Global sportswear brand Nike is facing renewed backlash following the removal of a controversial billboard in London and past controversies. Seizing the moment, apparel start-up XX-XY Athletics launched a new ad campaign titled “Buy Nike? Maybe just don’t do it.” The ad features a female activist wearing XX-XY apparel, alongside media headlines highlighting several Nike controversies.
Meanwhile, a New York Times investigation reported that Nike has allegedly provided financial support for research focused on transgender participation in youth sports. This has sparked debate over the company’s stance on gender and inclusion in athletics.
What is the Nike London Billboard Controversy?
Nike faced backlash for using the phrase “Never again”—a slogan tied to Holocaust remembrance—in ads along the 2025 London Marathon route. Nike’s “Winning Isn’t Comfortable” campaign included the slogans “Never again, until next year” and “Never again, see you next year.” The phrase “never again” is linked to Holocaust remembrance efforts. The campaign led Nike to apologise and clarify that the intent was to reflect runners’ endurance, not to offend. Nike said in an official statement, “We did not mean any harm and sincerely apologize for any we caused.”
Nike vs XX-XY Rivalry
XX-XY, which entered the market in 2024, has frequently positioned itself in opposition to Nike. Its debut campaign, “Dear Nike,” featured female athletes criticizing the brand’s support for transgender women competing in women’s sports. The brand’s latest move follows Nike’s Super Bowl return with a commercial spotlighting stars like Caitlin Clark and Sha’Carri Richardson—an ad that drew criticism from opponents of the company’s inclusion policies. XX-XY responded with a parody ad featuring its own athletes, led by Riley Gaines, escalating the brand rivalry and debate over gender inclusion in sports. Nike has not publicly responded to XX-XY’s latest campaign.
Nike’s Past Controversies
Former middle-distance running star Mary Cain in 2021 has filed a $20 million lawsuit against Nike and her former coach, Alberto Salazar, alleging years of emotional abuse during her time with the Nike Oregon Project. Cain, once hailed as a generational talent, qualified for the 2013 World Championships at just 17 and was coached by Salazar from the age of 16. The brand was also under scrutiny in 2023 as Canada’s federal ethics watchdog launched investigations into claims that Nike Canada and a gold mining firm may have benefited from Uyghur forced labour through their supply chain operations in China. The probe is part of broader scrutiny into global brands’ connections to human rights violations in Xinjiang, where numerous reports have documented widespread abuses of the Uyghur Muslim population.