’s women’s basketball program. The Virginia Athletics Foundation explained that it will use the donation “to elevate recruiting and player retention efforts.”
UVA Athletics Director Carla Williams praised Ohanian’s commitment to women’s sports. “He sees the value and he is willing to invest. His support will help attract championship talent to the University of Virginia and specifically, to UVA women’s basketball,” Williams said.
Read the full article here
