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Listen "100. "Treat it like a business, not a charity” - Alexis Ohanian on Women’s Sports, Live from the Sport Industry Forum"
Episode Synopsis
Today’s episode of The Mettleset Podcast is brought to you by New Balance 👟We’re taking you straight to Abu Dhabi for a conversation that had everyone talking.Recorded live at the Sport Industry Forum 2025 (October 1–2, Yas Marina Circuit), this special episode features Alexis Ohanian - entrepreneur, investor, and, as we like to call him, women’s sport’s biggest hype man - in conversation with Chris McHardy, Head of Sport at Dubai Eye 103.8.The Reddit and 776 co-founder, Angel City FC backer, Chelsea FC Women investor, and founder of Athlos, Ohanian shares why he believes sport is the ultimate “anti-AI bet” - a human story that can’t be automated, commodified, or replicated.He explains why women’s sport is not a charity play but a massively undervalued asset class, with billion-dollar potential hiding in plain sight. From turning Angel City FC into a $280 million success story to launching a new global track-and-field league built like a tech startup, Ohanian reveals how he’s using data, community, and storytelling to prove the doubters wrong — and why connection, not comparison, is driving the next wave of growth.As a girl dad and relentless builder, he’s betting on what makes us most human, sport itself.If you weren’t a believer before, you might just be after this one. 🎧🌍 Stay Connected with - and support - The Mettleset📥 Newsletter: Sign up for athlete stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and women’s sports news from MENA and beyond📸 Instagram: @themettleset💼 LinkedIn: The Mettleset on LinkedIn🎙️ CreditsHost: Dawn BarnableSpeakers: Alexis Ohanian & Chris McHardyRecorded live at: Sport Industry Forum 2025, Abu DhabiProduced by: The Mettleset's Diya Vergis 🚲 The Mettleset is a multimedia platform and online community dedicated to sharing stories of underrepresented athletes and underreported sports from the Middle East and beyond. With a mission to diversify the sporting ecosystem, it is one of the first and only sports platforms in the Middle East to put women in sport first, while also featuring niche sporting communities such as action and endurance sports.I hope you enjoy the episode!Dawn
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