Allyson Felix, a professional track and field athlete who runs for the US team, acquired a contract with Nike. In return, she was one of Nike’s most widely marketed athletes. At the age of 32, she was one of the most decorated athletes in the sport. She earned six Olympic gold medals and was an 11-time world champion. Nike was thrilled to have her signed as an athlete, promoting her social media, her medals and most importantly, her as a person. This lasted until the following year where Felix wanted to be more than an athlete, a mother.
In track and field, it is a myth that when a woman starts her family, “you can kiss your career goodbye”. Felix started her family in 2018, at the same time she was negotiating a renewal with her Nike contract which had previously ended in December of 2017.
Felix’s daughter was born in November of 2018 at 32 weeks, when both Felix and her baby’s life were threatened due to complications. With the industry that Felix was working in, she felt pressured to get back to training as soon as physically possible. As this stress over new motherhood entered Felix’s life, Nike was leaving it. The negotiation with Nike came to the overall conclusion that Nike would only offer 70 percent less of what she was originally offered in her first contract. The consequences of starting a family left Felix with many questions and a decision to make.
Felix tried to support a contract that stated her performance should not dictate her pay, as she was trying to set a new standard. This ultimately backfired and caused Nike and Felix to drop the contract completely. Felix took matters into her own hands and decided to fight for maternal justice in sports. She sighed with Athleta and won her 10th Olympic medal with them.
Saysh, Allyson Felix’s very own shoe brand, sponsored her in her final years of her career. This brand creates sneakers with a maternal policy that allows you to return shoes when pregnant in case of foot size changes.
She now advocates for women in sports that have goals in life of starting a family, without letting it conflict with their sports industry. As for her own reputation, she is known as one of the fastest women in all of track and field, as well as a hard working business woman and advocate.
