Allyson Felix is Recognized as the One of the World’s Most Decorated Athletes. But That’s Not What Brought Her to Birmingham
Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
Allyson Felix, the most decorated woman in Olympic track and field history, was the featured speaker last week at the Women’s Foundation of Alabama’s Unleashed event held at the Haven in downtown Birmingham.
Felix, holder of 31 global medals at the Olympics and World Championships, and titles as both a World Record Holder and a Master’s World Record Holder, won medals across five Olympic Games, from 2004 to 2020.
But Felix said her biggest victory was not what happened on the track. “It really all began when I wanted to become a mother. I always wanted to be a mother,” she told the women gathered for the event. “It was ever since I was a little girl, I had that desire. But there was a lot of fear for me to move into motherhood, and it really stemmed from what I had seen. I had watched teammates and colleagues of mine, really struggle through motherhood.
“I had watched them hide pregnancies. I had watched them lose sponsorship. I had watched them really having a difficult time. And so I felt like maybe if I accomplish enough, then that won’t be my same fate. And so I waited until I had gone to four Olympic Games. I had six Olympic gold medals, and I felt like, ‘okay, I think I’m in a safe place.’”
But she wasn’t really, as Felix recalled.
“Sadly, I found myself in a very similar situation to my teammates,” she said. “At the time, I was going through a contract renegotiation. I had been with Nike for almost a decade. Because I had this fear around motherhood and moving into that direction, I was really unsure of what I would face.”
“Gut Punch”
Even before she disclosed her pregnancy, Felix said her contract renegotiation was not going well. “I had been offered a contract that was 70 percent less than what I had previously been making,” she told the audience. “And that was just like a gut punch. And so that led me to do what so many women who came before me did. I hid my pregnancy … I started training in the dark. I would go to the track at 4 o’clock in the morning when no one was out there. I stayed in my house for most of my pregnancy. I wore baggy clothes.”
Felix said she missed out on all those moments that most people get to cherish like the baby showers and the moments together with family. “And instead, I was dealing with this really difficult negotiation.”
Track and field contracts are performance based, the Gold Medalist said. If you go to the Olympics, to a world championship, you get rewarded and if not, you could lose earnings. “Now, if you are pregnant at that time, or if you just had a baby, there was nothing in place to protect you … So what had been happening in our sport is that women would become pregnant, and they would face these reductions to the point that they would be push out the sport because they could no longer earn a living,” she said.
All she wanted, Felix said, was time to recover from pregnancy. “Time to be able to get back to top form before facing another financial penalty. And so I was told that I could have that time. I was like, ‘great. That’s exactly what I asked for.’ You know, the pay was still very disrespectful, but I was like, ‘I can handle that part. But when I got the contract back, there was no language to tie it to maternity.’”
Finally, she broke her silence in a New York Times opinion article writing “I’ve been one of Nike’s most widely marketed athletes. If I can’t secure maternity protections, who can?”
After broad public outcry and a congressional inquiry, Nike announced a new maternity policy for all sponsored athletes in August 2019. The new contract guarantees an athlete’s pay and bonuses for 18 months around pregnancy. Three other athletic apparel companies added maternity protections for sponsored athletes.
“A Workforce Issue”
Felix called it all a learning experience and something that deeply impacted her.
“I feel like maternal health is not just a personal issue. It is an issue that touches so many different people. It’s an equity issue. It is a workforce issue, and it’s a systemic issue. And I know here in Alabama, you all understand that with the maternal mortality right here as well. There’s just so much work to do.”
Last week’s WFA gathering in Birmingham brought together dozens of changemakers, champions, and advocates who support WFA’s critical research, policy advocacy, and groundbreaking philanthropic efforts that empower women across Alabama.
Through grantmaking, the organization has invested over $11 million statewide, supporting groups on the frontlines of change. Investments in initiatives like women-owned childcare centers are already making a difference in communities, according to WFA. The group said it has also set an ambitious goal to move 10,000 women into the workforce by 2027.
“Sitting back and listening to the mission in the work that is being done here, it just really touches my heart,” Felix said. “I just deeply relate to all the work that’s been done. From breaking barriers and accelerating opportunity for women, gender, race, and place, all of those things are near and dear to my heart … It feels really great to be in a room with my people tonight.”
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