The black T-shirt reads in bold letters: “Everyone watches women's sports.”
Over the past few months, this message has become harder to ignore. Dawn StaleyThe coach of the University of South Carolina women's basketball team caused a stir on social media in January by wearing the shirt for a pregame interview. Comedian and actor Jason Sudeikis The yellow-lettered version was worn in the women’s NCAA tournament final in April. jimmy fallon Got one on “The Tonight Show” as a gift from a recently retired WNBA star Sue Bird,
The shirt was made by a company co-founded by Ms. Bird, and has become an unofficial uniform. Women's basketball viewership There has been a surge in women's sports, and women's sports in general have seen a greater uptick as well.
Megan Ramos, 25, saw more than a dozen shirts at a WNBA game last month. “Shipping is a little behind because everybody wants them,” said Ms. Ramos, who ordered them in April.
This short-sleeved shirt, which sells for $45, was introduced by TogetherXR last December. Media and Apparel Company Created in 2021 by Ms. Bird, soccer player Alex Morgan, swimmer Simone Manuel and snowboarder Chloe Kim. (A hoodie is also available for $85.)
The slogan aims to reverse the common criticism leveled against women's sports. “It's a play on people who say, 'Nobody watches women's sports' — like, say, John590 from Twitter, who has no profile picture,” Ms Bird told Mr Fallon“Now the numbers reflect that, which is amazing, so now we actually have data for it. In fact, everybody watches women's sports.”
The 2024 NCAA women's basketball championship game was watched by more than 18 million people, outperforming the men's final. A rookie class that includes Caitlin Clarke And Angel Reese The WNBA Draft drew record viewership, and established stars such as Ah, Wilson And Breanna Stewart contributing to Boom in ticket sales For WNBA games.
The team at TogetherXR hopes the black-and-white shirt will appeal to fans of all players, no matter the team. “Not having it in certain colors, or making it athlete-specific or team-specific was intentional because we wanted it to feel universal,” said Jessica Robertson, the company's chief content officer and co-founder.
The company said it has sold $3 million worth of shirts, hoodies and tote bags with the slogan so far this year, including 20,000 products sold during three days at the end of this year’s NCAA tournament.
A similar situation arose in 2020, when The bright orange WNBA hoodie became a lasting highlight among NBA players (and Mr. Sudeikis). But Ms. Robertson said companies sometimes still assume the return on investment for women’s sporting goods will be low.
“The truth is, female sports fans have always been here,” she said. “You just have to make it available.”
Jackie Johnson, who makes videos about women’s sports on TikTok under the name Coach Jackie, said she had seen the shirts at women’s soccer games, gay bars and a recent concert for a drummer. G Flip,
Ms. Johnston, 22, said part of the shirt’s popularity can be attributed to the inherent camaraderie within a community that has long struggled to find recognition. “When a female athlete that I like wears something, I say, yeah, I want to wear that too,” she said. “You want to be like Dawn. You want to be like Kaitlyn. You want to be like Alex Morgan.”
This shirt seems designed to bridge the gap between longtime women's basketball fans and the new fans who are connecting with Caitlin Clark. The other stuff is a little more edgy.
“If you’re watching women’s basketball right now, we told you this,” reads one orange and white hoodie Playa SocietyA streetwear brand that makes women's sports apparel. Playa Society website describes the piece “This is a statement to people who knew before 2024 that women’s basketball is dope.”
Ms. Ramos, who counts herself among the new group of fans, said that when she sees others wearing the shirts in the woods, she is happy to exchange a knowing smile with them. She is already thinking about ordering one of the Togethxr hoodies.
And the company also has new products lined up, including a shirt to be released ahead of the Paris Olympics that bears a single sentence in French: “Tout le monde regarde le sport féminin.” You can probably guess what that means.