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Allyson Felix
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Imagine being at the top of your game yet you find yourself fighting for support. This was once the case for Allyson Felix — the most decorated U.S. Olympic Track woman athlete.
Apr 21, 2023
It’s looking like just the beginning as Allyson Felix is not finished just yet. Earlier this month, Felix — the most decorated track athlete in history — graced the field for the final time. Although her decision to retire was not easy, she looks forward to championing her legacy off the field in what she calls her “next great challenge.” In an exclusive interview with AfroTech, Felix affirms why she believes it was time to step away. “I felt so fulfilled throughout my career. It has been difficult to step away just because I am so passionate. I love competing so much, but I also knew that it was the right time. I knew that I wanted to move toward other things that I was passionate about as well,” Felix said. “I think it’ll be challenging since I don’t have that. I think there is a sense of loss, because the thing that I’ve spent the last 20 years doing, I’ll miss it, but I’m also excited to fulfill that area with other work that I’m interested in doing.”
Aug 23, 2022
Allyson Felix’s rollout of impactful initiatives is at full speed. While returning for her final season of racing, the Olympian and her primary sponsor Athleta are teaming up with nonprofit &Mother to provide free childcare for athletes, TIME reports.
Jun 23, 2022
Allyson Felix’s Saysh is becoming hot in the footwear market. According to Footwear News, the Olympian and her brother and co-founder Wes Felix announced on June 16 that their brand closed an $8 million Series A round.
Jun 22, 2022
Women athletes deserve more representation in media. Echoing this stance, Just Women’s Sports (JWS) — a media platform dedicated to women’s sports — has raised $6 million. According to a press release, the round was led by Blue Pool Capital. Additional investors include tennis icon Billie Jean King, Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang; Bolt Ventures, SC Holdings, Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund; Muse Capital, and Dapper Labs. “The business case for women’s sports has never been clearer, and Just Women’s Sports is positioned to be the leading media platform in the space,” said New York Liberty owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, according to a press release. “We’re thrilled to partner with them as they enter this next phase of growth.”
Jun 10, 2022
Allyson Felix is working to advocate for Black maternal health in a new partnership with Pampers, which will commit $250,000 towards the cause.
Jun 9, 2022
In less than a year since its launch, Allyson Felix’s Saysh is about to get even bigger and better. As previously reported by AfroTech, the Olympian co-founded the athletic footwear brand following her departure from Nike due to their lack of support for pregnant female athletes and new mothers. Then, during the 2021 Olympics, Felix made a beautiful statement by wearing her own brand on the track. “I did have a little moment. When I crossed the finish line and I looked down at my spikes. These beautiful handcrafted Saysh spikes. And I was like, ‘I did this in my own shoes,’” Felix shared in a fireside chat with UBS.
Apr 29, 2022
Allyson Felix is supporting women who take a stand in their workplaces. In partnership with Pure Leaf Iced Tea for Women’s History Month, the U.S. Olympian teamed up with The SeekHer Foundation for the launch of “No” grants, according to a press release. The new funding is the beginning of the beverage company’s $1 million commitment to advocating for women. Through its three-year pledge, the press release shares that Pure Leaf will fund partnerships and initiatives “to support women who want to say ‘no’ at work so that they can say ‘yes’ to other personal, social, familial and cultural things in their lives.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Allyson Felix (@allysonfelix) “Since its launch in 2020, Pure Leaf’s ‘No is Beautiful’ campaign has encouraged people everywhere to say ‘no’ to the things that don’t matter, so they can say ‘yes’ to things that do,” Julie Raheja-Perera , General Manager, North America , Pepsi Lipton Partnership, shared in a press statement. “That’s...
Mar 10, 2022
When it comes to tapping into the power of how intersectional sports is, Wale Ogunleye has been at the forefront especially now as the Head of Sports and Entertainment at UBS, a global financial services company. In 2021, the former NFL player spoke with AfroTech and shared how he’s teaching financial literacy to today’s athletes. Now, Ogunleye recently hosted a fireside chat for UBS — along with Jane Schwartzberg — where he spoke with U.S. Olympian Allyson Felix. When Felix made the daring move to depart from her Nike deal due to their lack of support for pregnant female athletes and new mothers, her leap of faith was a wake up call for action heard across the nation. The gold medalist’s courage and advocacy for women and motherhood is what specifically moved Ogunleye to feature her for UBS. Photo Credit: Vivien Killilea “The sports world intersects with corporate America and corporate America puts their limitations and marginalizes women and people from diverse backgrounds,”...
Feb 4, 2022
If Allyson Felix ever decides to follow her initial plan of becoming a teacher, she won’t be making an Amazon list of all the school supplies she needs like other teachers. Her net worth, alone, means that she can not only take care of her own classroom but #ClearTheLists of all the teachers she works with. She got her start as a regular track and field sprinter, then went on to become one of the biggest names in the sport. That’s thanks in no small part to her hard work, dedication and coaching from the legendary Bobby Kersee — the husband of the legendary Jackie Joyner-Kersee — who has coached some of America’s most elite athletes in the Olympics. But more than an Olympian, Allyson Felix is a mother, a wife and an advocate. When Nike hit her with what seemed like an unjust pay cut (thanks to her maternity leave), she cut ties with the company and formed a shoe line of her own. In so doing, Allyson Felix became an advocate for women everywhere. So, it’s no wonder that her $4.5...
Nov 17, 2021
Allyson Felix is nothing if not an all-American success story. She got her start as a regular track and field sprinter, then went on to become one of the biggest names in the sport. That’s thanks in no small part to her hard work, dedication, and coaching from the legendary Bobby Kersee, who has coached some of America’s most elite athletes in the Olympics. So notable is Felix in her field, in fact, that she was named the Sports Diplomacy Sports Envoy for the U.S. Department of State in 2014. In this role, Allyson Felix traveled to Brazil with Josh George to conduct clinics, speeches, and other events for disabled and marginalized youth. But don’t think she’s just defined by the Olympics. In a unique SportsAsToldByAGirl spotlight, it was revealed that Felix plans to eventually retire and become a teacher, like her mother once was. “After getting her tuition paid for by Adidas, she graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in elementary education,” they...
Aug 1, 2021
Allyson Felix keeps blowing us away! As if being the most decorated track and field Olympian in history isn’t enough, Felix is now giving back to fellow athletes who are tackling motherhood. That’s right, Felix knows what it means to be worried about childcare while training and competing and has announced a $200,000 grant aimed at covering childcare costs for professional athletes while they compete during the rest of 2021. According to Fast Company, the new partnership is sponsored by Athleta and the Women’s Sports Foundation and has already awarded nine athletes $10,000. Olympic hammer throw Gwen Berry and Olympic saber fencer Mariel Zagunis are among the first group of recipients. “One of my first races back after giving birth to my daughter, Camryn, was the World Championships,” said Felix. “Not only was I still breastfeeding and physically and mentally exhausted from being a first-time mom while training and competing — I was assigned a roommate at the competition. There was...
Jul 12, 2021
Allyson Felix said forget a seat at the table! The most decorated woman in the history of American track and field was once told to “know her place” by Nike executives. Thankfully she knew her worth too. After appearing in countless promotions for Nike during her time with the company, sporting their logo across her racing tops, compression shin sleeves, you name it, the company ultimately failed the Olympian, reports Yahoo!Sports. Felix used her voice to advocate for pregnant athletes to ensure that they wouldn’t be penalized for pregnancy and in turn, Nike told her to “know her place.” In an open letter to the world, Fenix shared: “I’ve been running my whole life. I’m good at it, and I’ve got a lot of medals to show for it. I was scared to stop running, I wasn’t sure I would fully know who I was without it. Like many women, I was afraid that starting a family would be a ‘death sentence’ for my career. I did it anyway. During my pregnancy, I faced a gender injustice that I couldn’t...
Jun 29, 2021