Alexis Ohanian's women's track league is rewriting the rules of professional sports with a bold new equity model.
When Alexis Ohanian launched Athlos in 2024, he wasn't just building another track meet. He was placing a bet that women's track and field — the most-watched sport at the Olympics — deserved a permanent, thriving stage of its own. Now, heading into 2026, that bet is getting bolder: Athlos winners won't just take home prize money. They'll earn a stake in the league itself.
@stemack on twitter breaking down Athlos
CBS Mornings exclusively broke the news that Athlos competitors will receive equity in the league at this year's event — a first-of-its-kind move in professional track and field. And the prize pool they're competing for? The largest in league history at more than $2.1 million across seven events.
More Than a Payday
The equity announcement builds on a philosophy Ohanian has championed since Athlos's founding: athletes should share in the long-term value of the sport they're building.
"We want to give athletes real equity, real participation, in the upside," Ohanian has said. "It wasn't just a feature — it was the foundation of what we're building."
This isn't just talk. Athlos has already brought on three superstar athlete-owners — Sha'Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, and Tara Davis-Woodhall — as stakeholders in the league. These aren't honorary titles. These athletes help shape the future of the organization, giving them a seat at the table that has been historically reserved for investors and executives, not competitors.
Now, the equity model is expanding. Eligible competing athletes will receive ownership stakes in Athlos, meaning every woman who lines up at the start line in 2026 has a reason to care about the league's success long after the finish line.
Taking Inspiration from Unrivaled
Ohanian has been open about the model that inspired him: Unrivaled, the women's basketball league that made headlines for giving its players equity from day one. "We take a lot of inspiration from our friends over at Unrivaled," he said, noting that the same logic applies to track — the athletes are the product, so they should own a piece of it.
The comparison to Formula 1 also comes up often in Ohanian's vision. He's spoken of building team rivalries that fans can rally around the way they do with Mercedes versus Ferrari. For 2026, Athlos is rolling out a full team-based league format, with Davis-Woodhall, Richardson, and Thomas serving as the founding owner-athletes of their respective squads.
A League That's Actually Working
The equity news comes at a moment when Athlos's momentum is undeniable — and stands in sharp contrast to some struggles elsewhere in the track world.
In just its second year, Athlos earned a World Athletics Gold Label, a prestigious recognition that typically takes events years to achieve. The 2025 event sold out Icahn Stadium in New York with 5,000 fans, drew over 3 million viewers, and tripled commercial revenue year-over-year. Blue-chip sponsors like Tiffany & Co., Toyota, Cash App, and Brooks Running have signed on, with Ion Television joining as a multiyear domestic broadcast partner.
Athletes are already being paid better than almost anywhere else in the sport. Athlos race winners take home $60,000 immediately — comparable to or exceeding what Diamond League finalists earn — plus a $25,000 Tiffany & Co. crown for championship winners. With the cumulative points format across both cities in 2026, a dominant athlete can earn up to $115,000 in a single season.
Why It Matters
Women's track and field has a familiarity problem. Its athletes are household names every four years during the Olympics, then largely disappear from the mainstream conversation. Athlos was built to solve that — by creating a high-profile, culturally resonant event with music, celebrity, and elite competition that gives fans a reason to show up outside of an Olympic year.
The equity model deepens that mission. It signals that this isn't a charity project or a publicity stunt — it's a business that the athletes themselves believe in enough to hold a stake in. When Sha'Carri Richardson or Tara Davis-Woodhall shows up at an Athlos event, they're not just performing. They're protecting their investment.
"I love track and field so much, and I think it deserves all the hype of any other professional sports league out there," Davis-Woodhall has said. "ATHLOS has been able to set that stage for women and for track and field, and I just wanted to take control. I want to see my sport grow."
In professional sports, ownership has always been the ultimate form of buy-in. At Athlos, it's becoming standard.
Athlos returns to New York City in 2026 for a two-city championship series featuring seven events. For tickets and updates, visit athlos.com.
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