Nike Apologizes After London Marathon Banner 'Makes Light' Of Holocaust, Still Silent On Transgender Study
Nike's got another public relations nightmare on its hands.
The athletic apparel giant was hit with major backlash over a controversial billboard it displayed during the 2025 London Marathon this past Sunday, which was criticized by the Jewish community for trivializing the Holocaust.
The billboard, which was hung from a crane near the London Eye, read, "Never Again. Until Next Year," co-opting the two-word phrase historically used to represent the global community's pledge to "Never Again" allow a similar horror to the Holocaust.
While Nike continues to stonewall on allegedly funding a youth transgender study, it has already issued a public apology for the banner.
RELATED: Nike Finally Responds About Transgender Youth Study, But It Raises More Questions
Nike told The Forward on Monday, "There was no intention of causing offense. The London billboards were part of a broader campaign titled ‘Winning Isn’t Comfortable,’ built on runners’ insights and designed to motivate runners to push past what they think is possible." That ad and others were meant to mimic some of what runners tell themselves while running a marathon, Nike's statement said.
The ad comes amid an increase in anti-Semitic incidents around the world since Hamas's murderous attack on Oct. 7, 2023 , including the protests on college campuses in support of the terrorist organization.
Reactions on X were critical of Nike's billboard, particularly those from members of the Jewish community, who were left shocked by the oversight from the apparel company's marketing team.
One user wrote, "The amount of people that had to approve this ad from @Nike and didn't notice anything wrong is kind of insane."
Another stated, "To take a slogan about the Holocaust, and use it for entertainment, is simply grotesque. Nike - Just DON’T do it."
Billionaire investor Bill Ackman also weighed in on X, saying,
"Never Again is as iconic a phrase as Just Do It. Nike should know better."
He added, "I assume that this was unintentional, but it is hard to imagine that there was no one at Nike, on the marketing team, at their advertising firm, banner manufacturer etc. who didn’t know or who didn’t think to Google the words ‘Never again.’"
Nike has faced criticism for progressive stances in the past.
In 2014, the company drew ire for a World Cup ad that appeared to depict the Star of David negatively.
The day after the London Marathon, winning men and women athletes sponsored by Nike and including Sebastian Sawe, Jacob Kiplimo, Eliud Kipchoge (back, far left) and Sifan Hassan are seen at a photocall outside Nike Town in Oxford Circus, on 28th April 2025, in London, England. Nike is celebrating two decades with Eliud Kipchoge. (Photo by Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)
More recently, The New York Times reported that Nike was allegedly funding a study on transgender youth athletes involving hormone therapy, prompting backlash from pro-women advocates, including OutKick's Riley Gaines.
A Nike executive told OutKick that the study was never launched and is not moving forward, but the response raised more questions than it answered.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela