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- Feedback shaped product and community initiatives, including Nike’s Leak Protection and allocating over $4.4 million to organizations supporting women and girls in sports.
- Participants emphasized holistic support for athletes and continued progress, as Sanya Richards-Ross noted Nike is paying more attention to athletes holistically.
- The group's discussions are ongoing and global, members met previously at the Paris Olympics and in Mexico, and the recent meeting occurred on May 29.
June 2, 2025
JuJu Watkins, Sha’Carri Richardson, Carson Pickett, Dora Atim, Erin Matson, India Sardjoe, Jess Sims, Leah Williamson, Sanya Richards-Ross, Sophie Hahn, Sue Bird, and Tayla Harris participated in the gathering of sports figures
Nike has been doing its Athlete Think Tank for several years and recently recruited 12 sports influencers and athletes to participate in the company’s fourth one.
According to Complex, the sportswear entity announced the 12 women who would give their thoughts and insights to help the company advance, as their feedback will be used for future purposes. Those 12 come from different aspects of the athletic spectrum: Carson Pickett, Dora Atim, Erin Matson, India Sardjoe, Jess Sims, JuJu Watkins, Leah Williamson, Sanya Richards-Ross, Sha’Carri Richardson, Sophie Hahn, Sue Bird, and Tayla Harris.
The gathering of women for the purposes of elevating the Nike brand was initiated five years ago as the athletic brand sought the input of selected individuals who are active in their respective sports and could give insight based on their experiences as athletes. The opinions and suggestions have been used to help the brand introduce new technology like Nike’s Leak Protection while receiving the women’s input regarding decisions that led to implementing community-focused initiatives. This also included the company allocating over $4.4 million to organizations supporting women and girls participating in sports.
The meeting reportedly took place on May 29.
📬 | leah via ig
“Nike Athlete Think Tank.
So grateful to have had the opportunity to be in conversation with these incredible women.
They inspired, educated and empowered me. I’ll be forever grateful to Nike for creating space for all the magic to happen.” pic.twitter.com/nEs7UQNELn— leah williamson source (@lw6source) May 31, 2025
Footwear News reported that some members of this group met previously during the Paris Olympics last summer and then again in Mexico in November. The media outlet spoke to Richards-Ross about the Athlete Think Tank, as she has been with the brand for 20 years.
She said, “We’re headed in the right direction when it comes to supporting women in sports and giving women an opportunity to be heard and seen. Nike now pays so much attention to athletes holistically. And that’s the part that I want to continue to see. I feel like there’s always that athlete inside of us, whether we’re competitive professionally or not. So, what does that journey look like for all women? And how do we support women as they continue on that journey of being their best selves? I see that change, and I know we’re going to continue to get better at that.”
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