Nike used to be seen everywhere. On billboards, commercials, ads on computers and phones, at nearly every sporting event and stadium, as well as big-name athletes such as the late great Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Tiger Woods advertising Nike products after signing an endorsement deal with the company.
RedState's Ward Clark reported that Nike's stock has fallen sharply to an 11-year low.
READ MORE: Get Woke, Go Broke: Nike Shares Now Slide to 11-Year Low
Furthermore, whether in school or on my basketball and baseball teams, the athletes wanted to get their hands on the next new Nike gear — whether it was shoes, t-shirts, backpacks, or anything in between. Especially when Kobe Bryant released a new shoe, it was common for it to sell out quicker than any other basketball shoe. The excitement the kids had when wearing those shoes and playing basketball was second to none.
Nike was a staple in my childhood, and from what I have seen, it is not the same among kids in school today. I don't see nearly as many Nike items as I did back when I was in school. This could be the result of parents pulling back purchasing from Nike due to the company taking a hard stance and endorsing the idea that Colin Kaepernick was blackballed by the NFL, featuring him in a Nike advertisement, and plastering him on billboards in the heart of New York City.
3. Nike's "Dream Crazy" ad (2018)
— ericosiu (@ericosiu) September 19, 2023
Nike released an ad that featured Colin Kaepernick, a former NFL quarterback who had been blacklisted by the league for kneeling during the national anthem.
It was a risky move and it didn't work.
Cost - $20 million
Estimated loss - $3 Billion pic.twitter.com/kbAdeVXLOm
The message wasn't necessarily a bad one, but the messenger was controversial, and that's where Nike faced the backlash. Not to mention, Nike also supported biological males "competing" in women's sports, then released this ad:
Nike, which has supported men pretending to be women, says women can’t win because of sexism. Man, this company is a woke disaster. Stock is at a lower price now than it was seven years ago when they debuted Colin Kaepernick as a spokesperson: pic.twitter.com/Gfjh55QWQc
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 10, 2025
The more the company dives into these "culture wars," the worse it gets for them, as we saw with their stock price tumbling. Let's also not forget their ad celebrating anti-American former Women's National Soccer Team athlete Megan Rapinoe:
A legend. An Icon. An all-American hero. As @mPinoe plays for the @USWNT one last time, she knows the battle never ends.
— Nike (@Nike) September 24, 2023
Let It Rip. pic.twitter.com/Xq08gGR4lr
There was a point in time, recently, where Nike seemed to be turning the corner. After PGA star Scottie Scheffler won The Open Championship, Nike posted this:
Priorities unchanged. Another major secured.
— Nike (@Nike) July 20, 2025
The wins keep coming on and off the course for Scottie Scheffler pic.twitter.com/S5QoVUzevk
They were embracing a family-first figure in Scheffler, who always looks for his wife and kids after each win, and centers his life around his faith in Jesus and love for his family. Some athletes like Scheffler still exist today, but not nearly as many as we would like to see.
Before this was posted, Nike had been on the slippery slope with supporting biological males competing in women's sports, making Colin Kaepernick narrate an ad for the company, and then plastering Kaepernick on their billboards. This seemed like a potential turnaround, but we didn't see many other posts like that one from Nike since.
If they want their company to get back on the right trajectory with the public, they must return to a common-sense approach, and in terms of women's sports, they must return to normalcy. Women's sports and locker rooms are for women. Period. There should not even be a debate about that, let alone an endorsement from a company like Nike. If they want to show support for so-called "transgender women," then they should support those individuals creating their own league to compete in.
Most people appreciate and support authenticity. Nike seemed authentic back in the day, but in recent years, they have been chasing the next leftist talking point and trend. That is not how you build a loyal clientele, and it is showing with these stock prices.
