Rachel Axon
@rachelaxon.bsky.social
Current: Olympics reporter for SBJ | Past: USATODAY, Orlando Sentinel, StarNews | Runner, reader, podcast junkie | She/her
Heading into the Women's Rugby World Cup, the business of Ilona Maher is booming. From DWTS to brand deals, magazine covers to runways, she has built her platform & ascended to cultural relevance atypical of Olympic athletes.
My SBJ story.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
My SBJ story.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
Beauty, Beast, Brains... and Big Business
Ruby star Ilona Maher has built a big business that centers on helping girls and women become more confident.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
August 18, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Heading into the Women's Rugby World Cup, the business of Ilona Maher is booming. From DWTS to brand deals, magazine covers to runways, she has built her platform & ascended to cultural relevance atypical of Olympic athletes.
My SBJ story.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
My SBJ story.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
In a first for the Olympic and Paralympic movement, LA28 will sell naming rights to venues for its Games - with a nine-figure price tag.
My SBJ story on how the IOC changed policy on this, which venues could be sold and how.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
My SBJ story on how the IOC changed policy on this, which venues could be sold and how.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
LA28 to become first to sell naming rights to Olympic, Paralympic venues
In a groundbreaking move, LA28 will be able to sell venue naming rights during its Olympics and Paralympics, a change that marks a significant shift from the IOC’s longstanding policy and that stands ...
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
August 14, 2025 at 2:09 PM
In a first for the Olympic and Paralympic movement, LA28 will sell naming rights to venues for its Games - with a nine-figure price tag.
My SBJ story on how the IOC changed policy on this, which venues could be sold and how.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
My SBJ story on how the IOC changed policy on this, which venues could be sold and how.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
"Pay us what you owe us."
WNBA players making a statement at All-Star Game with t-shirts they had under their warm-ups.
This event is surely a celebration of the league and its success, but the CBA has been the focus of this weekend.
WNBA players making a statement at All-Star Game with t-shirts they had under their warm-ups.
This event is surely a celebration of the league and its success, but the CBA has been the focus of this weekend.
July 20, 2025 at 12:24 AM
"Pay us what you owe us."
WNBA players making a statement at All-Star Game with t-shirts they had under their warm-ups.
This event is surely a celebration of the league and its success, but the CBA has been the focus of this weekend.
WNBA players making a statement at All-Star Game with t-shirts they had under their warm-ups.
This event is surely a celebration of the league and its success, but the CBA has been the focus of this weekend.
Reposted by Rachel Axon
Interesting data from @rachelaxon.bsky.social and @blinkfire.com about the high social-media engagement of women's sports fans:
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
July 8, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Interesting data from @rachelaxon.bsky.social and @blinkfire.com about the high social-media engagement of women's sports fans:
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
Reposted by Rachel Axon
If you're reading about this news today, I'd encourage you to also read this 2021 story from @rachelaxon.bsky.social and @schrotenboer.bsky.social -- which, for my money, is one of the most thorough investigations that have been done on this issue to date.
www.usatoday.com/in-depth/new...
www.usatoday.com/in-depth/new...
July 3, 2025 at 1:55 PM
If you're reading about this news today, I'd encourage you to also read this 2021 story from @rachelaxon.bsky.social and @schrotenboer.bsky.social -- which, for my money, is one of the most thorough investigations that have been done on this issue to date.
www.usatoday.com/in-depth/new...
www.usatoday.com/in-depth/new...
📰In the latest SBJ women's sports newsletter, we've got:
📣 New research from The Collective digging into fan behavior
🎾 The lack of prime time spots for women at The French Open
👟 Startup footwear brands creating new models for female athletes
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/sb-blogs/new...
📣 New research from The Collective digging into fan behavior
🎾 The lack of prime time spots for women at The French Open
👟 Startup footwear brands creating new models for female athletes
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/sb-blogs/new...
SBJ Women’s Sports: What drives fan behavior?
SBJ Women’s Sports: What drives fan behavior?
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
June 10, 2025 at 11:00 PM
📰In the latest SBJ women's sports newsletter, we've got:
📣 New research from The Collective digging into fan behavior
🎾 The lack of prime time spots for women at The French Open
👟 Startup footwear brands creating new models for female athletes
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/sb-blogs/new...
📣 New research from The Collective digging into fan behavior
🎾 The lack of prime time spots for women at The French Open
👟 Startup footwear brands creating new models for female athletes
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/sb-blogs/new...
USA Gymnastics CEO Li Li Leung will step down at the end of the year. In six years at the NGB, she has led it out of crisis, instituted reforms and returned it to commercial and competitive success.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
USA Gymnastics CEO Li Li Leung to step down at end of year
USA Gymnastics CEO Li Li Leung will leave the organization at the end of the year, departing after rebuilding the national governing body of the past six years.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
June 5, 2025 at 3:11 PM
USA Gymnastics CEO Li Li Leung will step down at the end of the year. In six years at the NGB, she has led it out of crisis, instituted reforms and returned it to commercial and competitive success.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
LA28 continues its momentum in 2025 in a big way, signing Honda as its automotive sponsor. It's the sixth new sponsor this year, matching the total for all of 2024, and first tier-one sponsor in nearly four years.
My SBJ story.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
My SBJ story.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
Honda signs on as LA28 sponsor, giving Games boost as momentum builds
LA28 signed Honda to a tier-one sponsorship, marking its first new partner at the top level in nearly four years. A major financial and operational boon, Honda is the sixth new sponsor announced this ...
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
June 2, 2025 at 6:01 PM
LA28 continues its momentum in 2025 in a big way, signing Honda as its automotive sponsor. It's the sixth new sponsor this year, matching the total for all of 2024, and first tier-one sponsor in nearly four years.
My SBJ story.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
My SBJ story.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
LA28 has signed Snowflake as its official data collaboration provider, giving it a fifth new sponsor this year. www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
LA28 signs data platform Snowflake to sponsorship
LA28 has added its fifth new sponsor this year, signing Snowflake as its official data collaboration provider.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
May 27, 2025 at 3:30 PM
LA28 has signed Snowflake as its official data collaboration provider, giving it a fifth new sponsor this year. www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
You already know the news, but we've got some more details on our Sports Business Journal women's sports newsletter and how we're expanding our coverage overall.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
New SBJ vertical to focus on women’s sports
SBJ has announced a new vertical offering dedicated to women’s sports. Coverage will center around investment in the women’s leagues (both existing and emerging), athletes and start-ups focused on wom...
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
May 5, 2025 at 5:27 PM
You already know the news, but we've got some more details on our Sports Business Journal women's sports newsletter and how we're expanding our coverage overall.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
🚨 Big news 🚨
We're launching a women's sports newsletter!
Sports Business Journal subscribers can find it in their inboxes every other Tuesday, starting May 13. I am beyond excited to spearhead this effort, but it's going to leverage the expertise across our newsroom.
🧵
We're launching a women's sports newsletter!
Sports Business Journal subscribers can find it in their inboxes every other Tuesday, starting May 13. I am beyond excited to spearhead this effort, but it's going to leverage the expertise across our newsroom.
🧵
April 24, 2025 at 6:48 PM
🚨 Big news 🚨
We're launching a women's sports newsletter!
Sports Business Journal subscribers can find it in their inboxes every other Tuesday, starting May 13. I am beyond excited to spearhead this effort, but it's going to leverage the expertise across our newsroom.
🧵
We're launching a women's sports newsletter!
Sports Business Journal subscribers can find it in their inboxes every other Tuesday, starting May 13. I am beyond excited to spearhead this effort, but it's going to leverage the expertise across our newsroom.
🧵
U.S. Ski and Snowboard... and Surf and Skateboard?
Applications for both sports would have the winter NGB taking over the Olympic teams in the summer sports. But USA Surfing wants to govern its sport, opposition from IFs & legal considerations remain.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
Applications for both sports would have the winter NGB taking over the Olympic teams in the summer sports. But USA Surfing wants to govern its sport, opposition from IFs & legal considerations remain.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
U.S. Ski and Snowboard making effort to take over Olympic teams in surfing, skateboarding
U.S. Ski and Snowboard making effort to take over Olympic teams in surfing, skateboarding
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
April 18, 2025 at 5:23 PM
U.S. Ski and Snowboard... and Surf and Skateboard?
Applications for both sports would have the winter NGB taking over the Olympic teams in the summer sports. But USA Surfing wants to govern its sport, opposition from IFs & legal considerations remain.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
Applications for both sports would have the winter NGB taking over the Olympic teams in the summer sports. But USA Surfing wants to govern its sport, opposition from IFs & legal considerations remain.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
Great to see this. Can't wait to see what Alicia, Nancy and the team do here.
April 14, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Great to see this. Can't wait to see what Alicia, Nancy and the team do here.
USA Swimming has hired Greg Meehan as its national team managing director.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
USA Swimming hires Greg Meehan as national team managing director
USA Swimming hired Greg Meehan as national team managing director, putting the former Stanford women's coach in charge of the NGB's top athletes as it looks ahead to LA28.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
April 11, 2025 at 4:46 PM
USA Swimming has hired Greg Meehan as its national team managing director.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
The IOC approved the sports program for LA28, allocating more than half of the quota spots to women for the first time in Olympic history.
My story.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
My story.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
LA28 program to increase Olympic quota spots
For the first time in Olympic history, women will make up more than 50% of competitors after the International Olympic Committee approved the LA28 program.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
April 9, 2025 at 7:17 PM
The IOC approved the sports program for LA28, allocating more than half of the quota spots to women for the first time in Olympic history.
My story.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
My story.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
Reposted by Rachel Axon
If you want to read about a person who played as big a role as anyone for the growth of women's college basketball in the United States, read this from
@rachelaxon.bsky.social on Carol Stiff.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
@rachelaxon.bsky.social on Carol Stiff.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
Champions 2025: Carol Stiff
Carol Stiff went from college basketball player and coach to spend more than 30 years at ESPN helping elevate the sport she loves.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
April 8, 2025 at 5:55 PM
If you want to read about a person who played as big a role as anyone for the growth of women's college basketball in the United States, read this from
@rachelaxon.bsky.social on Carol Stiff.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
@rachelaxon.bsky.social on Carol Stiff.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
That feeling of having too much and not nearly enough reporting...
March 25, 2025 at 6:00 PM
That feeling of having too much and not nearly enough reporting...
More than history bound Anita DeFrantz and Kirsty Coventry, the former the first woman to run for IOC president and the latter the first ever to win it.
A look at what the historic win meant for both and the women in the movement.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
A look at what the historic win meant for both and the women in the movement.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
‘Proud that I could make her proud’
Kirsty Coventry made history as the first woman elected IOC president, with Anita DeFrantz looking on.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
March 24, 2025 at 7:44 PM
More than history bound Anita DeFrantz and Kirsty Coventry, the former the first woman to run for IOC president and the latter the first ever to win it.
A look at what the historic win meant for both and the women in the movement.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
A look at what the historic win meant for both and the women in the movement.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
IOC president Thomas Bach says decisions during transition will default to president-elect Kirsty Coventry.
"No decision will be taken over her head. This will happen in full consultation, and if there are different opinions between her and me, her opinion will prevail."
"No decision will be taken over her head. This will happen in full consultation, and if there are different opinions between her and me, her opinion will prevail."
March 21, 2025 at 12:02 PM
IOC president Thomas Bach says decisions during transition will default to president-elect Kirsty Coventry.
"No decision will be taken over her head. This will happen in full consultation, and if there are different opinions between her and me, her opinion will prevail."
"No decision will be taken over her head. This will happen in full consultation, and if there are different opinions between her and me, her opinion will prevail."
Kirsty Coventry becomes the first woman to head the International Olympic Committee. Winning on the first round, she becomes the IOC's 10th president.
March 20, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Kirsty Coventry becomes the first woman to head the International Olympic Committee. Winning on the first round, she becomes the IOC's 10th president.
Stunning. A result on the first vote. Name of new IOC president coming in 30 minutes...
March 20, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Stunning. A result on the first vote. Name of new IOC president coming in 30 minutes...
We're on IOC time, which usually means not the schedule. Vote now set for 4:30 p.m. local/10:30 a.m. ET.
IOC election is 30 minutes away.
With seven candidates in the field, the favorites remain Sebastian Coe, Kirsty Coventry and Juan Antonio Samaranch.
No IOC election (whose votes we have recorded) has gone past the 2nd round. But with the biggest field of any election, might we see that today?
With seven candidates in the field, the favorites remain Sebastian Coe, Kirsty Coventry and Juan Antonio Samaranch.
No IOC election (whose votes we have recorded) has gone past the 2nd round. But with the biggest field of any election, might we see that today?
March 20, 2025 at 1:52 PM
We're on IOC time, which usually means not the schedule. Vote now set for 4:30 p.m. local/10:30 a.m. ET.
IOC election is 30 minutes away.
With seven candidates in the field, the favorites remain Sebastian Coe, Kirsty Coventry and Juan Antonio Samaranch.
No IOC election (whose votes we have recorded) has gone past the 2nd round. But with the biggest field of any election, might we see that today?
With seven candidates in the field, the favorites remain Sebastian Coe, Kirsty Coventry and Juan Antonio Samaranch.
No IOC election (whose votes we have recorded) has gone past the 2nd round. But with the biggest field of any election, might we see that today?
March 20, 2025 at 1:37 PM
IOC election is 30 minutes away.
With seven candidates in the field, the favorites remain Sebastian Coe, Kirsty Coventry and Juan Antonio Samaranch.
No IOC election (whose votes we have recorded) has gone past the 2nd round. But with the biggest field of any election, might we see that today?
With seven candidates in the field, the favorites remain Sebastian Coe, Kirsty Coventry and Juan Antonio Samaranch.
No IOC election (whose votes we have recorded) has gone past the 2nd round. But with the biggest field of any election, might we see that today?
In a few hours, the IOC will elect a new president. So, time for some election math!
There are 109 members, with three absent. But 106 is not the max for a couple reasons.
First, president Thomas Bach will not vote unless the final two candidates have been tied for two rounds.
There are 109 members, with three absent. But 106 is not the max for a couple reasons.
First, president Thomas Bach will not vote unless the final two candidates have been tied for two rounds.
March 20, 2025 at 7:23 AM
In a few hours, the IOC will elect a new president. So, time for some election math!
There are 109 members, with three absent. But 106 is not the max for a couple reasons.
First, president Thomas Bach will not vote unless the final two candidates have been tied for two rounds.
There are 109 members, with three absent. But 106 is not the max for a couple reasons.
First, president Thomas Bach will not vote unless the final two candidates have been tied for two rounds.
A little livelier IOC session than normal.
Vote in just a little more than 24 hours.
Vote in just a little more than 24 hours.
March 19, 2025 at 12:34 PM
A little livelier IOC session than normal.
Vote in just a little more than 24 hours.
Vote in just a little more than 24 hours.