Imagine this doubles team: Former World No. 1 tennis player and 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams joined forces with WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark to emphasize the value of women`s sports to one of the world`s most profitable leagues, the National Football League.
Clark and Williams recently visited Palm Beach, Florida, alongside two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning to participate in a panel entitled `The Changing Face of Sports and Its Impact on the NFL.` During the panel, Williams spoke directly to NFL owners, stating that while the talent and skill of female athletes has always been present, women`s sports are now `finally` receiving the recognition they deserve.
`I believe we have had incredibly talented women athletes for a very long time, but it`s only now that you are noticing, and that`s the reality,` Williams told NFL team owners. She also mentioned that she and her sister, Venus Williams, often attracted larger television audiences than men`s tennis matches when they competed.
`Men are just now realizing that women have been exceptional for 50, 60 years,` she added.
Since her retirement, Williams has focused on investments through her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, but her passion for sports remains a significant part of her portfolio. Since 2020, she, her husband Alexis Ohanian, and their daughter Olympia have been part of the ownership group of Angel City FC in the National Women`s Soccer League. In March, she was also announced as the newest member of the ownership group for the Toronto Tempo, a team set to join the WNBA in 2026.
Williams also acknowledged the current generation of athletes, like Clark, for further expanding the platform for women`s sports. She jokingly suggested that Clark, named the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, would excel as a flag football player – a non-contact version of football debuting at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell noted that flag football `is generating considerable interest` for both women and men.
`It’s about investing in us,` Williams continued. `When we witness the impact of investing in women and what we can achieve, the growth potential is significant.`
Referring to her as `the GOAT,` Goodell stated that Williams `not only understands women’s sports but also business and sports, and, I believe, society.`
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth