How Allyson Felix Used a Nike Snub to Build a Shoe Empire
On this episode of the Bloomberg Originals series Power Players, the US track and field star explains how she won her final medal in shoes she designed.
Allyson Felix during the US Olympic Track & Field Team trials in Eugene, Oregon, in 2021.
Photographer: Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesAllyson Felix is not a loud person. Despite being the most-decorated US athlete in track and field history (edging out none other than Carl Lewis), she reached that pinnacle in an understated way, without the brash antics of other legendary athletes. But in retirement, she’s found it necessary to turn up the volume. She explains why on the second episode of the Bloomberg Originals series Power Players.
Officially retired after the 2022 season, Felix’s main focus these days is Saysh, a shoe company she began with her brother, Wes Felix. It is a company born of necessity: Allyson needed shoes for the Olympics after ditching Nike when the company sought to reduce her compensation during her pregnancy.