Therabody Partners With NWSL To Better Serve Female Athletes
Therabody says only 6% of athletic performance research focuses on women despite women making up 40% of professional athletes
Therabody says it’s time to play fair, announcing that it has joined forces with the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) to better understand the unique needs of female athletes.
The deal will see Therabody become the NWSL’s official wellness technology partner, making its signature recovery devices, such as Theragun Pro, WaveRoller and RecoveryAir JetBoots, available on the sidelines at NWSL games.
The collaboration aims to give all NWSL athletes equal access to wellness technologies and education as men’s teams. As part of the partnership, Therabody is providing other recovery products to all league players, including the FDA-cleared PowerDot, which aids in alleviating period-related pain, RecoveryTherm Knee and RecoveryTherm Back and Core.
The wellness tech company recently named Emily Cole, a Duke University track and field star and sports nutrition author, as its first female NIL partner.
Although Therabody’s tech-forward recovery and support products support consumers both on and off the field, the company points to a startling stat that it hopes to change — that a mere 6% of athletic performance research focuses on women, despite women making up 40% of professional athletes.
“Our goal is to support women athletes on and off the field and to be a voice for equality around sports recovery,” said Dr. Jason Wersland, Therabody founder and chief wellness officer. “Women’s soccer is as big a world stage as there is. We are proud to be an official partner of the NWSL to help bolster the players’ self care.”
The NWSL commented that it’s excited to partner with Therabody, as both strive toward the common goal of advancing player health and safety while providing athletes with the necessary tools to succeed.
“This partnership will not only provide our players with access to the cutting-edge wellness and recovery technology they deserve as world-class athletes, but will also help to support our mission to conduct the crucially important research needed to better address our approaches to player healthcare needs, including injury prevention and recovery,” said NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman.
The collaboration also sees NWSL chief medical officer Dr. Cindy Chang join Therabody as a medical advisor. In addition, NWSL fans will receive education and special offers on Therabody products.
Last fall, Therabody closed a growth equity round with a total financial backing of $165 million, launching eight new products designed to support whole-body recovery. The round, led by North Castle Partners, included existing investors Kevin Hart’s HartBeat Ventures and Aaron Rodgers’ RX3 Growth Partners.
More recently, Therabody announced it would provide recovery stations in all Barry’s fitness locations.
