News » It's the power of the collective

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — For decades, the message to women in track and field was crystal clear: get pregnant, lose

sponsorship money. A rebellion led by some of the sport's top runners, Allyson Felix, Kara Goucher and Alysia Montano,

is helping to change that. Two months after the U.S. women's soccer players stated their case for equal pay, women in

track and field come to their major event, the world championships in Doha, having found their footing on another

important crusade — retaining full cheap hoodies pay

from their sponsorship deals after they get pregnant.

"It's the power of the collective," Felix said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Alysia speaking, Kara

speaking, the women's soccer team. It's just such a pivotal time right now in women's sports, and we're seeing change

happen." The six-time Olympic and 11-time world champion had a baby girl in November and will compete on the women's

relay team next week at the worlds in Doha, where she will

cheap nike hoodies clearance have a new apparel sponsor, Athleta, after spending years with Nike.

Nike responded to the outcry, as well, announcing in May that it would not apply performance-related pay reductions

for pregnant athletes for a consecutive period of 12 months. Then, last month, the company expanded that to 18 months

— starting eight months before the due date — and pledged to include specific language about pregnancy in its

contracts nike mens hoodie sale to reinforce the policy.

"We recognize we can do more and that there is an important opportunity for the sports industry to evolve to support

female athletes," Nike said in a statement. The fights for women's rights in soccer and track have taken different

trajectories and centered on different nike swimwear mens

issues, but both had been underway for several years before they came to a head this summer.