Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone made an appearance in an ESPN 'This is SportsCenter' commercial in the United States in February of this year. Since 1994, the US cable sports channel has been featuring sports stars in this commercial series, with athletes such as Tiger Woods, Michael Phelps, Roger Federer, and LeBron James being profiled.
McLaughlin-Levrone, an Olympic champion, world champion, and world record-holder in the 400m hurdles, has now been added to the series roster. This has garnered attention from athletics fans, as track and field athletes are rarely featured in mainstream US media, especially women. However, McLaughlin-Levrone's outstanding performance at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 and the upcoming global event in Budapest have made her highly marketable in the mainstream.
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However, this has not always been the case. Over the past 40 years, there have been significant changes in structural, institutional, and cultural barriers that previously hindered marketing opportunities for women athletes. It is worth reflecting on how some athletes have pushed boundaries to create more opportunities for women in marketing over the years.
Pre-professional era:
1935 - Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Even before the constraints of amateurism were lifted, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, a US athlete born to Norwegian immigrants in Texas, demonstrated herself to be more than just a sensational athlete but also a master entertainer.
She excelled in the sprints, jumps, and field events in athletics, winning two gold medals at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics and setting four world records. In 1933, she transcended sport when the car company Dodge featured her in an advertisement for the Dodge 6 Salon Brougham. Then, in 1935, she became the first female athlete to be featured on a Wheaties Box.
1948 - Fanny Blankers-Koen
The following decade, Dutch athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen, nicknamed the "Flying Housewife," swept a record four track and field gold medals at the 1948 London Olympics. Upon her return to Amsterdam, she was gifted a bicycle.
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1952 - Marjorie Jackson-Nelson
In 1952, Marjorie Jackson-Nelson of Australia rose to fame by dethroning Blankers-Koen. She was known as "the Lithgow Flash" and won two Olympic gold medals at the 1952 Helsinki Games. Although she did not benefit from the growing endorsement deals of the time, she used her fame to become involved in politics and philanthropy.
After her husband, Olympic cyclist Peter Nelson, died from leukemia in 1977, she established a foundation in his name. In 1994, she became the first woman appointed to the position of General Team Manager at the Commonwealth Games, and in 2001, she was appointed Governor of South Australia.
1960s - Wilma Rudolph
In the 1960s, US sprinter Wilma Rudolph dominated the sport and paved the way for black women in athletics. Born in Tennessee, Rudolph was the youngest member of the US Olympic track and field team in 1956. At the 1960 Rome Olympics, which were the first to be televised worldwide, she won three gold medals, propelling her to stardom. Many consider her the first role model for black female athletes and a pioneer in combining political ideals with sport.
For a long time, female track and field athletes were only permitted to compete in sprints, jumps, and field events, and were excluded from the longer distances until the 1980s. This began to change when Katherine Switzer ran the Boston Marathon in 1967, despite the official rules prohibiting women from competing.
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1978/1983 – Grete Waitz
In the late 1970s, Norwegian distance runner Grete Waitz was invited by New York City Marathon organizer Fred Lebow to participate in the marathon. She went on to win every year until 1986. She also became the first-ever World Championships winner in Helsinki in 1983. Waitz had a strong partnership with Adidas throughout her career and was instrumental in connecting major marathons to female athletes, with Adidas even designing a shoe specifically for her.
1984 – Joan Benoit Samuelson
In 1984, Joan Benoit Samuelson, an American marathon runner, won the Olympic marathon on home turf in Los Angeles. She had previously won the Boston Marathon in 1979 while wearing her college singlet and a Red Sox cap. Her victory in the LA Games marked a significant moment, demonstrating that women were now allowed to compete in full-distance marathons.