Hello and welcome back to week 2 of From the ‘Court’ to Content!
Last week, I talked about the Savannah Bananas and how they have changed the look of professional baseball through their use of social media. This week, however, I’ll be switching things up and profiling Ilona Maher.
For those of you who don’t know who that is, I’ll quickly explain her to you.
Ilona plays Rugby for the United States National Women’s Rugby team and competes with them both in the Olympics and in matches against other national teams. She has a massive social media following both on Instagram and TikTok, and also has a podcast with her sisters called House of Maher.
As someone who is not super familiar with the sport of Rugby, I had no clue who Maher was before the 2024 Paris Olympics; however, she first started going viral in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
TikTok initially soared in usage during the COVID era, which was still at its height in 2021, and was popular especially among younger celebrities, including the athletes participating in Tokyo.
Since no fans were allowed to watch any of the events and athletes were forced to remain in the ‘village’ when not competing for health and safety reasons, Maher turned to TikTok to cure her boredom.
Originally, her content showcased a behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of the athletes competing in the games, which is what garnered the attention of the young audience on TikTok. She also started making jokes about the room and board situation (aka the cardboard beds), which made her even more viral.
By the end of the Tokyo games, Maher had become a breakout TikTok star, but her virality did not stop because by the next Olympics (2024 in Paris), she was back.
In fact, the Paris games are where most of her fans discovered who she was. Yes, Ilona continued to make her skits and behind-the-scenes videos like she did in Tokyo, but she also made videos focused on body positivity, which resonated with the multitude of young female users on TikTok.
Following the conclusion of the Paris Olympics, where Maher helped lead the US Women’s Rugby team to a bronze medal, Maher signed many endorsements and continued her success on the app.
Perhaps the coolest thing about Maher’s internet presence is the attention she has brought to the women’s rugby community and how she has inspired many young female athletes to believe in themselves and not be ashamed of how they look in the mirror.
Rugby might not be the most popular sport by any means, but what Ilona Maher has done for it is something that has truly never been done before. People may compare her impact on Women’s Rugby to what Caitlin Clark did for Women’s Basketball, but put it this way: Ilona Maher is in a league of her own.
