Mary Cain’s male coaches were convinced she had to get “thinner, and thinner, and thinner.” Then her body started breaking down.
Source: Opinion | I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike
“Equal Play” is an Opinion video series showcasing the insurgent athletes who are dragging women’s sports into the 21st century. The picture above is from the article by Lindsay Crouse. – The New York Times
The video that inspired this post is heartbreaking and when added to the discussion by Allyson Felix on Nike’s mistreatment of her when she became pregnant, the picture of why Mark Parker stepped down becomes much clearer.
As the details around Alberto Salazar come to light via the investigation of the Oregon Project by the World Anti-Doping Agency, Nike should take a hit, but they won’t. For every Mary Cain, there is Serena Williams and the incredible support she was given by the brand during and after her pregnancy. While I can continue to juxtapose women that Nike has supported with women who are now coming forward, the reality is Nike remains bulletproof.
I run a data check on my sales every month and 98% of my sales are Nike/Jordan Brand. If I stop selling Nike/Jordan Brand the work I do on this website could possibly disappear because I’m not paid enough to run this website. Walk into any retail store and they all carry Nike and a significant share of their income from sportswear derives from Nike. If they stop selling the product those businesses would die. The people who buy Nike don’t care about Allyson Felix or Mary Cain, they may appear sympathetic and look at the above video with disgust, but they don’t care.
The people who buy Nike are shaped by more popular male athletes, fashion blogs and entertainers. A story about women athletes being mistreated doesn’t resonate because the stories that are coming to light are being treated in the same way the WNBA and other women’s sports are treated.
The story of women in the U.S. is akin to the story of Black people in the U.S. It’s not equal, but it’s damn close. A paternalistic society dominated and controlled by White men who fear that they will lose their livelihood if Blacks and women are treated fairly, will never place a real emphasis on the root of the problem.
America has never acknowledged its treatment of African Americans and because this country can’t and won’t recognize the damage it’s done to Blacks, it can’t and won’t acknowledge the treatment of any group considered less than White men.
Profitable sports are built on the backs of Black bodies which means that the entertainment value that generates billions for White men is an institution when looked at closely is a direct reflection of slavery. To offset any inquiry into this parallel, White men pay Black men millions. In doing so they remove the discussion on slavery which leaves women athletes to the mercy of a system as old as the country.
Nike will remain bulletproof because America will never discuss racism and the importance of Blacks to this country. The country will never attempt to financially wipe away the debt owed to descendants of slavery. Which means that a million women can come forward, White or Black, and the stories won’t pierce the Kevlar coated Swoosh, or the institution of sport. Nothing changes until the original sin is paid for.