Rachel Axon

Small-ish update - excited to move from long-term freelance to a full-time staff writer for @SBJ. Not much changes coverage-wise, with LOTS of Paris stories coming. But a big deal for me personally, and it gives me a chance to branch to other sports later. So very happy today.

An Olympic medal can mean far more than glory 🥇 From military exemptions to cars, apartments and cash, athlete rewards vary widely by country, with gold-medal bonuses averaging $93K globally. Via @RachelAxon | ow.ly/NjMi50Y9Xuu

LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman faced calls from L.A. officials Tuesday to resign following revelations about emails he exchanged with convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, according to the @latimes. Read more: ow.ly/Izky50Y8VcX

She’s not just in the game. She’s in the front office, the boardroom, and the ownership group. Today, we celebrate the girls and women setting the sports world ablaze 🔥 Happy National Girls & Women in Sports Day to the leaders shaping the future of sports & sports business. Momentum doesn’t stop here.

A staggering statement from former Washington Post editor Marty Baron: "This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world's greatest news organizations."

Women have led Team USA’s Olympic success for more than a decade, and philanthropy is following. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation’s Women’s Investment Fund has raised $14.6M so far, with a goal of $30–$50M, to support women’s health, family support & leadership programs. ow.ly/eV0f50Y8mso

After consolidation, pro volleyball's momentum in the U.S. is growing fast. @leagueonevb and @mlvolley's seasons are underway this week and both leagues added investors, secured media deals & plan major market expansion by 2027. More via @rachelaxon 🔻 sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2026/…

What we heard from on stage at IAF: there's still a lot of work to do when it comes to Olympic sports programs and Title IX obligations. @jessmendoza pointed out that Title IX non-compliance is a major issue making it difficult to move forward.

ESPN SVP of College Nick Dawson said the network now sells ad units for men's and women's college basketball games at the same price. Featuring women's games in primetime is now a revenue-neutral decision, which should continue to help exposure.

@SBJ @AlexaAinsworth @USCAnnenberg @byfernandoh @RachelAxon @TelemundoSports @AndresCantorGOL @NBCOlympics @CJVosters @BillSpaulding @RowdyGaines @KevinBelbey @USASwimming @AlexandraCrisc Thank you to @SBJ reporter @RachelAxon for speaking to our @USCAnnenberg Olympic and Paralympic class!

NBCUniversal is bringing back its successful pairing of athletes and celebrities to promote the Olympic games. @lindseyvonn and Scarlett Johansson are teaming up for a new spot set to debut on SNF this week. @rachelaxon has more details 🔻 ow.ly/XnXj50Xoqia

LOVB is heading to Los Angeles 🌴 @leagueonevb's expansion team — backed by @AlexisOhanian and @sevensevensix signing on to lead the ownership group — is expected to begin play in 2027. 🔗 via @RachelAxon: ow.ly/1avu50XbnEN

Boston Legacy FC has hired Jennifer van Dijk as its first team president ahead of next year’s inaugural season ⚽ She brings leadership experience from the NBA, Clippers, Wasserman, IMG, and startups including Hoonigan, Dapper Labs, and Superplastic. More from @RachelAxon: ow.ly/6m9t50WPA2s

Gatorade's new mission: make women sweat (literally). The Gatorade Sports Science Institute is launching a study focused on sweat rates in women to address their specific hydration and sodium needs. 🔗 via @rachelaxon: ow.ly/UOl450WIgX1

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. sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2025/…

.@LA28 will be the first Oympic Games to sell venue naming rights, @RachelAxon reports. This includes temp venues (available to all brands) and permanent venues (which are available only to existing naming-rights parners like SoFi and Intuit). sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2025/…

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. sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2025/…

Volleyball orgs PVF and @MLV__Official merged and will operate under the Major League Volleyball name and branding. Here's how it came together and what that means for the future of pro volleyball in the U.S. @rachelaxon has insights from league brass 🔻 ow.ly/i1IQ50WAbIx

New: @TheKCCurrent owner Chris Long spoke with me about his ambition to bring a @WNBA expansion team to K.C. In fact, they already have land set aside for a training facility. Check it out in @RachelAxon's @SBJ women's sports newsletter. sportsbusinessjournal.com/sb-blogs/newsl…

Consolidation in this space was expected, and here we are. Pro Volleyball Federation, Major League Volleyball to merge, expand. Details from @RachelAxon sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2025/…

The @Valkyries are writing the playbook for immediate WNBA success, so our @rachelaxon asked team president @gametimejess how they did it. 🔹 Build a unique brand 🔹 Build locally 🔹 Be competitive 🔹 Know the fan and the experience they want MORE: ow.ly/nhjv50WtmyJ