CNN
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When entrepreneur and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian started to think about investing in women’s soccer, opposition to the idea came from an unlikely source: His wife, tennis legend Serena Williams.

“When I first told Serena I was gonna buy or start a women’s soccer team here in the States, she actually tried to talk me out of it, because I think she had been so exposed to the infrastructure around women’s sports,” Ohanian explained to CNN Sports.

“Because of her lived experience, she actually was trying to talk me out of it because she had to kick down a lot of doors.”

Ohanian, who this month purchased a minority stake in England’s Chelsea FC Women, explained that such close proximity to the 23-time grand slam singles champion and her sister, Venus, showed “proof of the business viability of women’s professional sports.”

Ohanian was the founding investor of Angel City FC, a Los Angeles-based team that began playing in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in 2022 – the top division of the women’s game in the US. The club then became the most valuable women’s professional sports team in the world after a huge takeover agreement in 2024.

Ohanian, whose investment in Chelsea is reported by British media to be worth more than $26 million for a 10% share of the club, is just one of many putting cash into women’s sports.

His investment announcement comes in the same month as the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty reportedly raised capital from investors at $450 million in what is thought to be a record valuation for a professional women’s sports franchise, according to The Athletic, who cited sources familiar with the deal.

Meanwhile, Ohanian’s wife, Serena, is a minority owner of Angel City and Tiger Woods’ and Rory McIlroy’s innovative golf league the TGL, the Miami Dolphins – along with sister Venus – and in March, announced her ownership role in the expansion Canadian WNBA franchise, the Toronto Tempo.

Ohanian said that he saw the reluctance of others to invest in women’s soccer as an opportunity.

“When experts in a space try to talk me out of it, that’s actually when I tend to lean in more because it tells me that sort of dissent or that pushback is usually where there’s a tremendous opportunity for innovation and progress,” he said.

Opportunity and ‘work to be done’

The 42-year-old Ohanian announced the deal to invest in Chelsea Women earlier in May, saying he was “proud” to help the “iconic club” – already one of the most successful teams in women’s soccer – become the most popular Women’s Super League (WSL) team in the US.

“I think a lot of well-intentioned people historically have supported women’s sports in a way that … actually held it back because it was viewed too much as charity, or they led with things like, ‘Oh, I’m doing this because I have a daughter,’” he told CNN. “No, I’m doing this because I think these are tremendous athletes.”

He added that sports and incredible athletes are going to thrive in a time of growing use of artificial intelligence because “the types of entertainment that are going to endure are the ones that are fundamentally human.”

In 2024, Ohanian founded Athlos, a women’s-only track and field event that debuted later that year. The event offers $60,000 for race winners and aims to champion female athletes across the world.

“One of the north stars for me five years ago – when I started on this journey of building, investing in and around women’s professional sports – has been: This investment isn’t just in the clubs, it’s in the surrounding infrastructure that’s gonna flow through every level of women’s sports.

“For 100 years, professional sports has been by men for men. And when there have been women and women’s teams, in many ways, they’ve been literally treated as just small men, which is pretty ridiculous, right?” he explained to CNN Sports.

Ohanian said that teams like Chelsea, who this month secured a sixth consecutive WSL title, a domestic treble and remained unbeaten for 22 consecutive games, offer “a chance to show folks something really, really special.”

“I’m glad the discourse has now shifted where people are realizing there’s real opportunity here, but there’s still so much more work to be done, and I really believe that this club could and should be the first billion dollar franchise, billion dollar club in women’s sports.”

CNN
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After an incredibly disappointing domestic season, the Europa League final was seen as a chance for salvation for Manchester United – a ray of light in a dark campaign.

But after Wednesday’s defeat in Bilbao to fellow Premier League bottom-dweller Tottenham Hotspur, what does the future hold for the club and, in particular, manager Ruben Amorim?

Wednesday’s result caps off a historically poor season for United, missing out on the Champions League next year as a result and the substantial financial windfall that comes with it.

Amorim, who was hired by the club in November after the firing of Erik ten Hag, has overseen the team’s slide down the Premier League table.

The Red Devils currently sitting 16th, far outside the European qualification positions, and suffering a club-record 18 defeats along the way, the most in a single campaign since the Premier League was launched in 1992. Not to mention, the club is on course for its worst-ever Premier League finish.

The Europa League final offered United – and similarly Spurs – a chance to redeem an underwhelming campaign with a trophy and a spot in European soccer’s top club competition, but defeat brings into focus how much work needs to be done during the offseason.

Despite only being hired six months ago, Amorim faced questions from the media about his own future at the club after defeat in Spain, refusing to rule out leaving if the owners decide he isn’t the right man for the job.

“I have nothing to show to the fans,” the Portuguese manager told reporters. “So, in this moment it is a little bit of faith. Let’s see. I am always open. If the board and fans feel I am not the right guy, I will go the next day without any conversation about compensation.

“But I will not quit. I am really confident in my job. And as you see, I will not change anything in the way I do things.”

While Amorim was uncertain about his future, he appears to have the support of United’s players, with two of the senior members of the squad voicing their support for him.

Left-back Luke Shaw said Amorim is “100% the right man” for the United manager job and star midfielder Bruno Fernandes concurred.

“I don’t think what happened this season shows exactly what he is as a manager,” Fernandes told TNT Sports. “Obviously, the results always talk louder, but I do think he’s the right manager for the future of this club.”

The mood was understandably somber among United’s players and coaches after the defeat Wednesday night, as their last chance to salvage any glimmer of positivity from a disappointing season slipped away.

Many key players took the opportunity to reflect on the poor campaign, with England international Shaw apologizing for the team’s performances throughout the year.

“It’s hard to put into words, the season, but I think for a club like Manchester United, it’s not really good enough,” Shaw told reporters. “I think definitely me and I think all of us have to question ourselves tonight. Are we good enough to be here? Because this club, this season, it’s not acceptable.

“We know that and it’s down to us. I think we have to look at ourselves. Something has to change.”

One thing that will likely change over the summer will be the squad. There are some players whose contracts are expiring – Victor Lindelöf and Christian Eriksen’s deals run out this year – while there are others who have been linked with moves away.

Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho has been linked with a move and speculation will only increase after he expressed frustration after Wednesday’s final, saying: “Obviously, it’s hard for everyone. Our season was sh*t. We didn’t beat anyone in the league. We lacked a lot of things.

“Until we reached the final, I played every round. And I played 20 minutes today – I don’t know. I’m going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens next.”

Similarly, 20-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo has reportedly attracted interest from other clubs and could be on the move. Even United captain Fernandes has been linked away from the north of England, with clubs in Saudi Arabia reportedly sniffing around a transfer.

Fernandes has been one of the shining lights for United over recent years, despite the club’s poor form, but even he admitted he could move this summer if the board decides to “cash in.”

“I’ve always said I will be here until the club says to me that it’s time to go,” the 30-year-old said, per The Athletic. “I’m eager to do more, to be able to bring the club to great days. In the day that the club thinks that I’m too much or it’s time to part ways, football is like this, you never know it.

“But I’ve always said it and I keep my word in the same way. If the club thinks it’s time to part ways because they want to do some cash in or whatever, it’s what it is, and football sometimes is like this.”

There appears to be a cloud hanging over Manchester United – its final game of the season at home to Aston Villa on Sunday is sure to be a morose affair – and it appears a lot of work is needed for the Red Devils to return to the heights of years past.

CNN
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The controversial “tush push” play will not be banned for the upcoming NFL season.

A vote on whether the tush push would be permitted going forward was tabled at an owners meeting in April, but its fate was once again up for debate when they reconvened at the Spring League Meeting on Wednesday in Minnesota. In order to pass any motion, there needs to be a 75% majority in favor of the rule change among NFL owners, with 24 out of 32 votes needed.

The short-yardage play, which involves the multiple offensive players pushing the quarterback a few yards as the offensive line pushes forward, has been a key element in the Eagles’ success of late, helping the team in its quest to lift the Lombardi Trophy this past season.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported 10 teams voted against the ban.

The Philadelphia Eagles, who have popularized the play with their success when using it, celebrated the news of the tush push play with a photo on X that has the words “Push On.” The photo the Eagles used with the post, notably, was a Philadelphia game against the Green Bay Packers. The Packers had submitted a proposal to outlaw it on safety and competitiveness grounds.

Retired Eagles center Jason Kelce joined the cause for his former team in persuading enough support to avoid the ban, traveling to Minnesota to speak at the meeting.

After the vote, Kelce declined to speak to the media, according to reporters on site.

“(Kelce) was very articulate and gave his description,” NFL competition committee chairman Rich McKay said. “We heard from the Eagles. Then we heard from a lot of teams in the room. We watched some video and took all the necessary vote counts and realized that was not a rule that was ready to be passed.

“I’d say it’s not disappointing for me, for our committee, for the committees that did the work, because it takes 24 votes to pass anything. We don’t set a low bar.”

The amended proposal had recommended that pushing or pulling a runner “in any direction at any time” or lifting him to his feet would be banned, meaning the tush push and any other play where the player with the ball is pushed, pulled or lifted would be outlawed.

On the eve of the vote, the Packers amended their proposal to focus on the banning of offensive players “assisting the runner.”

The tush push rose to prominence a few years ago when the Eagles began deploying it in short-yardage situations.

It is a running play in which the ball is snapped to the quarterback, who then plunges forward into the offensive line. While the linemen push forward, the quarterback is then pushed from behind by a tight end and a running back, akin to a scrum in rugby.

The combined efforts usually result in a short-yardage gain that is enough for either a first down or a touchdown and the Eagles’ version of the play is usually unstoppable.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts – who is the person with the ball in his hands and is being pushed from behind – has benefitted greatly from this play, with the majority of his 52 rushing touchdowns over the last four seasons coming from the tush push.

It became a key driving factor in the team reaching the Super Bowl two years ago and in their title success last season.

Like many other aspects across the NFL, other teams have tried to adopt the tush push with varying success, while the Eagles remain the masters of it.

Despite the success of the tush push, it has become a controversial play, with some arguing it takes away competitiveness and makes football less exciting.

The play, which bears similarities to the old-school quarterback sneak, has also led to safety concerns, with players pushing against one another with all their force in such close proximity.

Green Bay, which was beaten handily by the Eagles in the wild-card round of the playoffs as Philadelphia went on to win Super Bowl LIX, was the team to table the motion to ban the play, with CEO and team president Mark Murphy saying the tush push was “bad for the game.”

“There is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less,” Murphy added. “We should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner. This would bring back the traditional QB sneak. That worked pretty well for Bart Starr and the Packers in the Ice Bowl (in 1967).”

The rule proposal submitted by the Packers suggested that the rules change to “prohibit an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap.”

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott – one of three coaches on the league’s competition committee – said that the Packers’ proposal “takes away the force” of the play, prioritizing player welfare.

“Traditional quarterback sneaks have been around for a long time,” he previously has told reporters. “I think that’s the context of it that’s important. Then you know the pushing of it adds the force piece, which again is, I think that exponentially raises my concern.”

Ahead of the decision, Eagles stars Jordan Mailata and AJ Brown discussed the play, with both sounding unbothered by the possibility of it being outlawed.

Brown said it was “only a one-yard play,” while Mailata went as far to say he hoped it would be banned, solely because of the name.

“In terms of them banning the tush push, I hate that name, so I hope they do ban it. It’s a stupid name,” Mailata joked. “But I can’t control it. We can’t control it.

“We don’t even worry about it. Right now, we’re just installing our schemes, whatever KP (offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo) is installing that day, that’s what we’re focused on because worrying about if they’re going to ban the tush push or not, ain’t going to win us a championship.”

CNN’s Jill Martin contributed reporting.