by Lauryn Luderman, SSI Editorial Intern

Within the span of one month, Serena Williams, Sylvia Fowles, Sue Bird and Allyson Felix all retired from the sport they love, but their accomplishments, athletic and social, remain in place.

Dr. Osei Appiah, a communication and race scholar at Ohio State, acknowledged the importance of these female athletes’ platforms and the ability they have to push forth change.  

“[They are] trailblazers not just in sports but in terms of society in gender, using their celebrity platform to fight for important social issues,” Appiah said. 

Serena Williams retired from the tennis court playing her final match on Sept. 2 when she was eliminated from the US Open in the third round against Ajla Tomljanović. 

Williams has earned four gold medals, 23 Grand Slam titles and ranked No. 1 in singles for over 300 weeks during her 28-year career. Off the court, Williams runs her own fashion company called S by Serena and her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures.

S by Serena was made with inclusivity in mind. Williams created this fashion company in hopes that all women could feel comfortable and beautiful in their own skin. 

William’s passion for supporting women did not stop there. She founded Serena Ventures in 2014, which was established to support women-owned businesses and organizations. 

Megan Chawansky, associate professor of sport management at Otterbein University, recognized William’s endeavors. 

“It makes great sense as Serena evolves away from her career as a tennis player,” Chawansky said. “She has always pushed herself, her opponents, and tennis fans to be their best and I see this as a continuation of her work.”

Having a platform has been important to Williams because she can open people’s eyes to the gender stereotypes within sports. Williams sought growth for body positivity, elimination of gender expectations and unfair treatment of female athletes. 

Like Williams, two well-known Women’s National Basketball Association players announced they would end their careers following the 2022 season, Sylvia Fowles and Sue Bird.

Fowles and the Connecticut Sun’s season concluded sooner than Bird and the Seattle Storm’s. Fowles’ final game took place on Aug. 14 and she went down in history as the 2017 WNBA MVP with four Olympic medals and two final’s MVPs. 

Fowles’ end in the WNBA has paved the way for her to help others through her foundation and epilepsy research. 

After basketball, Fowles looks forward to experiencing things she has missed out on in the past, including focusing on the Sylvia Fowles Family Fund, her role in the Citizens United Research in Epilepsy and getting closer to a degree in mortuary science. 

The Sylvia Fowles Family Fund was designed in 2010 to assist children and families who need basic necessities. Because of her foundation’s long-run success, Fowles’ earned the 2022 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award. 

Bird, a star on and off the basketball court, officially called her 21-year career quits on Sept. 6 with the most assists and all-star appearances in the league. She is also the holder of five Olympic gold medals and is a four-time WNBA champion.

Advocate is a word to describe Bird off the court. She is an advocate for women’s rights, the LGBTQ+ community and racial and social injustices. Bird recognized the ongoing problem where women are not respected, nor taken seriously. 

“It is easy for the general public to see many highly visible and successful female athletes and then think that all issues related to gender inequality have been resolved, so it is important to keep educating the public about challenges and inequities that persist,” Chawansky said. 

As her retirement begins, Bird said she plans on continuing her stand against injustice in America and pushing for female equality through her WNBA Player’s Union vice president position.

Bird said she found solace in her exit from basketball because there is more room for her to fuel today’s women in sports. She wants to take advantage of the time and further justice and acknowledgment of female athletes. 

Similarly passionate about promoting and helping women is former track and field athlete Allyson Felix. 

Felix is a seven-time Olympic gold medal holder, which is the women’s record, who raced both individually and in relays for 20 years. 

After one final 100-meter dash in her hometown of Los Angeles, California, “The Allyson Felix Race for Change,” completed Felix’s track and field career. However, motherhood and being a representative for female, parent-athletes have called her name. 

Now that she has officially retired, Felix said she hopes to provide childcare for female athletes that are in need. She is aware of the difficulties of being both a mother and a professional athlete, so she intends to make childcare more accessible for those women. 

Felix said she has had one specific mission in mind, which was tested at her last meet: the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championship. Here Felix, with the help of the brands Athleta and &Mother, offered female athletes with young kids childcare, while their events took place. 

Felix has hopes that opportunities like this will be found at all sporting events in the future. If she has anything to say about it, it will be done sooner rather than later.