Athlete Alysia Montaño Launched Mother in Sport Collective
The new initiative aims to end discriminatory maternity practices for athletes through corporate partnerships.
Updated on Sept. 19, 2026 in Pregnancy
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Olympian Alysia Montaño has launched the Mother in Sport Collective to address widespread discrimination against mothers in professional sports. The initiative brings together major brands to pledge support for families.
Why it matters
This collective aims to formalize protections for pregnant athletes, addressing the loss of pay and benefits that historically hindered women who chose to start families while competing. It seeks to standardize support systems across the industry.
The collective, which grew out of Montaño's 2020 nonprofit For All Mothers+, partners with brands to guarantee maternity policies and coverage for fertility or adoption costs. It follows years of advocacy after Montaño lost health insurance in 2014.
The players
Alysia Montaño
An Olympian who competed while pregnant in 2014 and later became an advocate for maternal rights in sports.
For All Mothers+
A nonprofit organization founded by Montaño in 2020 to support women athletes.
The details
The Mother in Sport Collective works directly with athletic brands to develop tangible workplace standards. Partnered companies sign a pledge committing to provide dedicated lactation stations and inclusive maternity policies. This structure is designed to prevent the contract threats and pay withholding that many professional athletes have faced during pregnancy.
Timeline
June 2014: Montaño competed while pregnant and alleged contract threats.
2020: Montaño founded the nonprofit For All Mothers+.
September 19, 2026: The Mother in Sport Collective launched its business partnership initiative.
The Home Front
This initiative represents a significant push to codify family-support standards within the professional athletic landscape. It follows the precedent set by Nike maternity policy updates that occurred after public backlash.
Families navigating career and parenthood should review their own employer's current maternity or family-leave policies. Check your benefits manual to understand what specific support for fertility, adoption, or lactation is officially provided under your company policy.
The takeaway
Advocacy efforts like the Mother in Sport Collective are standardizing family support for professional women. Families should proactively review their employer benefits to confirm what coverage is available for their specific situation.
Further reading
For more on family support systems, visit our Pregnancy section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Root.
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