Adidas told Kanye West to pack it up and took the hit. Cleaned house. Nike keeps doubling down with Travis Scott looking for a shortcut to relevance.
Adidas reports earnings and the stock jumps. Nike reports earnings and the stock drops.
Adidas is back to making gear for actual athletes. Winning marathons, on the feet of the best young footballers, everywhere that performance still matters. Nike feels like it is selling nostalgia and hoping the logo carries it.
Look at basketball. Adidas got Anthony Edwards. Electric, marketable, and compared to Ja Morant headlines he looks like a saint. One company reset and moved forward. The other one is going to to keep slimming down to greatness… make it make sense.