Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian’s inaugural Athlos She Runs NYC track meet launched on Thursday, September 26, 2024, in a sold-out Icahn Stadium, with tens of thousands more watching the runners on television and online.
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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 26 - Jasmine Camacho-Quinn wins the 100m hurdles, the first event of the Athlos She Runs NYC track meet, in Icahn Stadium, on Randalls Island in Manhattan, New York City.
Photo used with permission of Athlos |
Building on the growing popularity of track and field in the USA, since the 2022 World Athletics Championships were held in Oregon, and following on the heels of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the time seemed right to Ohanian, to showcase female track stars.
He sought input from the high-performance athletes themselves to get it right.
“I think what they appreciated was the fact that our number one priority was making something that the athletes would say was the best meet of their lives and that meant asking them questions, taking their feedback,” said Ohanian, when speaking with LetsRunDotCom.
The inaugural Athlos meet featured six events, in this sequence – 100m hurdles, 100m, 400m, 800m, 1500m and 200m.
This gave Brittany Brown the opportunity to compete in the 100m-200m double. Brown’s second place finish, in the 100m, combined with her victory in the 200m, earned her $85,000.
Only the best and fastest women in the world, at each discipline, were invited to compete. The star-studded line-up of Olympic, World Athletics and Diamond League champions and medalists did not disappoint. The ladies, like the Athlos event, professional ladies’ track meet, followed by Megan Thee Stallion’s concert, lived up to expectations.
Here are the winners and their times.
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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 26 - Faith Kipyegon, winner of the 1500m, undefeated at this distance since June 21, sports her Tiffany & Co. crown. Photo used with permission of Athlos September 26, 2024 © Kevin R Morris, all rights reserved |
Each victor received US$60,000 and a custom-designed Tiffany & Co. crown.
Additionally, “10% of all revenues from ticketing, commercial sponsorship and broadcast was redistributed to all participating athletes,” according to the Athlos website.
The track meet was not only exciting. It was profitable and accessible worldwide.
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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 26 - Competitors strive to reach the 100m finish line first, in the Athlos She Runs NYC track meet. Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith won, earning US$60,000. Brittany Brown's second place finish was worth $25,000. She added $60k with her victory in the 200m later that evening, edging out Gabby Thomas, the Olympic champion Photo used with permission of Athlos September 26, 2024 © Ashe Davis / ShayShotIt, all rights reserved |
“It’s a global sport. Lots of people want to watch it. We should make it as easy as possible to watch it,” stated Ohanian, in the same LetsRunDotCom interview.
Three of Athlos’ broadcast partners were ESPN, YouTube and X, making She Runs NYC available to everyone on the planet with a television or an internet-connected device.
When run.outsideonline.com’s Abby Levene asked Ohanian why he was betting on women’s sport, he explained, “This is, first and foremost, a great investment opportunity.”
He continued, “The personalities of these women are so dynamic, so interesting, so varied. Once media and brands really start catching up, they’re going to find a treasure trove of personalities to invest in, storylines, brand opportunities.”
If Ohanian succeeds in converting last year’s viewers, including 93,000 on X, into committed Athlos supporters, he looks set to replicate the financial success that he experienced when he purchased the National Women’s Soccer League Angel City Football Club.
2024 may be the financial turning point for women’s sports. Male allies, like Ohanian, are bringing together the expertise, marketing and money to start levelling a heretofore uneven, gender-biased playing surface.
The Professional Women's Hockey League saw increasing crowds and growing fan demand for merchandise during their initial season. The PWHL exceeded their 2024 revenue projections.
Caitlin Clark’s popularity as an amateur athlete, was a major catalyst that inspired new attendance records, in arenas, on TV and online, increased ticket revenues and the popularity of the WNBA during their 2024 season. Several games had to be relocated to larger arenas, after fan demand sold out the original venues.
The Clark-Angel Reese rivalry, frequently harped on by sports journalists, added plenty of fuel to the Women's National Basketball Association flame, fanning it even brighter.
These two record-setting WNBA rookies, took huge pay cuts, if you compare their WNBA salaries to their college NIL (name image likeness) deals.
Estimated value of their NIL deals
Caitlin Clark: $3.1-3.5 million
Angel Reese: $1.8 million
Reese and Clark were the only two rookies who earned a spot on the Team WNBA roster for the 2024 All-Star Game. The dynamic duo temporarily extinguished the hopes of the rivalry lovers, with a high five, while teaming up to help defeat the WNBA players, who were selected to represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics.
During the mid 2020’s, an increasing number of American-based professional female athletes are earning a living wage. This is mainly true for the top performers in each league or sport.
There are still significant gender disparities in pay. Probably the most extreme case is the difference between male NBA players and female WNBA players, even though the NBA owns both leagues.
The minimum NBA salary was $1,157,153 during the 2024-25 season, according to Sports Illustrated.
https://www.si.com/nba/what-minimum-nba-salary-2024-25
WNBA salaries “range from a minimum of $66,000 to a super maximum contract of $250,000” according to Sports Illustrated.
https://www.si.com/wnba/highest-paid-wnba-players-now-and-all-time
American and Canadian women’s professional sports are providing more domestic opportunities for girls who dream of becoming full-time career athletes.
However, much more must be done to support all competitors, especially financing the developmental years of amateur high-performance athletes, until they sign their first professional contract. Significantly increased media exposure is needed for all female athletes – collegiate and pros.
Half of the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s six inaugural teams in 2024, were based in Canadian cities – Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. The PWHL added Seattle and Vancouver in 2025.
The Northern Super League had its first kickoff in April 2025. It features six professional women’s soccer clubs, which play from coast to coast, in Canada. The NSL timed their launch perfectly, with the men’s 2026 FIFA World Cup being jointly hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico next year.
In 2025, the Golden State Valkyries became the WNBA’s first expansion team since 2008. The Toronto Tempo will hit the hard wood, in the 2026 season, with financial and marketing support from Serena Williams.
Serena is already using her personal brand to promote the first WNBA team outside of the USA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8vIDxKVcfs
Did I neglect to mention that another tennis pro, Billie Jean King, a driving force behind the formation of the Women’s Tennis Association, who fought to get women equal pay for equal work on the court, played a pivotal role in the formation of the PWHL?
I end with Ms. King’s words, borrowed from a CBC interview, that should apply to all women’s pro sports.
“Finally giving women's professional hockey players the structure, the support, and the platform they deserve — that hockey deserves. I proudly stand here celebrating these trailblazers, and the best part is we are just getting started.”
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