Nike and Sha'Carri Richardson

Nike Makes An Official Statement On Sha'Carri Richardson:

        I selected Nike for this blog post because recently Nike has made an official statement that made headlines regarding a female athlete named Sha'Carri Richardson. As we know it, Nike brings accessibility, customization, innovation, and brand/status as part of its value proposition. "If you have a body, you are an athlete." nike.com. As a company Nike is an industry leader in athletic footwear and apparel around the world. As a result of its global success, the company has set an industry standard.

 
"We appreciate Sha'Carri's honesty and accountability and will continue to support her through this time."  - Nike

 

            

           

        Looking forward to the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, one name that pops up more than ever is Sha'Carri Richardson. An American sprinter who recently won unsurprisingly won the women's 100 meter race at the U.S. track and field trials in Oregon last month. This was the foundation towards a great opportunity at the Tokyo Olympics, but unfortunately Richardson tested positive for THC in her system; which makes it highly possible that she may not be able to compete at the olympics.

Although Nike was not directly involved in the outcome of this situation, Nike is the biggest sponsor of the event. From the field to the jerseys, and more importantly the fact that Richardson is an active and an official Nike athlete since 2019. So, it was evident that Nike eventually made a statement on the regarding Richardson. While the statement was supportive, everyone who was not involved had something to say... While some were in support of Nike for supporting Richardson, others were not so happy.

    Here we have people who were happy that Nike was not only being good by supporting their own athletes, but that Nike was taking an approach where the brand acknowledged Sha'Carri for taking personal responsibility for her actions.

This is something that many people were excited and happy for. It goes to show people really like it when others hold themselves accountable and responsible for their actions, despite what may or may not happen to them.

Then... there were not so positive comments. I tried many times to figure out and understand what this comment means but came to no conclusion, unfortunately. Obviously, this comment has people responding to it with different types of emojis and that means that this comment alone is controversial.

Another negative comment...?

Anyways, Nike stands with its athletes and supports its athletes. This is no surprise to me that Nike did this and I am sure we will see Nike continue to stand up for its athletes. Additionally, with that official statement it is clear that Nike plays "fair", that actions on or off the field has consequences and those consequences must be accepted and accounted for. It doesn't matter if you are competing in the olympics or playing a game of basketball with your friends; that if you are wearing Nike, then you have values. This is remarkable because it brings a different message than the average Nike commercials or ads about being an athlete. No, this is much deeper and people definitely see this as remarkable.

Someone even went on to comment about their emphasis on buying Nike stocks. With 7 thumbs up!
 

Nike is looking to build greater brand recognition, and it does so by bringing value to the market. It brings value to the market by providing information to the market when the market needed it most. I believe that Nike has succeeded in doing so; even though others are feeling negative about this statement, the majority and that includes me, see this statement as a brand that stands up for those who wear Nike, and provides a clear message about what Nike is all about. 

As of right now, I have not seen any response to anyone by Nike. I am not entirely sure what the play is, but it would make sense to not comment further, since Nike may accidentally cross a line that they do not intend to. Marijuana, gender, color of skin, etc... is a sensitive issue to the masses in these times, and just about anything can be misinterpreted. 

As a brand manager,  I would closely monitor how the olympic officials decide whether or not Richardson will be able to compete, and more importantly I would closely monitor the impact of the official statement on all of social media. To understand how people are reacting to the statement, how sponsors react, and even how other athletes continue to react on Nike's statement. This is all inter-webbed and one line may cross another, so it is important to practice high caution. 

With this assignment, I was able to understand the importance of high quality and more importantly quick acting when a situation regarding the company is. Acting quick and smart may set the brands recognition in a very bright light as Nike is in right now; but, not to forget that incorrect response even if it is fast may negatively impact a brands recognition among customers, stakeholders, partners, and etc...