which is based on Emma saying at the start of her instagram post, "Since my fueling company dropped me after telling them I was pregnant" https://www.instagram.com/p/DW...
UCAN told Front Office Sports, "The partnership decisions for 2026 were made in September 2025 as a part of regular business planning and before any knowledge of her pregnancy. We made an effort to continue working with Emma under a new agreement, but she ultimately chose not to move forward with that option."
LetsRun.com changed the tile from "UCAN drops Emma Bates due to pregnancy"
Ucan’s statement puts it at odds but Bates seems to be frequently messy when it comes interpersonal stuff. It’s too bad to be losing a source of income and I’m excited to see her return (if she decides to return) to high level running
"Many of you are commenting on the Emma Bates story. We wanted to clarify. We’re proud of the three-year partnership we had with Emma Bates and the many accomplishments we had together. The partnership decisions were made in September 2025 as a part of regular business planning and prior to any knowledge of her pregnancy. We made an effort to continue working with Emma under a new agreement, but Emma ultimately chose not to move forward with that option. We've always supported and will continue to support athletes at all stages of life, including pregnancy and motherhood. Emma is an incredible athlete and we sincerely wish her the very best."
UCAN dropped Emma Bates bc she’s pregnant, per IG. Was she done dirty?
They are a business and they can do whatever they want. Bates hasn’t raced well recently and she won’t for the next 18-24 months so why not move on to another athlete? It happens all the time.
Just to be clear, Ucan disputes the subject of this thread and says they decided to drop her before they knew she was pregnant. It's an interesting situation and plays into the accusations that companies don't treat pregnant women the way they should, but IDK the truth, so how can I say if they did her dirty?
Speculation presented solely for entertainment purposes...
UCAN decides to drop or get a lower value contract with Emma in September 2025 after a couple of stagnant performance years. No agreement is reached and the partnership expires.
Emma seizes the chance to do a little self-promotion during her year off and air some dirty laundry in a gentle way. Working in the pregnancy adds controversy that translates into press, views, clicks, links, and engagement. This keeps the stans engaged and clicking that IG link everyday!
UCAN defends itself with some facts. Ultimately, this gets forgotten in about 24 hours because it's a small brand with a niche following. This isn't Alyson Felix vs. Nike by a longshot.
You can not like Emma’s personality and you can also point to her potentially underperforming lately, but neither of these is an indictment of her honesty. What exactly has she ever done to indicate she is dishonest or would outright lie about something like this?
They are a business and they can do whatever they want.
They likely have an out due to her being a sponsored athlete under a contract with them. As that likely has 1) performance clauses, and/or 2) status as a contractor and not a payroll employee (though this murky), but this is false or at best very misleading given the complexities of employment law.
Businesses broadly speaking cannot "do whatever they want" when it comes to terminating employees and contract who have protected classes (which pregnancy can include).
They are a business and they can do whatever they want.
They likely have an out due to her being a sponsored athlete under a contract with them. As that likely has 1) performance clauses, and/or 2) status as a contractor and not a payroll employee (though this murky), but this is false or at best very misleading given the complexities of employment law.
Businesses broadly speaking cannot "do whatever they want" when it comes to terminating employees and contract who have protected classes (which pregnancy can include).
Well it sounds like her contract expired and they were negotiating renewing it. So yes, they can do whatever what.
Awful move by Bates though. Who is ever going to want to sponsor her again? Especially when it seems like at the very best, Bates is exaggerating a little. At worst completely lying. The fact she has continually disappointed doesn’t make it a great move either. Does sponsoring someone that doesn’t perform well and is going to air dirty laundry on the way out sound like someone you’d want to employ?
The term "dropped" gets used so loosely and recklessly when it comes to pro runners' contracts. If an athlete's contract is terminated by the sponsor before the term is up, you hear that the runner was "dropped." If an athlete's contract expires and they are not signed to a new contract with that sponsor, you hear that they were "dropped."
These are very much not the same thing. Unless an athlete explicitly says "My sponsor terminated our relationship while still under contract," you have to assume that the contract simply expired and a new one wasn't agreed to.
Athletes very much use this murkiness to their advantage, to gain sympathy, clicks, and a measure of revenge on a company who chose not to renew them. Until Ms. Bates announces otherwise, it has to be assumed that this is what she's doing.