“Not Going to Sugarcoat”: Allyson Felix Will Tell Her Grown Daughter the Truth About Nike Controversy

Published 11/30/2021, 7:00 AM EST

The 36-year-old Allyson Felix continues to defy all the odds. Being a mother, she won two medals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Thus, her career is far from over. The athlete struggled in her early life but overcomes all of them to build a successful career. Now, her principal goal now is to make her daughter realize the struggles she went through.

Not only her struggles, but the controversial incident that happened with Nike also comes into the limelight. Her standoff against Nike’s maternal policies was legendary, as she wants her daughter to know everything.

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Allyson Felix wants to be a role model

The sprinter spoke recently to FN about the troubles she faced during her controversial standoff with Nike. With all that behind, she wants to bring up her daughter and help her understand the struggles that her mother went through.

“That’s a great question. I’m not going to sugarcoat anything. I will tell her how hard it was, and how disappointed I was and all of my feelings — that I wasn’t valued, that my worth wasn’t seen. But that then I took action. That’s something that I want to teach her: When you believe in something and you want to do something the right way, stand up for yourself and speak your truth,” said Felix.

Many athletes depend on major sponsors to enter the highly competitive field of sports. Some get through, while several talents go under the radar as they struggle to find a sponsor. Likewise, Felix faced the same problem with Nike that motivated her to start her own shoe brand, Saysh.

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Felix’s problems with Nike

The athlete spoke about how her ‘stomach dropped’ while negotiating with Nike for maternity protection with the company. However, during the contract renewal talks, Nike offered her a 70% pay cut according to their maternity policies. Felix did not approve of that change and she left the company. Soon after, she signed with Athleta, a brand that focused on women’s apparel as they collaborated to launch her shoe line.

Her brand is doing well in the market and provides comfort for the athletes. She wore those spikes during this year’s Tokyo Olympics and won the bronze medal in the 400-meters race. Whether Felix would return for the Paris Olympics is up to her, but her career is a role model for younger generations.

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Written by:

Jacob Gijy is a US Sports and NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Gijy finished his Masters in Counselling Psychology and worked in a hospital for 2 years before his passion for sports compelled him to find his way to sports journalism. A fan of the great Tim Duncan, he is always ready to pick up a debate with anyone who does not offer the center the respect he deserves.

“Not Going to Sugarcoat”: Allyson Felix Will Tell Her Grown Daughter the Truth About Nike Controversy

Allyson Felix wants to be a role model

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Felix’s problems with Nike