{"id":22743,"date":"2025-10-14T19:20:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T19:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=22743"},"modified":"2025-10-14T19:20:57","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T19:20:57","slug":"after-declaring-victory-in-year-one-athlos-goes-bigger-with-brands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=22743","title":{"rendered":"After \u2018declaring victory\u2019 in year one, Athlos goes bigger with brands"},"content":{"rendered":"

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There\u2019s almost always something unusual to see in Times Square, and this month, it was a long-jump track.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, athletes including Olympic gold medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall made their qualifying jumps under the lights of the Big Apple to kick off the second year of Athlos NYC, a women-only track and field competition founded in 2024 by Alexis Ohanian. Tonight, the three winners\u2014Davis-Woodhall, Quanesha Burks, and Jasmine Moore\u2014will go on to compete in a long jump at Icahn Stadium on Randall\u2019s Island in NYC, where Athlos is also hosting six track events, followed by a Ciara concert.<\/p>\n

Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit, husband to Serena Williams, and an early investor in the NWSL team Angel City FC, said at a press event Thursday that he stood up the event to spotlight track athletes outside of Olympic years and aimed to blend \u201cmusic, culture, and sport\u201d as a way to attract attendees, viewers, and brands. This year\u2019s new field event, plus plans for a league on the horizon, has led to increased sponsor interest, Athlos CMO Kayla Green said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the commercial side, no question the traction is there,\u201d Green told Marketing Brew. \u201cSome of our partners this year are multiyear partners, so they see the value in this in the long run, even as we\u2019re going to take a dramatic shift in the competitive style of the events next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

In lights<\/h2>\n

During Athlos\u2019s first year, Green said organizers were largely focused on \u201cproduct-market fit\u201d and earning athlete trust. When the competitors gave positive feedback, it was \u201cthe proof that we needed to say, \u2018Let\u2019s keep going,\u2019\u201d Green said.<\/p>\n

The spotlight is meant to shine most brightly on the athletes, but as with any major sporting event, sponsors are eager to share it. Toyota is back for a second year as a sponsor, and new brands include Cash App and Instacart, Green said; Essentia, SharkBeauty, and Tower 28 are also activating.<\/p>\n

Athlos\u2019s pitch to sponsors hinges on storytelling opportunities with track and field athletes, made possible because Athlos owns the rights to all of its content, including the broadcast, Green said. Her team touted the 3 million viewers the competition drew last year, and the difference in interest due to that figure was \u201cstriking,\u201d Ohanian told press Thursday. He estimated revenue was 3x\u20134x higher this year than last \u201cas a result of the fact that we were able to declare victory after that first event.\u201d<\/p>\n

Athlete pay is a major focus for the organization, and for the second year in a row, all competing athletes will receive 10% of event revenue. There\u2019s also a $60,000 prize and a Tiffany & Co. crown for first-place winners. In addition, brand partners are providing additional perks for competitors, Green said:<\/p>\n