Sportswear behemoths like Nike or Adidas offer hefty sponsorship deals to athletes in the hopes of providing them with recognition and financial security. But Track and Field legend Justin Gatlin’s recent remarks highlighted a reality that often forces athletes, especially rookies, to sign deals they don’t fully comprehend or understand the long-term repercussions.

On his X handle, Justin Gatlin shared a video about sponsorship deals. Justin Gatlin said in the clip, “So when you have athletes who don’t have the knowledge of understanding their contract or their finances and is perpetuated by these agents who are pressing you with half-truths and saying things like, oh, you have no choice but to sign with Nike.” 

He continued, “Oh, you have no choice to sign with Adidas, not realizing those agents have a relationship with those shoe companies, and they don’t want to create turbulence in their relationship with those shoe companies, because you’re just one athlete that they’re going to have for the next decade or more.”

Moreover, Gatlin mentions the deals, “interests being temporary,” as brands go to have “multiple athletes.” Interestingly, this is not the first time Gatlin has taken a dig at the big-shot companies. He had come down heavily on Nike after they released the Olympic outfits for the USA track and field.

Nike’s Olympic uniforms: An evaluation by Justin Gatlin

Justin Gatlin called Nike’s most recent Olympic uniform designs a “joke” and expressed his disgust with them. The 4X World champ Gatlin discussed his impressions on the “Ready Set Go” podcast, expressing his initial shock at the unusual look of the uniforms. Gatlin criticized the uniforms’ design, color scheme, and material choices, calling them unimaginative. In particular, he questioned Nike’s decision-making process, arguing that the uniforms’ design could have been given greater thought.

The 42-year-old stated, “When I saw the unveiling of this uniform, it was on social media first and it was not part of an official page, I thought it was a prank, so I had to check the calendar to make sure it wasn’t a prank and was like ‘this is a joke’.” He continued, “Long story short, this Team USA uniform has missed the mark. They could have done a better job with the font. I think they pieced some of the materials they had from previous uniforms, threw some color on it, and went with it.”

As the exclusive sponsor of these outfits for numerous nations, including Team USA, Gatlin believed that Nike had made poor design decisions. Athletes who will be wearing these uniforms and the importance of the Olympic Games made him think they could have done a better job.