As my colleague Puya Partow-Navid recently wrote, popular or viral phrases in the sports world are often the subjects of trademark registrations. Women’s sports are no exception. 2024 was a banner year for women’s sports, including the rise of stars like Caitlin Clark and Ilona Maher, the continued dominance of Simone Biles, another gold medal win by the U.S. Women’s soccer team, and the growth of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).
Throughout 2024, shirts began popping up at sporting events with a simple, but powerful phrase: “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports.” (Full disclosure: I own one of these shirts). These shirts were created by Togethxr, a company founded by soccer legend Alex Morgan; snowboarder Chloe Kim; swimmer Simone Manuel; and WNBA legend Sue Bird. The shirts were worn by, among others, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Ted Lasso actor Jason Sudekis. Sue Bird gave Jimmy Fallon one of the shirts when she appeared on his show. In summer 2024, then-President Joe Biden uttered the phrase “everyone watches women’s sports” when he welcomed the team that won the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) championship, NY/NJ Gotham FC, to the White House. (Another disclosure: I am a Gotham FC season ticket holder). During the Paris Olympics, versions of the shirts in French—“Tout Le Monde Regarde Le, Sport Feminin”—could be seen at many Olympic events.
Unsurprisingly, Togethxr (under its actual entity name, AXM LLC) moved quickly to apply for trademark registration for “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” in International Classes 18 and 25, for shirts, sweatshirts, and tote bags (Serial No. 98,494,687). The company applied for the trademark registration on April 11, 2024, asserting a first use on shirts and sweatshirts in December 2023 and a first use on tote bags in March 2024. The USPTO published the application for opposition on November 30, 2024. No one came forward to oppose, and the mark was registered on January 14, 2025 (Registration No. 7,652,404). Togethxr has some other pending applications, which hints at its ambitions and potential growth: TOGETHXR for use in connection with “entertainment services” (Serial No. 90,657,685); UNSOLICITED ADVICE for use in connection with “advertising and marketing services” (Serial No. 98379787); and TGXR for use in connection with a number of goods and services ranging from apparel to “entertainment services” (Serial No. 90,657,704).
In just over a year from the first asserted use, Togethxr had a registered trademark for a phrase that became a viral phenomenon over the course of 2024. As women’s sports continue to grow in popularity, the trademarks associated with those sports will be critically important and valuable, not only for sports leagues, teams, players, but also—as Togethxr shows—for viral phrases and other aspects of women’s sports. We’ll be watching for sure!