Nike Under Fire for ‘Sexist’ Olympic Tee

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Athletic apparel maker Nike (NYSE:NKE) was doing a pretty good job of avoiding controversy with its products over the past few months.

Of course, that was before its decision to display the words “Gold Digging” on women’s T-shirts commemorating the 2012 Olympics.

When shoe companies got on the “toning footwear” band wagon, Nike stayed off. Nike also wasn’t the company that created “shackle sneakers” — that not-so-brilliant move was made by Adidas (PINK:ADDYY).

So one cannot help but wonder if Nike intended to stir a big ol’ pot of controversy by slapping a T-shirt with a slogan that has negative connotations. Whether or not people are offended by the tees, they are talking about them — and that type of publicity is hard to buy.

And Nike hasn’t apologized for the shirts, although in an official email statement sent to Styleite, the company said it meant no harm.

“Nike has consistently supported female athletes and the position they enjoy as positive role models,” the statement read. “The t-shirt uses a phrase in an ironic way that is relevant given it was released just as the world focused on the success of female athletes.”

I can see both sides of the issue.

Since the shirt is only available in ladies’ sizes, it’s understandable that some people would see it as a dig — cheesy pun intended — to women. Since the slang definition of gold digger is someone who marries for money, it looks like Nike overlooked that connotation and that comes across as insensitive.

As a public relations professional, I can say that I would have brought up that concern before the shirts were released.

However, I can also see the other side of the coin.

The phrase gold digging is attention-getting and can be interrupted as a fun play on words and not a put-down. It has been used by actual Olympians. Sydney Rae Leroux, a Canadian-born American soccer player who helped the U.S. women’s soccer team win gold last week, tweeted the following on the day of the gold medal match: “Gold digging tonight. Olympic final vs. Japan at 11:45AM PT. #america.”

I think there’s a quick fix to the problem if Nike is sincere that it was going for humor: make ’em for the men, too. A batch of shirts with the same phrase and male gold-medal winners’ names on the back would at least make things even.


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2012/08/nike-under-fire-for-sexist-olympic-tee/.

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