Allyson Flex knows her place (and it’s where ever she wants to be)
When Allyson Felix (one of the most decorated Track field sports women and 6 times gold medalist) decided to start a family in 2018, her long-time sponsor Nike, wanted to pay her 70 percent less during contract negotiations following her pregnancy. She tried to negotiate instead she was told to “know her place, and just run”.
Felix had severe complications and underwent emergency C-Section 7 months into pregnancy.
After numerous unsuccessful attempts to reconcile with Nike, Felix decided to break her ties with Nike and join women focused brand Athleta.
In 2019, Felix decided to speak up and break her non-discloser agreement by writing op-ed for New York Times to tell her story.
Her voice started discussions of gender injustice within industry and several brands came forward to include new contractual guarantees for women who have children while being supported by their sponsorship.
In 2020 Olympics, Felix didn’t get any sponsor for her racing spikes so she started her own brand Saysh to advocate gender equality. She said she “knows her place” and runs for hope and greater equality.
https://www.insider.com/olympian-allyson-felix-criticizes-nike-maternity-protections-dispute-2021-7
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/opinion/allyson-felix-pregnancy-nike.html
