How the T-shirt “Everyone watches women’s sports” went viral

The $45 shirt is from Togethxr, the women's sports brand founded in 2021 by a group of female professional athletes including WNBA legend Sue Bird, soccer star Alex Morgan, swimmer Simone Manuel and snowboarder Chloe Kim. It was released last December but didn't really go viral until this summer. Almost as suddenly as everyone started watching women's sports, everyone from Hollywood stars like Jason Sudekis, Chelsea Handler to athletes and fans were spotted in the statement tee. Some wore it to sit courtside at basketball games, others as street wear and still others shared it on social media to make a statement.

Since then, the momentum has only increased. During the Paris Olympics – which ended with an explosive closing ceremony on August 11 – waves of sports fans wearing the T-shirt were seen in stadiums, arenas and local cafes after the major competitions. Some wore the original T-shirt, which featured the English slogan “Everyone Watches Women's Sports,” while others wore the brand's French version, made especially for the 2024 Games, which reads: “Tout le Monde Regarde le Sport Féminin.” The brand is now considering making a Spanish version as well, it said.

“This is a reference to people saying, 'Nobody watches women's sports' – like John590 from Twitter with no profile picture,” Bird told Jimmy Fallon during an appearance on his show in March. “Now the numbers show it, which is amazing, because now we actually have data on it. In fact, everyone watches women's sports.”

Last month, the WNBA's Golden State Valkyries became the first in the league to collaborate on a top, even releasing a limited number of their cropped version in a lavender shade. Togethxr is now also selling a hoodie ($85) and tote bag ($30) with the slogan, and demand has increased so much that shipments are running late.

Togethxr Everyone is watching Women's Sports™ T-Shirt

Jess Smith, the president of the Golden State Valkyries, described the shirt as “multidimensional” as it takes into account the current state of the sport in terms of culture. She says, “The players, fans, owners and media have come together to understand their power in terms of the continued growth of women's sports.”

The viral T-shirt has found its place in an era where cheeky slogan T-shirts are on the rise – think of Kaia Gerber’s book shirts and Zendaya’s “I Told Ya” by challengerBut this is not about a T-shirt simply making a statement in the hope that everyone who reads it will take it as fact. The truth is, people Are is finally starting to give women's sport the attention it deserves.

More people watched women's sports than ever before in the first four months of 2024, according to data from the Women's Sport Trust. And Deloitte predicts that women's professional sports will surpass $1 billion in revenue for the first time this year – a 300% increase since 2021. As if that wasn't enough proof, statistics show that July's WNBA All-Star Game – which featured rising stars like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark – drew an unprecedented 3.4 million viewers on ABC, the highest viewership ever seen for a WNBA event on ESPN Networks.

“I think there's a lot to be said for changing the narrative, but that wasn't the intention. The intention was to create a product that felt like a unifying element that accurately represented the existing fanbase of women's sports and to celebrate these incredible athletes,” says Jess Robertson, co-founder and chief content officer of Togethxr. “But I think the more you see it, the more people are saying it. People are now saying it about things that have nothing to do with our shirt. It's becoming a broader truth.”

Rosa Sanchez is senior news editor at Harper's Bazaar, covering entertainment, fashion and culture news. She was previously news editor at ABC News and before that senior celebrity news editor at American Media. She has also written articles for Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Forbes and The Hollywood Reporter, among other media outlets.