Most professional athletes know expressing themselves can hurt and jeopardize their career and sponsorships. Especially female athletes who goes through pregnancies under rules who are made for and by men.

Allyson Felix who is a track and field Olympian with countless medals and breaking records. Felix was once name 100 Most Influential People in the Time Magazine’s. Her sponsorship with Nike wasn’t always good as it seems, after seeing her teammates breaking nondisclosure agreements with the company because they were pregnant, this was not fair to women in sports.

Felix stood up to Nike publicly criticizing their maternity policy and contract. She wrote an impressive op-ed in the New York Times talking about her experience with Nike. She states the lack of support and how the company was not trying to protect her financial interests. Allyson tried negotiating into keeping the same pay and pregnancy protection even if her performance wasn’t the same after childbirth, Nike told her no. Nike offered her 70% pay cut and refused maternity protections during her pregnancy.

After being all over the media and leaving the company to sign with Athleta, a women’s apparel company, Nike announces a new pregnancy policy guaranteeing athlete pay and bonuses for 18 months surrounding pregnancy.