Dawn Harper Nelson’s Cinderella Story

Keeping Track

Link-dawns 2008 Oly Gold, and 2012 silver and most recent 2017 world champs silver

0-10 Ro and Alysia catch up on Alysia’s commentating job from Boston Indoor Games!

10-15 Dawn’s background and dreams for being mother and Olympic champ, the decision to wait to have a baby until she was done running in 2018 and coming OUT OF RETIREMENT for 2020!

16:50-coming back from pregnancy -practice 6 weeks post baby was frustrating “that felt terrible to not be able to do something (a start off the line) that I feel like is just rolling out of bed”

Felt rushed , but body has own timeline.

23: link to the Tea on Players Tribune (via Facebook)

We talk about the WNBA Collective bargaining agreement

“The world recognized that this was a big deal” and deserved a news cycle not just small print

What would be our issues in Collective Bargaining in track? Maternity, contract minimum?

29: Perspectives on race and marketing: on seeking appropriate media attention and sponsorship opportunities for her achievements.

The unexpected olympic gold in 2008-came from no contract, borrowed shoes , worked 3 jobs and shared a house with others

“When I get to the line I’m not thinking of my hair style, my skin , my build, I’m thinking when I get to the line can I beat these other women”

33 describing post gold feelings-so happy

Vs Interview experience: so much focus on LoLo who was the favorite to win not medaling-it didn’t follow the media script and there was some backlash because LoLo was a media darling

and Dawn was relatively unknown.

She understood it took time for public to adjust to her win

37: Marketability for female athletes come with unique challenges : ex- black female athletes-hair is a big deal, takes time and money to look good on tv

39- on being called “jealous, dark, black and ugly, mad because LoLo got the spotlight”-upsetting, because she didn’t want fame she wanted to realize her full potential

“Thar Narrative carried on for years” “I felt lost”

42: How comments on her braids made her feel ugly and regret a style she likes ”I felt like the world was telling me I was ugly”

44-2012 olympics-so happy to medal again. She was more well known and ready again to battle Sally Pearson-PR’d,broke former Oly Record w Sally, came second by a fraction
46 : 2012 reactions: social media- people call her “angry, black b--, kill yourself”

The TV interview was centered around Lolo’s loss again

49: Remembering back to 2008, room mate was devastated by loss while she was so happy to win, showed her to be sensitive and respectful to her competitors-why it’s so upsetting that she was portrayed as bitter regarding Lolo’s loss
51: Kelly Wells purple hair was called too “ghetto” and unamerican by internet trolls

52: ”there was a time for four solid years, olympics to olympics, where I was fending for myself and had to somehow find my own confidence and say no matter what the world is telling me I know that when I line up its a blessing to wear these 3 letters on my chest and every time I line up im just going to do my best”

53: The medals didn’t have the sponsorship power she expected-she felt her team didn’t push back at the narrative of “the market is down, no one is asking for you” and “you’re not the look”

59: she felt lonely and unsupported in her issue. She felt like she didn’t have value for what she’d done,

62:2020-looking for sponsors but going for the dream anyway “you’ve been here before and you can do it again”

65: outside influences matter (media and social media trolls etc), I