In professional sports, female athletes continue to fight for equality. They are pushing for equal pay, combating sexism within their particular sport and demanding maternal protections from sponsors.
Three U.S. Olympic track stars — including Allyson Felix, Kara Goucher and Alysia Montaño — voiced their opinions last year about sponsors who released them from their contracts because of their pregnancies. (After public outcry, Nike had a change of heart, announcing a new maternity policy that guarantees a sponsored athlete’s pay and bonuses for 18 months around pregnancy.)
East St. Louis native and two-time Olympic champion Dawn Harper-Nelson is fighting the equality battle as well. After retiring from track and field in 2018, she announced in November 2019 that motherhood had made her even more driven to train and prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games. Check out the full story here.
By Andrea Henderson, St. Louis Public Radio
