> Kenny B ditched Nike to run in Anta's and finished 2nd
> The female winner Jepchirchir ran in Adidas
> Three of the top 4 women ran in Pro Evo 1's, all of the Alphafly 3 racers fell off the lead pack just after halfway
Honestly an embarassing showing after runfluencers have claimed the AF3 is the greatest shoe of all time for the last year or so.
I think the more interesting question is how many different pairs of shoes on the market could someone like Helen Obiri have used and still won Boston? Are there 15 pairs of shoes that could have taken her there? 20? 25? I’d put the over under in that range.
People forget, or just don't know, that since 2020 Nike's CEO is no longer a proven big track fan. Phil Knight obviously was and Mark Parker at least showed he was into the sport enough to keep the big checks flowing in. Nothing I've ever heard about the current guy, John Donahoe, has shown any indication he's willing to excessively spend on Nike Running. This also comes also at a time where Nike just announced lay-offs of over 700 people from its Beaverton, OR HQ.
Basically the writing has been on the wall that Nike will no longer out-bid and out spend the other shoe companies for top talent and performance. This may be ok for the shareholders but regardless of how you feel about Nike, it is not good for the sport.
To be clear, I'm not saying it's good for Nike to sponsor all the top pros, track meets, etc. I'm just saying the more big shoe companies are willing o battle each other to be on top, the more money will be in the sport as a whole.
Nike Reverses Course as Innovation Stalls and Rivals Gain Ground Shoe giant stumbled as CEO John Donahoe pulled away from retailers and relied on old hits. Now it says it’s refocusing on cutting-edge footwear for athletes.
In late February, Nike NKE -0.49%decrease; red down pointing triangle boss John Donahoe led a virtual all-hands meeting where he delivered a message to his staff: The company wasn’t performing at its best and he held himself accountable.
Two weeks earlier, Nike had announced it would lay off more than 1,600 employees. Now, as the CEO spoke at the meeting, critical comments started to fill the chat window on the Zoom call while more than 20,000 employees watched.
“Accountability: I do not think that word means what you think it means,” an employee wrote. “If this is cost cutting, how about a CEO salary cut?” another wrote. Soon a cascade of laughing emojis filled the screen.
The shoe should be normally available in stores and NOT prototypes. but adidas and nike sponsor big events. why would these events not allow them anything.
People forget, or just don't know, that since 2020 Nike's CEO is no longer a proven big track fan. Phil Knight obviously was and Mark Parker at least showed he was into the sport enough to keep the big checks flowing in. Nothing I've ever heard about the current guy, John Donahoe, has shown any indication he's willing to excessively spend on Nike Running. This also comes also at a time where Nike just announced lay-offs of over 700 people from its Beaverton, OR HQ.
Basically the writing has been on the wall that Nike will no longer out-bid and out spend the other shoe companies for top talent and performance. This may be ok for the shareholders but regardless of how you feel about Nike, it is not good for the sport.
I wouldn't bet that JD is going to be CEO for much longer. Whether that will result in an uptick in support for running is unknown.