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The American sprint legend, who won five world titles and two Olympic gold medals during his career, felt 'let down' by Nike after they turned down a couple of his requests, which prompted him to ditch them for Adidas.
American sprint legend Maurice Greene has explained the reason he ditched Nike for Adidas during his days racing at the highest level of sprinting,
During a conversation on the Ready Set Go YouTube channel, hosted by Justin Gatlin and Rodney Greene, Maurice Greene shared the story behind his controversial switch from one of the biggest sportswear giants to its fiercest competitor.
The three men were seated alongside Asafa Powell and British legend Linford Christie when they had that conversation.
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Back in 2002, Greene was at the peak of his career. As a multiple-time world record holder and Olympic champion, he expected Nike to reward his accomplishments with a lucrative contract renewal. However, when negotiations began in December 2001, the company offered him less than half of the $1 million he requested.
Even more frustrating for Greene was Nike’s refusal to name a line of shoes in his honor, despite his numerous achievements while wearing their gear.
"You gotta understand, Nike had nothing for the 100 meters. I was the first to break the world record in their shoe, to win a world championship in their shoe, to win Olympic gold in their shoe. I was the first to do everything," Greene explained.
Greene’s discontent grew when he learned that Nike had named a shoe after Bob Kennedy, a 5,000-meter runner who was ranked 41st in the world in 2001. Despite Kennedy’s historic feat of being the first white man to break 13 minutes for 5,000 meters, Greene felt overlooked and disrespected by the company.
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"When it was time to get into negotiation, I was like, ‘Okay, I want a certain amount of money, I want to be in three commercials per year, as well as get my own shoe.’ But they said no to everybody," Greene recounted.
The final straw came when Adidas, eager to capitalize on Nike’s misstep, offered Greene everything he had asked for—his own line of signature clothing and footwear, along with a lucrative contract. Greene made the decision to leave Nike, a move that sent shockwaves through the athletics world.
"You either take this or leave it, but Adidas came in and said, ‘We gonna do this and that,’ and I was like, ‘I’m out.’"
Nike, clearly stung by Greene's departure, responded with a statement expressing regret over the situation. "To suggest Nike did not treat him in the proper manner is categorically incorrect," said Beth Hedge, a spokeswoman for Nike, as quoted by The Guardian. "It's unfortunate Maurice feels this way about Nike, but we continue to wish him well."
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Greene's experience with Nike is not unique among top athletes. Carl Lewis, the legendary sprinter and long jumper, also left Nike after his historic four gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, citing similar concerns about a lack of respect.
Although Lewis later rejoined the company, his initial departure highlighted a recurring issue for the brand.
In more recent years, Nike faced criticism from another sprinting icon, Allyson Felix, who publicly criticized the company in a New York Times Op-Ed in 2019.
Felix revealed that she lost her Nike deal after getting pregnant, sparking widespread discussion about how female athletes are treated by major sponsors.
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