For decades, women’s teams have been sidelined by the sports economy—underfunded, under-promoted, and undervalued. Much like the healthcare industry’s long neglect of menopause—a market projected to reach $28 billion by 2033—the sports industry has overlooked one of its most powerful assets: women. As media coverage and sponsorship dollars finally started to take notice, a long-overlooked fan base is surging to the forefront. Once confined to niche corners of the internet, these fans are now driving record-breaking viewership and attendance, leaving brands scrambling to tap in.
Talent has never been in short supply, but the infrastructure to support it was. Sponsorship deals have disproportionately favored men’s leagues; a Wasserman report found that media coverage of women’s sports hovered at a dismal 15% in 2023. Even the highest-performing female athletes have routinely earned a fraction of what their male counterparts make.
The 2024 WNBA No. 1 draft pick, Caitlin Clark, is guaranteed just $76,000 in her first year—compared to the NBA’s top pick, who will take home $10 million. And on Forbes’ annual list of the 100 highest-paid athletes? Not a single woman could be recognized.
Togethxr Is Changing the Business of Women’s Sports
But companies like Togethxr are changing that. Founded by four of the most dominant athletes of their generation—Alex Morgan, Sue Bird, Chloe Kim, and Simone Manuel—Togethxr is a media and commerce brand dedicated to elevating women in sports and culture.
In the past year alone, women’s sports have shattered records. The 2024 NCAA women’s basketball championship outearned the men’s final, pulling in 18.9 million viewers compared to the men’s 14.8 million. The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup was watched by nearly 2 billion people worldwide, making it the most-viewed women’s sporting event in history. Attendance and TV ratings for the WNBA, National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), and Women’s Super League (WSL) are soaring. Angel City FC, in its inaugural season, averaged 19,313 fans per game at BMO Stadium, leading the NWSL in attendance. And at the 2024 Paris Olympics, women athletes comprised nearly half of the participants, marking a historic achievement in gender parity.
Deloitte forecasted that 2024 women’s pro sports revenue would surpass $1 billion for the first time—a 300% increase from 2021. It did. This isn’t a fleeting moment or passing fad—it’s a seismic shift in how women’s athletic contributions are valued. And now that the money is flowing, salivating brands, sponsors, and investors won’t just be paying attention—they will be scrambling to stake their claim.
Even though the numbers make the investment opportunity clear, corporate dollars and media attention still lag behind the demand.
How Togethxr Is Elevating Female Athletes
That’s where companies like Togethxr step in. The media and commerce brand amplifies female athletes on social media, showing how adversity has honed their personal stories to be complex, compelling, and diverse and proving their commercial power. It produces films, docuseries, and specials that spotlight professional and up-and-coming athletes, giving their journeys an often poetic cinematic treatment with a delightful tendency to go viral.
Since its founding in 2021, Togethxr has amassed over 3.1M followers across its social platforms, the bulk of which is found on TikTok with 2.5M followers. The TikTok audience skews younger, providing valuable insight into Togethxr’s reach: Gen Z thinks women’s sports are cool. According to a report by World Data Lab, Gen Z’s spending power is expected to grow to $12T by 2030.
Togethxr is capitalizing on Gen Z’s spending power (and every other generation’s) through their apparel. And it’s a marketing masterclass. Clapping back at the old, dismissive, and misogynistic trope of “Nobody watches women’s sports,” Togethxr’s T-shirts, hoodies, and totes all rep one slogan: “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports.” By June of 2024, the company reported $3M in T-shirt sales alone. Everyone from Dawn Staley, the coach of the University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball team, to Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis were seen sporting the famous cotton T-shirts courtside, and it was repped all over at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Meet the Founders Reshaping Women’s Sports
WNBA legend Sue Bird, Soccer star Alex Morgan, Olympic swimming gold medalist Simone Manuel, and Olympic snowboarding champion Chloe Kim are Groundbreaking Women on Worth’s 2025 list for their help reshaping the entire culture around women’s sports. And though they need no introduction, we invite you to meet the founders:
Sue Bird is one of the most decorated basketball players in history, redefining the point guard position over her 21-year WNBA career. Selected first overall by the Seattle Storm in the 2002 WNBA Draft, Bird led the franchise to four championships (2004, 2010, 2018, 2020) and was named to a record 13 WNBA All-Star teams. Internationally, she cemented her legacy as a cornerstone of Team USA, winning five Olympic gold medals (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) and four FIBA World Cup golds, making her the most decorated athlete in FIBA World Cup history.
Bird has tirelessly advocated for gender equity, LGBTQ+ rights, and athlete empowerment. She has used her platform to champion social justice, working on initiatives that address pay disparities in women’s sports and promoting voter engagement. Her retirement in 2022 marked the end of an era on the court, but her influence continues to shape the future of sports and beyond.
A two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion (2015, 2019) and Olympic gold medalist (2012), Alex Morgan is one of her generation’s most decorated soccer players. Over her career, she scored 123 international goals—fifth-most in U.S. history—and was named to the FIFA FIFPro World XI multiple times, including in 2019 and 2023. Morgan has been integral to the U.S. Women’s National Team’s success, from her dramatic overtime header against Canada in the 2012 Olympics to leading the team in both World Cup victories.
At the club level, Morgan helped launch San Diego Wave FC, where she became a standout player and a fan favorite. She played there until her retirement in September 2024, ending her career as one of the most prominent figures in women’s soccer.
Off the field, Morgan has been a fierce advocate for gender equity in sports, playing a key role in the USWNT’s fight for equal pay, which culminated in the landmark 2022 settlement with U.S. Soccer. Now, she’s bringing the same competitive drive that made her a global icon to reshape women’s sports business.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Simone Manuel became the first Black woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal, securing the 100-meter freestyle title with an Olympic-record time of 52.70 seconds. In a sport dominated by white athletes, Manuel became an icon for young Black swimmers who could suddenly see themselves on the podium. She won two silver medals at the 2016 Olympics: one in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay and the other in the 50-meter freestyle. She also added another gold to her collection in the 4×100-meter medley relay. Four Olympic medals made her one of the most decorated swimmers of the Games.
A passionate advocate for mental health, Manuel has openly discussed her experiences with overtraining syndrome after Rio, highlighting the importance of mental health in sports. Her resilience and advocacy continue to inspire, and her work with Togethxr champions female athletes, elevates the sport, and amplifies the voices of Black athletes who often feel like they have to swim upstream.
Finally, Chloe Kim is regarded as one of the most dominant snowboarding athletes. Born in 2000 to South Korean immigrant parents, Chloe Kim skyrocketed to fame early. At just 17, she became the youngest woman to win Olympic gold in snowboarding at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games—a record she still holds. Her near-perfect 98.25 score in the halfpipe made her a global sensation.
Beyond her Olympic success, Kim has claimed multiple X Games gold medals. She is known for her skill and precision in executing complex tricks, including the “frontside 1080,” a feat that only a few athletes can land consistently.
As one of the few women of color in a sport dominated by white male athletes, Kim has become a powerful role model for young girls, particularly those of Asian descent. Her success, paired with her openness about navigating mental health challenges—such as her struggles with pressure and self-doubt, which she’s shared in interviews and on social media—has made her a key advocate for mental health in women’s sports. Kim has also directly challenged gender disparities in snowboarding, highlighting the unequal prize money for female athletes, the lack of female representation in snowboarding media coverage, and the often limited sponsorship opportunities compared to their male counterparts. Her influence is shifting the landscape for women in the sport, pushing for more equality in both visibility and opportunity.
These four founders built Togethxr to demonstrate the overlooked value of women’s sports, batting sponsors over the head with stats that have long been available yet mind-bogglingly ignored. The company isn’t just filling a gap—it’s reshaping an industry that has long underestimated the value of women’s sports.
