{"id":211283,"date":"2019-09-25T15:04:48","date_gmt":"2019-09-25T20:04:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=211283"},"modified":"2019-09-25T15:04:48","modified_gmt":"2019-09-25T20:04:48","slug":"nike-cut-olympic-pay-pregnant-fought-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nike-cut-olympic-pay-pregnant-fought-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Nike wanted to cut nine-time Olympic medalist’s pay 70% when she got pregnant. She fought back."},"content":{"rendered":"
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As a nine-time Olympic medal winner and the most decorated female Track and Field Olympian of all time, Allyson Felix had a top-tier sponsorship deal with Nike. But in 2018 Felix came close to taking a 70% pay cut<\/a> — all for her decision to have a child.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a child felt like I’d be risking my career and disappointing everyone who expected me to always put running first,\u201d Felix wrote in an ESPN<\/a> piece last December in which she opened up about her decision to become a mother. In fact, the Olympian initially tried to hide her pregnancy from everyone in her life. But over time, it became clear she didn\u2019t want to do that. \u201cWhy was I trying to do all this without anyone noticing I was gone? I was so excited to be pregnant. I’ve always wanted to be a mother. I feel so incredibly blessed. This shouldn’t be a secret.\u201d<\/p>\n

After facing severe preeclampsia which led to an early delivery by c-section at 32 weeks, Felix decided to share her experiences through the media. \u201cI hoped my experiences could help other women who were worried — like I’d been for so many years — of what starting a family would mean to their careers. To let them know that I too have those anxious feelings about sharing the news with my employer, and the repercussions I could possibly face.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Female athletes say Nike discriminated against them for getting pregnant<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n