Alex Morgan, Sue Bird Launch Media Platform for Millennial, Gen Z Women
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Two-time World Cup champion Alex Morgan, four-time WNBA champion Sue Bird and Olympic gold medalists Chloe Kim and Simone Manuel have launched a new media and commerce company for women called Togethxr. Magnet Companies, a private equity-backed holding company, will both fund and operate the new platform. Terms of Magnet Companies’ seed investment were not disclosed.
Morgan first floated the idea of launching her own media venture in 2019 on the heels of the USWNT’s World Cup victory—wanting to create an outlet for girls featuring content created by female athletes.
Two years later, Morgan, 31, is doing just that alongside Bird, Kim and Manuel. Drawing inspiration from LeBron James’ Uninterrupted platform and Derek Jeter’s publication, The Players’ Tribune, the new endeavor will focus on inclusive storytelling and content that highlights the convergence of culture and sport. Created specifically for young millennial and Gen Z women, the goal is to start bridging the gap between the 44% of sports participants who identify as female and the fractional amount of sports media coverage devoted to them—and serve a market of young women the founders see as hungry for content that elevates their voices.
“The opportunity that Togethxr has is to change the way we view women in the media,” co-founder Bird said in an email. “There are certain perceptions [and] depictions out there that are so narrow because the stories either haven’t been told at all, or haven’t been told in the necessary depth. A big reason for that is women only receive 4% of sports media coverage. What we aim to do is challenge this statistic and provide women with a community and a platform that has never existed before.”
Togethxr will publish new content on its social channels daily, including several video docuseries, which will premiere on YouTube. Fenom, the story of 17-year-old boxing star and 2024 Olympic hopeful Chantel “Chinanita” Navarro and Kaikaina, which follows a collective of young Hawaiian surfers, will debut this spring. Additional upcoming shows will highlight Tom Brady’s niece and UCLA softball player Maya Brady, Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad and sports broadcaster Taylor Rooks.
Longform content for streaming platforms and third-party distribution is also in the pipeline, which would help the brand grow by piggybacking off the reach of potential partners’ distribution platforms.
Togethxr plans to generate revenue through a combination of sponsorships, consumer products and its own media studio.
Financier Magnet Companies will also play a key role in growth and development. Launched in 2018 by media executives Betsy Morgan, Brett Bouttier and tech and NFL veteran Jeff Berman, Magnet Companies’ portfolio also includes false-eyelash company LoveSeen and podcast network Dear Media. All three of its co-founders will serve as Togethxr team members, alongside former Players’ Tribune head of content Jessica Robertson, Viacom CBS marketing veteran Catherine Gill and more.
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