This isn't that surprising, especially at Nike. The current CEO, John Donahoe, is not a sports guy. He came to Nike from the tech world and was tasked with two things: make Nike a digital first company (read: be far less dependent on traditional retail channels, sell direct to consumer, achieve bigger margins) and to cut dramatically cut costs by eliminating waste and redundant operations. The company just completed a big round of layoffs as they consolidate product lines and functions. They will be performing more layoffs in January.
Capriotti is out. Masback is in and has less money to work with. You will see many athletes getting released, non-tendered, or leaving for deals elsewhere. This will likely hit domestic athletes harder as Nike owns the US market and is seeking more international growth. In addition, being a good runner is no longer enough to keep your job. You also have to have great social media presence and the ability to use it to bring fans to the brand. Like it or not, working diligently and quietly is not what the marketing wing of the company is looking for. If your are not an Olympic, World, or US champion, then you better have a ton of passionate Instagram and Twitter followers to stay on board. Athletes, especially men, need to learn this quickly. The truth is that Colleen Quigley moves more Nike product via her social media efforts that all of the BTC men combined. That is more important to corporate sponsors that being the #5 American man at 5,000 meters or making Canada's Olympic team.