Activist athletics wear brand mocks Nike for billboard blunder, other past controversies

The sportswear juggernaut Nike is facing widespread scrutiny after one of its London billboards had to be removed over holocaust comparisons, and a recent New York Times article reported that the company is allegedly funding a child transgender athletes study.

So, a startup competitor joined in, and taking aim at Nike and other controversies in its past, for marketing purposes. 

The women's activist wear brand XX-XY Athletics released an advertisement this week titled "Buy Nike? Maybe just don’t do it." 

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The ad pointed out the company's recent controversies involving the billboard and the alleged trans athlete study funding, in addition to past controversies. 

The video featured news headlines from various outlets, including an article from The Guardian covering former runner Mary Cain's $20 million lawsuit against Nike after allegedly suffering years of emotional abuse. The ad also featured a 2023 BCC article covering Canada's ethics watchdog launching an investigation into allegations that Nike Canada and a gold mining company benefited from Uyghur forced labor in their China operations.

XX-XY Athletics has taken aim at Nike in a number of their viral advertising campaigns since the brand launched last year. Their first viral ad, which was titled "Dear Nike," featured female athletes of all ages calling out the company for not standing against trans inclusion in girls' and women's sports. 

XX-XY ATHLETICS LOOKS TO REDEFINE MAINSTREAM IN 2025

After Nike debuted its first Super Bowl commercial in 27 years, featuring a star-studded lineup of women athletes including Caitlin Clark, Sha'Carri Richardson, Jordan Chiles and JuJu Watkins, many critics were quick to call out Nike for its official company stance in supporting trans athletes competing in women's sports. 

XX-XY responded with its own ad and its own ensemble of brand ambassadors, headlined by Riley Gaines, parodying Nike's Super Bowl spot. 

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 Nike previously gave a statement to Fox News Digital addressing its billboard controversy. 

"We did not mean any harm and sincerely apologize for any we caused," the company said. "The London billboards were part of a broader campaign built on runners’ insights and designed to motivate runners to push past what they think is possible. Nike condemns any form of antisemitism. The language should not have been used, and the billboards have come down."

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