"When you've come back and you've gone through the struggles, they don't want to support you" - Allyson Felix on lack of assistance after motherhood
Allyson Felix, a specialist in the 100, 200, and 400m distances, has been one of the most successful sprinters on the track in the past decade. The American has seven Olympic gold medals and twenty World Championship medals.
Alongside her athletic prowess on the field, Felix has used her platform to raise awareness about inequality in sports. One such incident occurred when the 37-year-old spoke out against Nike's motherhood policy, which refused to guarantee salary protections for its pregnant athletes, alongside athletes Alysia Montaño and Kara Goucher.
Following that controversy, Allyson Felix parted ways with Nike and recently opened up about the struggles she faced when making a comeback to the field after giving birth to her daughter Camryn.
"I mean it is so hard and women have been doing it forever. And the thing about it is, just not being supported. Everyone wants the glory moment when everything is great, and when you've come back and you've gone through the struggles, but they don't want to support you through that," she said in an appearance on the Daily Show.
She went on to add that after her share of negative experiences, she wanted to make a difference for the women and mothers who came after her.
"That's what I experienced, and I really wanted to fight on behalf of other mothers and say we have to do this differently. We need to support every athlete holistically, and that means motherhood as well. "
Allyson Felix on founding Saysh with brother Wes Felix
After her contract with Nike expired in 2017, Allyson Felix claimed that the brand asked her to take a 70% pay cut regarding her pregnancy. Felix and her brother Wes both spoke out about the unfairness of the situation, detailing how male athletes awaiting fatherhood faced no repercussions.
Felix eventually ended up leaving Nike in 2019, and shifted sponsors to Athleta, becoming their first sponsored athlete. A little while later, the Olympian announced that she and her brother had founded their footwear brand, Saysh, which she would debut at the Olympics.
Speaking on the decision to part ways with Nike, and begin Saysh, Allyson Felix said,
"I parted with Nike over that fight for maternal protection. I was looking for another footwear sponsor and I couldn't find it. And so, in talking with my brother, we just decided to do it ourselves."
The American wore a pair of Saysh Ones to the Tokyo Olympics, winning a bronze in the 400m sprint.