Athletes don’t just contribute to society by excelling in their sport. They have unique perspectives and voices that make them powerful advocates. For Women’s History Month, we highlighted six women athletes who have taken action to create sustainable and productive change.
Allyson Felix
In 2019, Allyson Felix broke her silence about Nike’s maternity policies. Inspired by her former teammates Alysia Montaño and Kara Goucher, she wrote a New York Times op-ed that detailed her experience of not being guaranteed maternity protections from her former sponsor. Three months later, Nike announced a change in their maternity policy. New mothers would not be “adversely impacted financially for pregnancy” for 18 months.
Continuing her advocacy, Felix is a fierce proponent for equity in maternal health. She spoke on Capitol Hill to increase awareness about disparities in maternal mortality by highlighting how Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications. Last year, she partnered with health insurance company Anthem Inc. to increase awareness on the social determinants of health. Essentially, these are non-medical factors, including education, income, and discrimination (or lack thereof) that can influence an individuals’ health outcomes in negative or positive ways.
Nnemkadi (“Nneka”) Ogwumike
Nneka Ogwumike is not only a six-time WNBA All-Star, she is also the president of the WNBA player’s union. As president, Ogwumike has been involved in big changes in the league. In 2020, she helped her team sign a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which included a 53 percent increase in compensation, childcare benefits, improved travel arrangements, and more. One major contributor to this success was her focus on player engagement—educating her teammates on the previous CBA, involving them in negotiations, and taking action to ensure their voices were heard.
In 2020, Ogwumike was also involved in negotiations that led to the league and union agreeing to emphasize racial justice and create a Social Justice Council. Her teammates in the WNBA boycotted games and wore “Black Lives Matter” t-shirts. Players of the WNBA were among the first to do this, starting in 2016.
Naomi Osaka
In 2020, the then 22-year-old stepped onto the U.S. Open courts wearing a mask with Breonna Taylor’s name on the front. Osaka repeated this six more times, each time highlighting a different Black victim of police brutality. She went on to win the women’s singles. Osaka’s advocacy earned her a position on the 2020 Time 100 list of most influential people.
This wasn’t the last time Osaka made herself known as an activist. In 2021, she advocated for mental health. In a ground-breaking announcement, Osaka said she would not participate in the French Open press conferences to prioritize her mental health.
In an essay for The Atlantic, Jemele Hill explained why these conferences can be unsettling. Athletes can be asked personal, sometimes intrusive questions in front of a crowd, and when they do not give their best performance, they are asked to explain.
Osaka was fined $15,000 and eventually withdrew from the competition. In a New York Times essay, she spoke about how those in other professions are allowed to take personal days without punishment. Why couldn’t athletes do the same? In the coming days, the immense amount of attention sparked discussions about mental health and the stigma surrounding it. Michael Phelps later commented, “This will 100 percent save somebody’s life.”
Mary Cain
At just 17 years old, Mary Cain ran in the World Championships for track and field. At the time, she was the youngest American athlete to make the team and joined the Nike Oregon Project later that year.
Three years later, she announced she would be leaving the Portland, Oregon-based professional group. In a New York Times op-ed, Cain alleged that she experienced abusive behavior from the coaching staff, explaining how the ongoing pressure to become thinner caused her to have five broken bones and lose her period for three years.
In 2021, Cain launched the nonprofit Atalanta Track Club, which supports professional female runners in their athletic goals while serving as youth mentors to younger athletes. She acknowledged that not every girl has access to the same resources she did while recovering. With programs focused on mentorship and education, she hopes to prevent younger athletes from going through what she experienced.
Tatyana McFadden
In 2004, Tatyana McFadden made her debut on Team USA as a 15-year-old Paralympic wheelchair racing athlete. She won silver and bronze in her debut. In spite of this incredible achievement, she was not allowed to compete alongside her able-bodied peers in races.
The following year, on behalf of McFadden and her mother, the Maryland Disability Law Center filed a lawsuit against the Howard County Public School system. A federal judge ruled in favor of McFadden in a preliminary injunction. This allowed McFadden and other disabled students across the state to be able to participate in school sports.
Her advocacy didn’t stop there. In 2008, McFadden lobbied for the Fitness and Athletics Equity for Students with Disabilities Act for Maryland, which “(permanently) requires that county boards of education grant students with disabilities equal opportunities to participate in physical education programs and on mainstream athletic teams,” according to The Washington Post.
Five years later, a similar federal law was applied, which granted equal opportunities for disabled students. Additionally, it stated that schools must make “reasonable modifications” for students with disabilities, including providing a visual cue along with the starter pistol for those hard of hearing. “I firmly believe this will do for students with disabilities what Title IX has done for women and girls,” Terri Lakowski, the policy chair of Inclusive Fitness Coalition, said at the time.
Serena Williams
"The day I stop fighting for equality and for people that look like you and me will be the day I'm in my grave,” Serena Williams said in a 2019 press conference.
Earlier this month, Williams announced the launch of “Serena Ventures,” a venture capital fund. 76 percent of the founders Serena Ventures invests in belong to historically underrepresented backgrounds. She has spoken out about wage inequality before. On Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, Williams wrote an essay in Fortune, highlighting how even Black women with graduate degrees are paid less. She also spoke about her own experiences encountering disrespect from her male colleagues, racist remarks, and how she’s had to stand up for herself at every stage of her life.
