Nike decided to be one of the sponsors of the April 27th running of the London Marathon and proceeded to offend Jews and the descendants of the six million people killed during the Nazi Holocaust.
Some genius at Nike thought it would be a great idea to support the idea of "diversifying" the mostly white runners (90%) who participate in the marathon. So the company partnered with a group called The Outrunners running club and backed several programs to achieve the goal of attracting more people of color to the race.
I've never run a marathon, but I'm told that a common refrain from many who finish the race is "Never Again," considering the training, the diet, and the utter exhaustion felt after the race is over.
Nike decided to put "Never Again. Until Next Year" on a series of billboards that lined the race. I hope the genius exec who gave the OK for that signage has found a nice, deep hole to hide in.
I will "never again" purchase anything from Nike. pic.twitter.com/lPx99oOsqV
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) April 28, 2025\
I'm guessing it's not super fun in the halls of @Nike right now.
— Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) April 28, 2025
So many unforced errors.
Never again? WTAF was this marketing person thinking??
A purge of mid level marketers must be underway. Plus some high level ones. pic.twitter.com/sz8NXaDZdZ
Jewish British journalist Jonathan Sacerdoti wrote an op-ed for The Spectator in which he described his shock at seeing those words in the context of an ad campaign.
“How could a giant like Nike — and all the many people involved between conception and execution — fail to recognize the most solemn and famous usage of those words?” he asked. “Or worse, perhaps they did, and decided it did not matter," wrote Sacerdoti.
Only last week, my essay commemorating Yom HaShoah, the Jewish Holocaust memorial day, was published in these pages. It focused entirely on the solemn imperative embodied in the promise of “never again,” especially at a moment when Jews worldwide feel increasingly imperilled by a new, unashamed surge of hatred and discrimination. I argued that “never again” cannot simply be reduced to a catchphrase; that remembering the Holocaust is not itself sufficient to fulfil the pledge; that to honour it fully, we must recognise and confront contemporary manifestations of Jew-hatred.
The signage may have been a marketing ploy to generate controversy. Fashion houses are famous for doing whatever they can to get attention, including offending large numbers of people.
For whatever reason, Nike went with the outrageous billboards, and they were forced to retreat.
Most critics conceded that the decision was likely due more to ignorance than malice, but called on the company to apologise and improve its staff’s understanding of the issue. Others called for boycotts of Nike products until the apology was issued.
The row took on particular poignancy given that race day coincided with the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, one of the deadliest extermination camps of the Nazi regime.
Nike said in its apology statement that "We did not mean any harm and apologise for any we caused."
Are these people brain-dead? Or is it me? Does my sensitivity to the phrase "Never Again" have more to do with my age (71) than any relevance it might have today for younger people? I've looked into the eyes of Holocaust survivors. "Never Again" was a poignant, meaningful reminder of the reason they are alive.
"The London billboards were part of a broader campaign titled ‘Winning Isn’t Comfortable,' built on runners’ insights and designed to motivate runners to push past what they think is possible."
We get it. But Nike would bend over backward twice not to offend a transgender person, much less a minority.
That the sacred utterance was trivialized by being made part of an ad campaign tells us what Nike really thinks of Jews.
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