The Paris Olympics have been buzzing with excitement, but recently, there’s been a twist in the story. After French, Team GB and Australia athletes revealed their Olympic attire, Nike unveiled the ‘Stars and Stripes’ kit. On April 11, 2024, Nike, the official apparel partner of Team USA, unveiled the much-anticipated team outfits for the Paris Olympics 2024. 

In a recent post on Citius Mag’s X platform, fans were shown a glimpse of the USA Team Olympic attire, igniting admiration among enthusiasts and former athletes who came playfully poked fun at the new outfits along with fans, citing their lack of seriousness. And even Under Armour, a prominent sports brand, has sparked a major conversation by taking a significant jab at Nike. This move comes amidst a wave of backlash from fans regarding the Team USA outfits, adding fuel to the fire of an already heated discussion.

One’s misery is another’s marketing opportunity in 2024

Social media seems to be the perfect ground for rivals to trade barbs these days. This was perfectly apparent when Under Wraps decided to reply to Citius Mag’s first look of the Jersey of US track and field team with the caption, “Runners – we got you covered”. Seemingly, trying to portray how their own designs were far better than that of Nike’s, the post even caught the attention of athlete Catarina Guimaraes, who supported the brand commenting, “🙌🙌🙌 look at what can be done to keep things, under wraps.” 

Nike has been the provider of the National team’s uniform since 1991. Months after the revelation of uniforms by other teams, fans were eagerly waiting for the new look of the US team, but as the new launch hit social media, fans were certainly not pleased. The Nike kits showed a digital design uniform in a vibrant swirl of color; blue and red ombre for men and pink, blue, and white-lined outfits for women. 

Katie Moon, an Olympic gold medalist, enthusiastically supported the recently launched look, despite the criticism from fans. But people urging Nike to make the female jerseys just like their male counterparts didn’t sit well with her. “You’re ultimately attacking our decision to wear it,” wrote Moon in her post on Instagram. Fans are expressing their dissatisfaction with Nike for consistently providing underwhelming kits, arguing that brands like Puma, Adidas, and New Balance consistently outperform Nike in this regard.

Unpacking the backlash against Team USA outfits and actions from Nike

At a Nike event in Paris, Sha’Carri Richardson and Anna Cockrell showcased Team USA gear, including a two-piece set and a bodysuit with compression shorts. When Citius Mag unveiled the design online, a flood of negative comments followed, with many athletes expressing their disapproval. Notably, retired track and field athlete Lauren Fleshman had commented, “It’s absurd”, while Colleen Quigley, an Olympic athlete from 2016, joked that she considered joining this year’s team until she saw the uniforms.

On the other hand, Janett Nichol, vice president of apparel innovation at Nike had said, “On the apparel side, why it’s a game-changer for us, is because we’ve now been able to take athlete insights, along with data and use that algorithm to create something that we’ve never been able to do before”. According to reports, Nike has used body scanning and motion capture technology to design uniforms that fit athletes perfectly.

Read More: Paris Olympics 2024: Disappointed Olympians Bash Nike’s Team USA Outfits for Track and Field

However, this isn’t the first instance where female athletes have criticized overly revealing uniforms. Quigley had emphasized the importance of uniforms being functional and added, “This is not Paris Fashion Week, it’s the Olympics”.

Now, it remains to be seen if Nike will pay heed to fan’s opinions! What do you think of the outfits?