Katie Carter is a professional player in volleyball with Athletes Unified.
Over the last year, there’s been a lot of necessary focus on workplace reforms, and I expect this trend to carry forward beyond 2022. These changes are fantastic, but it’s often somewhat surprising to me that professional sports teams are left out of this conversation. The court, field, and rink are the athletes’ workplaces. And let’s just say I’ve seen a lot of eyebrow-raising behavior on the job.
Let’s take the very common occurrence of becoming a parent. When I became a mother, I thought my career was done.
After an exhausting experience playing professional volleyball, I was ready to make a change in the direction of my life. I had confronted a lot of unprofessionalism in various workplaces over the years—inappropriate conduct by coaches, improper treatment of injuries, teams owing players money. Perhaps it was time to give up my career and have children, I thought. So, my husband and me started trying to have a baby.
We were like many couples who have experienced the rollercoaster of fertility difficulties. We had some difficulties getting pregnant. With a new volleyball season on the horizon, I knew I’d have to pick either work or continuing to try for a baby (we all knew it couldn’t be both). I chose work. My agent negotiated a huge contract for me to travel to China. I began training. I returned to competitive sports and changed my mindset. I packed my bags.
Just before signing my contract, (did I mention that it was a great contract? I took one final pregnancy test and it was positive.
Then, the shocking reality hit. I wasn’t just unpacking my bag because of a canceled trip. I was unpacking my bag to end my career. Although I was excited to become mom, the sudden shift and the enormity that resulted brought me to tears. My job was not secure post-partum. It also put my entire career in jeopardy.
As new moms enter the unknown of parenthood, many worry and worry about this. Motherhood can be difficult because of the many responsibilities involved in juggling priorities, fighting misrepresentation and climbing up the corporate ladder. But I’m a professional athlete. My work is inextricably linked to my body. Many decision-makers in sport saw it as a reason to label women as damaged goods until recently. If teams didn’t outright say it, they intimated it with their lack of support for working parents and their reluctance to create policies to protect moms in the workplace. Motherhood was seen as a career-killer. Was.
That’s past tense now, because so much has changed in our world over the last three years. Social justice concerns, mental health awareness, women’s empowerment and workplace protections are all part of a wave of reform, one I have experienced in real time.
My first miscarriage caused me to experience emotional trauma. I took time off volleyball to heal and got pregnant again. After giving birth, I was eager to find a new job. Even though I had devoted my life to volleyball, I didn’t think there was a place for moms on the court.
Then Athletes Unlimited launched. Finally, a forward-thinking organization existed that actually prioritizes moms and—gasp—wanted me to play. AU has developed a unique model where athletes are the decision-makers for almost every aspect of the league from governance to recruitment to civic leadership. Practically, this meant that AU provided me with full-time childcare as well as support to allow me to bring my daughter into the competition bubble created by COVID-19.
Athletes Unlimited also reexamined things we have always taken for granted in sport. Things like team ownership and general managers—Athletes Unlimited doesn’t have either of these. They prioritized shorter seasons, one destination, which meant they could not travel overseas while trying raise a family. Their new scoring system was a refreshing approach to rewarding team play.
It was a huge accomplishment for me to sign up for the inaugural Athletes Unlimited volleyball season. After years of struggling with the tug-of war between wanting to be mother and continuing my volleyball career, it finally dawned on me that I could have everything. I have the power to choose how my life looks.
Professional athletes have highly specialized workplace skills that we’ve spent our lives developing; we deserve the same protections that other workplaces are starting to extend to working parents across the country. But creating a family-first culture isn’t something that solely benefits parents. Allowing moms to continue their athletic careers in the workplace increases diversity and helps organizations retain great talent (if that’s what I believe).
We must adapt to the changing world and workplace. Athletes Unified will continue to listen and learn from staff and athletes in order to find new innovations and best practice for every aspect of its operation. It’s good for people and good for business. The only question is: Will the rest of the sporting community follow their lead?
Carter, an All-American from UCLA, has played professionally for more than 10 countries. He is also co-owner at HG Beach Volleyball.