Founded by arguably the greatest athletes of all time, TOGETHXR is in its second year of providing a platform for representation and equality in the sports world. Four-time FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion Alex Morgan, two-time Olympic gold snowboarder Chloe Kim, two-time Olympic silver and gold freestyle swimmer Simone Manuel and WNBA legend Sue Bird came together to build a community brand dedicated to uplifting female athletes.
According to PitchBook, the company is a retailer of women’s fashion products such as hoodies, jackets, t-shirts and joggers, and amplifies women’s voices in sports media. TOGETHXR co-founder and Chief Content Officer Jessica Robertson have spoken about how powerful a digital media presence is in reaching gender equity in sports.
“Of all sports coverage, only around 4% is dedicated to women’s sports — and that doesn’t even begin to address the quality, breadth and diversity of that coverage,” said Robertson in an interview with FutureVision. “TOGETHXR exists to disrupt that cycle … We approach the storytelling with care and authenticity and then build a community around that storytelling and this brand and our goal.”
“Women in sports are not just one thing anymore,” Morgan said to Harper’s BAZAAR. “We have interests outside of sports, although it is the one thing that brings so many of us together. It was important to give a space and platform to all girls and women who feel like sports are a part of their life, in a big way or small.”
“[To have] something like TOGETHXR back then, it would have blown my mind,” commented Bird, who got drafted to the WNBA in 2002 – a totally different time in terms of acceptance. She expressed feeling trapped in a box, something she had to prove herself out of. “Just speaking as a gay athlete, that’s how I feel our society kind of ran. And so as a little kid, you internalize that … Imagine if I could have seen a world where being gay didn’t have any kind of negative effect.”
The women’s-focused media brand is working on rewriting stereotypes regarding female athletes. As stated in its mission statement, TOGETHXR features culture, style, social justice and everyday game changers. “We want to be champions for every young woman who dares to dream. Whose ambition deserves celebration. Whose potential is powerful. There’s never been a place dedicated to her story. A place that saw her in a way others did not. A place that heard her and elevated her voice. And gave her shoulders to stand on. We got tired of waiting for someone to build it. So we did.”
The brand has built a loyal following across multiple social media platforms, with 2.1 million followers on TikTok and over 123,000 on Instagram. On its YouTube channel – which has about 88,700 subscribers – the brand showcases document-like episodes on female athletes and their day-to-day lives. TOGETHXR’s most viral video is Episode 3 of “Dreams Keep Driving,” which features three-time Olympic medalist April Ross and first overall 2008 WNBA draft pick, Candace Parker. There is also a series called “More Than A Name,” highlighting female athletes who have been sidelined in media coverage because of their male relatives such as Mimi O’Neal, Jasmine Jordan and Maya Brady. “This is a brand that is going to touch issues of race, gender, sexuality, human rights, voting rights and so much more,” said Robertson in an interview with Fast Company. “Women’s sports and female athletes have been so far ahead of culture that culture has to catch up with these women, and a brand like ours isn’t waiting for
