The sports giant’s f lurry of own goals
Mass exodus of big-name stars including Harry Kane
On December 22, nike announced it needs to save $2 billion (£1.6 billion) over the next three years as a result of poor sales.
Its efforts to ‘streamline the organisation’ are likely to include job cuts, a simplification of products and increased automation.
And a trickle- down effect of this announcement now seems to be occurring in the sports world. England captain Harry Kane began wearing blacked- out boots last summer before switching to a lifetime partnership with American company Skechers.
U-turn on selling Lioness Mary Earps’ goalkeeper shirt
THERE was a huge backlash from fans after it emerged nike would not be selling a replica version of Mary Earps’ goalkeeper shirt during last year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia and new Zealand.
replica kits of other Lionesses playing outfield were put on sale – but not hers.
After mounting pressure, the sports brand released her long-sleeved Lionesses shirt, which sold-out in five minutes.
Earps later called the initial decision an ‘injustice’ but, asked in December if she thought nike had ‘learned a lesson’, told Sky news: ‘Definitely. I would like to think so. They know that they got this wrong.’
Sports bra partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney
THE brand caused controversy for its partnership with transgender celebrity Dylan Mulvaney, 27. She posted to Instagram last year in collaboration with nike Women wearing a pair of black leggings, a white sports bra and could be seen striking yoga poses in a sunny backyard.
Many took to social media to express their outrage that a non-biological woman had been given the sponsorship. One woman even filmed herself setting a nike sports bra alight.
Picking NFL anthem-kneeler for 30th anniversary adverts
NIKE’S decision to pick NFL star Colin Kaepernick as one of the faces for adverts commemorating the 30th anniversary of its ‘Just Do It’ slogan caused quite the stir.
The athlete sparked controversy by taking a knee while the US anthem was played before games in the 2016 season to draw attention to police killings of black men.
nike in 2018 released campaign imagery that featured a close-up of Kaepernick’s face with the message: ‘Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.’
Then- US President Donald Trump deemed it ‘a terrible message’, and the brand later recorded a $4 billion (£3.1 billion) loss.
Allegations of sweatshops and forced labour of Uyghurs
In 2011, workers making nike Converse shoes at a factory in Indonesia claimed they were being physically and mentally abused, with footwear thrown at them and insults hurled on a frequent basis – but the firm admitted little could be done to stop it.
And, in 2021, nike was accused of getting supplies from factories using the forced labour of thousands of Uyghur Muslims transported to work in Chinese plants.