Nike requested Allyson Felix's image for a World Cup ad during disputes.
Allyson Felix · HIBT Lab! Saysh: Wes and Allyson Felix · Mar 16, 2023 · at 28:53
Olympic champion Allyson Felix explains the tipping point that prompted her to write a New York Times op-ed challenging Nike over maternity protections in athlete sponsorship contracts.
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“The Women's World Cup was coming up, and I remember, like, this very vividly. I was sitting in Cameron's nursery, and I got a call from Wes, and he has, he's like, don't shoot the messenger, but Nike wants to know if they can use your image in this campaign. I think it was in a commercial, you know, for the Women's World Cup, and literally that was the moment that, that just changed everything”
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Nike offered Allyson Felix a 70 percent pay cut during 2017 negotiations.
“I remember when Wes called me, and he told me what it was and the number was 70% less than what I had been making, and I remember just feeling like somebody had just, like, punched me.”
Female track athletes routinely concealed pregnancies to avoid sponsor pay cuts.
“Women really struggled through pregnancy and motherhood in track and field, and so what they would do is, if they were like in between contracts, like I was, they would Hide their pregnancies, they would sign new deals, and then they would carry on or contract…”
Major athletic brands traditionally construct women's footwear using molds of men's feet.
“A shoe is made off of a lass, which is a mold of a foot, and it's, A man's foot that has been used to make women's footwear.”
Allyson Felix became the most decorated athlete in World Athletics Championships history.
“And at this point, that World Championships that we just came off of, I think, Wes, correct me if I'm wrong, I think I had become the most decorated athlete at World Championship history.”