When Olympic gold medalist and athletics star Allyson Felix negotiated the renewal of her long-standing Nike contract in 2018, things did not go as planned. For one thing, Nike wanted to pay her 70% less than earlier, a price she told the New York Times she could “accept” if that was what Nike thought she was worth. But what could she not accept? Company policies on maternity.
In an op-ed for The Times, she wrote: “I asked Nike to lawfully guarantee that I wouldn’t be penalized if I didn’t do my best during the months surrounding childbirth. I wanted to set a new standard. If I, one of Nike’s most marketed athletes, couldn’t get these protections, who could? Nike refused.”
She was at a halt with the company and was looking for a new clothing contract. (In November 2018, Felix gave birth by emergency C-section.) And she…
