Sue Bird Dished on Popular Slogan ‘Everyone Watches Women’s Sports’ on SI Swimsuit Set

The saying was coined by TOGETHXR, the media company founded by Bird and other female athletes.

Sue Bird was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

If we had only one expression to describe former WNBA star Sue Bird, it would be “difference-maker.” Of course, that term includes her historic career on the court. During her decades-long career, the 44-year-old established herself as the League’s all-time assists leader, helped lead the Seattle Storm to four WNBA Championships and secured five Olympic gold medals. And that’s only a brief overview of her basketball accolades.

While giving her all on the basketball court, the UConn alum was likewise working towards larger objectives. She didn’t simply want to lead the Storm to victory; she wanted to lead the League and the women’s sports world at large to a better place. She wanted to leave her sport—and all professional women’s sports—better than she found them.

Bird was keyed on sports equity from the start. And her ambitions and hard work came to fruition in 2021 when she founded TOGETHXR alongside Alex Morgan and a handful of other female athletes. Though it’s been around for a few years now, the company started to garner a lot more attention throughout the past year.

The company owes the spike, in part, to a particularly popular T-shirt that they released. “Recently, we made a T-shirt that says on the front, ‘Everyone Watches Women’s Sports.’ It’s like wildfire, it caught on amazingly well,” the New York native explained during the brand Legends photo shoot in Hollywood, Fla. “It’s not about the actual selling of the shirt. It’s that when people wear it, they believe in it. It’s really been a big part of the push around women’s sports we’ve seen recently, so I’m really proud of that.”

Sue Bird was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. Suit by Alice + Olivia. Shoes by Nike. Jewelry by Charlie Lapson. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Bird and her cofounders wanted to send a message—one that has been substantiated this past year by the viewership numbers for various women’s sporting events.

For Bird, though, it’s not just about the national phenomena (the sold-out T-shirts and the big statements). It’s about giving women athletes their flowers. That’s what made her 2022 SI Swimsuit debut in St. Thomas so special. “It was such a wonderful expression of women’s empowerment and celebrating what WNBA players were doing on the court and off the court,” she remarked on the set of her second feature. “To think of all the other women and their stories, and just really understanding that this is about empowerment and showing the differences between all of us, but that’s a good thing. It’s really special to be a part of something like this.”

Well said. It’s sentiments like that that make Bird the brand—and sports—legend that she is.