Thread regarding Nike Inc. layoffs

The image and lore of Jordan, LeBron, etc. was, in part, manufactured by the Nike marketing engine. That is, in no way, meant to make light of their talent. Talent alone doesn’t sell shoes. Example: as great as Tiger was, would the world have followed a golfer if Nike had not told them he was a once in a generation talent? So…the problem isn’t the athletes, the problem is Nike dropping the ball on sport marketing. And…failing to learn how to play on a new field. (Social Media) or take it serious. They are not meeting the public where they are and the messages they do send are rooted in what Nike wants to say and not what the modern consumer wants to hear. Nike has a giant pool of great athletes but not a storyteller in sight.

@mr Yes they are well ranked. But who knows this people outside of Tennis community.

What I am trying to say is Serena and Mcenroe or Agassi is famous and followed by mass public.
Right now, there is nobody that is famous outside of the Tennis followers.
They don't sell shoes to public.

Of course you only focus on NA athletes… we have a lot of incredible EMEA ones but they never make the jazzy videos made by global.

"Tennis: Basically nobody since Serena retired."

For the men, current world #1, Carlos Alcaraz (2025 French and US Open champ), and current world #2, Jannik Sinner (2025 Australian and Wimbledon champ).

For the women, current world #1, Aryna Sabalenka (2025 Australian runner-up and US Open champ), current world #4, Amanda Anisimova (2025 Wimbledon and US Open runner-up), and current world #7, Madison Keys (2025 Australian Open champion). Plus, 4 time major champion, Naomi Osaka, who made the US Open semifinals this year and seems to be on her way back to form.

Might have something to do with getting burned by multiple star athletes going down in scandals. With the way social media is these days what used to be private affairs or bad behaviors are now blasted online 24/7 so it's dangerous to put all the eggs in one star basket without risking a major PR and commercial disaster. Adidas has been feeling a multi billion dollar headache with their celebrity endorsement of recent history. Not saying there aren't amazing athletes that are worthy of attention and endorsement but even then there's inevitably going to be some sort of political divide whomever that is even if they are completely bland and boring. Our American society is too politically divided for there to be a single star athlete representing an entire business line that's going to have broad appeal and pass the political purity tests that either side will subject them to.

@bz FYI for some reason big men, centers never sold shoes for some reason in the history of baskeball going back 50 years. So I will put my reservation in Wemby

@bw she is generational talent in women's bball for sure. But can she create a new frontier for women's sports and lead WNBA to a new territory or new frontier?
If she can lead WNBA to powerful, profitable and stand alone league when she is done then she would have done her job and serve Nike well.
Currently Ohtani is only one I would consider as Nike upper echelon talent but he is NB guy and very happy I believe
This is ancient history but when Bird and Magic came to NBA in 1980. NBA was leading the list of professional leagues that might fold. The week day NBA final games was being shown on CBS in tape delay after 11o'clock new at 11;30 pm!!!
Most of you here know what happened after Magic and Bird came to NBA.
Type of athletes that can do that is what Nike needs

@bz Nike has huge stable with a lot of horses but no Kentucky Derby winner

Totally agree with the core of this. The real shift happened after Jordan, marketing got high on its own supply and decided they made Jordan, so they could make “another one” on command. Spoiler: they couldn’t.

What’s crazy is we do have some legit stars in the fold right now , Alcaraz in tennis, Wemby in basketball, Mookie in baseball. But there’s no real innovation or storytelling to elevate them. No fire. No edge. No myth-making like the old days.

Instead, the marketing machine seems obsessed with looking in the mirror instead of out the window. Less vision, more vanity. And that’s how you end up with a Super Bowl ad budget and no superheroes.

Caitlin Clark is the new face of the brand.

@aq what I meant to say is that there is no "IT" athlete in Nike's stable.
I don't wheather it is Nike's luck these days, 2020 social media advertising or just there is no athelete with charisma but Nike needs few of those to use them to move forward.

Welcome to 2020s marketing. You don’t control the story with a few big profile faces. Nowadays athletes pick their sponsor, not the other way around, they already have followers and media presence which they sell to best bidder and the sport stories revolve around their channels and not Nike or adidas ads. Another advantage of the giants that is gone.