BOSTON — After being left off Nike’s Newbury Street storefront sign reading “Runners Welcome. Walkers Tolerated.” cyclists worldwide are calling on the company to include the underrepresented group with a simple addition: “Cyclists Acknowledged.”
Posted ahead of the Boston Marathon, the sign is just the latest in a series of Nike marketing efforts designed to alienate athletes the company has yet to figure out how to profit from.
Nike issued a statement addressing the online backlash:
“We value bicyclists as much as the next global entity, but despite how prominent our brand is, we simply cannot be all things to all people, especially non-elite people. Especially those who insist on exercising on two wheels rather than two feet.
Greatness is a choice, not an outcome, and we boldly dare all athletes to step forward with courage, trust in their own potential, and discover the greatness that unfolds the moment they choose to begin running and never stop moving forward at an elevated pace.”
At press time, Nike was preparing to issue an apology for omitting swimmers entirely.
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