Between the unveiling of their universally reviled "Specter Edition" NBA jerseys to their stock taking a nosedive, the company that was once seen as unsinkable is starting to take on water.Things have gotten so bad for Nike that they're set to be booted from the S&P 100, a sign that the company is trending in the wrong direction.THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE.DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!OutKick's Craig Carton, a self-admitted "Nike man," thinks he knows what the issue is, and if you've been paying attention, it shouldn't come as a shock to you.Craig Carton speaks at Fox News Channel Studios in New York City on Sept.
4, 2025.(John Lamparski/Getty Images)"This is part of the problem right here," Carton says as he points at a picture of the aforementioned Specter Edition jerseys.
"Nike decided, apparently, to hire a blind creator to basically pull a Jackson Pollock and just start ramming paint at the wall."If you've seen the jerseys, Carton is spot on.I've likened them to a Windows screensaver from the 90s that has been ripped from a dying computer monitor, but Jackson Pollock is a solid pull as well.THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE.DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!May 24, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; A Nike swoosh logo at Nike by Eugene.
(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)"Part of the reason for Nike's downfall is garbage like this," he explains.But, as Carton alludes to, it's only part of the problem.The other half of the issue is more historical."In 2018, Nike decided to get in bed with Colin Kaepernick," Carton recounts.
"And they scrapped 'Just Do It' and they started a new slogan, which was 'Dream Crazy.'""The only thing crazy that they did was partner with a lunatic who hates America."Carton's point is well received, and anyone who had any sort of foresight could have predicted that once the "woke" fad — which is all it was in the first place — died down, it would no longer be trendy to partner ...