A new documentary explores the sprinter’s journey to becoming the most decorated track and field athlete of all time while confronting her greatest rival: inequality.
Allyson Felix is nothing short of a legend in the world of track and field, having outperformed nearly all her competitors with an incredible haul of seven Olympic gold medals and 20 world championships. Each time the starting gun fired, her speed and accuracy left spectators in awe, even when competing against the other greats of her time.
In every race, she demonstrated not only her fierce competitive nature but also her resilience in overcoming obstacles and establishing herself as a powerful figure in the sport. Still, her most significant competition arose off the track, far from the podiums and medals.
Felix was confronting a different type of challenger, one that involved navigating her relationship with her primary sponsor, Nike. For many top athletes, a partnership with the leading global brand in footwear and athletic gear is crucial for financial security, especially given the inherently short shelf life of their careers. So it was surprising when she openly challenged Nike in 2019 by writing an op-ed for The New York Times, where she sharply criticized its maternity policies which negatively impacted its female athletes.
“I’ve been one of Nike’s most widely marketed athletes. If I can’t secure maternity protections, who can?” she wrote. “If we have children, we risk pay cuts from our sponsors during pregnancy and afterward. It’s one example of a sports industry where the rules are still mostly made for and by men.”
Felix’s battle with Nike and her remarkable success in track and field are the focal points in the new documentary, She Runs the World, which she also executive produced. It made its debut at the Tribeca Festival earlier this month.
“I was the type of athlete who I just put my head down,” Felix shared in a recent Q&A hosted by Deadline. “I did try to stay in my lane for so long. I was a people pleaser. I didn’t want to ruffle feathers. And so this idea of speaking out was so uncomfortable, but I think the one thing that really gave me that push and that courage was becoming a mother – and becoming a mother to a daughter. It made me see the world in a different way and that there really was a need behind speaking out. It was still terrifying and uncomfortable and all those things, but there was definitely purpose behind it.”
In 2017, Felix’s contract with Nike was up for renewal. She was 32 at the time and realized that she couldn’t stay at the top of her sport for much longer. Nike realized it too—and moved to cut her pay by a whopping 70%.
“They thought I was just done,” Felix reveals in the film. “I felt discarded.”
As reported by Deadline, the proposed contract included clauses that rewarded Felix for achieving podium finishes but punished her financially if she didn’t. This situation was complicated for her because she wanted to start a family with her husband, Kenneth Ferguson. If she became pregnant, it would delay her chances of winning more medals and could hurt her income. This is a challenge that male athletes don’t face.
Olympic gold medalist Joanna Hayes commented in the documentary, “Pregnancy in sports has been the kiss of death.”
The film shows that negotiations between Felix, her brother Wes Felix—he manages her career—and Nike were tense. At one point, they managed to get Nike to slightly improve its offer, but the company refused to clearly state in the contract that they would provide specific protections for maternity. It seems that Nike didn’t want to set a precedent for other female athletes.
However, just a few months after Felix published her opinion piece, it sparked fierce public backlash and led to a congressional investigation. In response, Nike introduced a new maternity policy for all sponsored athletes. This new policy ensures that athletes will receive their pay and bonuses for 18 months during and after pregnancy. Additionally, other sportswear companies such as Athleta (they signed Felix after her departure from Nike), Brooks Running and Nuun Hydration) also implemented maternity protections for their sponsored athletes.
Matt O’Neill, the co-director of the documentary, describes Felix’s achievement as a major victory.
“As you see as Allyson tells the story, and as you see as we tell the story, Nike does the right thing and the needle is moved and the industry changes,” he said. “Few people do the right thing every time right off the bat. And I think it is a success story for everybody that the industry can change, and change is possible, and things move in the right direction.”
O’Neill mentioned that Nike has not made any public statements about the film since it premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
“There hasn’t been a reaction to the film itself [from the company],” he commented. “But we went to Nike with a series of questions [during production] because there’s lots of things that are said in the film, and we wanted to have their point of view on things that were said. And based on that conversation, nothing changed in the film.”
Felix, now a mother of two, a son and a daughter, ended her competitive career in 2022 on a triumphant note, winning a gold medal in the 4 × 400-meter relay at the World Championships. The event was quite fitting, as it was held in Eugene, Oregon, the birthplace of Nike. Her story is a testament that true greatness isn’t just measured by medals and times, but by the courage to always face adversity head-on with strength and determination.
“What I’ve learned through this journey is that I’m not alone—there are so many women trying to build a family and a career, and facing impossible choices,” she told Deadline. “Sharing my story in She Runs the World has been incredibly vulnerable, but also empowering. My hope is that it helps other women feel seen, and reminds them that we deserve better—and we have every right to keep fighting for it.”
