Did Nike Just Call Women Olympians Gold Diggers?

Support women's sports and SHARE this story with your friends!

Nike released this "Gold Digging" t-shirt yesterday in response to the great women Olympians in London. The description of the tee says, "We aren't saying they're gold diggers – we're just saying that they're out for the gold! What's wrong with that?"

Nike has done an outstanding job of empowering female athletes in the past. They came up with the campaigns like "My Butt is Big," which combatted the idea of the ideal woman's body and highlighted female athletes' strengths. My newest favorite is the commercial, "Voices," which features Joan Benoit Samuelson, Diana Taurasi, Lisa Leslie and Marlen Esparaza. Each woman talks about the barriers they overcame to become the best in their sport. They share their voice with the younger generation.

Whereas those previous campagins have been praised, this t-shirt is getting some slack. Some wonder, "Did Nike really just called these women gold diggers?" Others say Nike is reclaiming this negative term/phrase, changing the symbol of "gold" from men's money to a representation of women's athletic achievement.

What do you think about this tshirt and marketing slogan?

Share your thoughts below.

Support women's sports and SHARE this story with your friends!

• Fashion
• Media/Marketing
• Sexism

This article was written by a WomenTalkSports.com contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own women's sports content.

View stephaniemp's Full Profile

There is 1 comment on this post. Join the discussion!

itchbay says:

I dunno. I'm kinda torn. The phrase has such a strong negative connotation for me, I don't think I'd wear it, even ironically.

If it had a tag line more like "Digging deep for GOLD" I'd like it better.

Friday, August 17, 2012 at 4:06pm EDT

Leave Your Comment:  Read our comment policy

Login  |  Sign Up

LOGIN TO WOMEN TALK SPORTS:

Username: 

Password: 

SIGNUP FOR A WOMEN TALK SPORTS ACCOUNT:

A Women Talk Sports account allows you to maintain a profile at www.womentalksports.com and login to comment on posts using your WTS identity.

Fields marked with a * are required.

Your First Name*: 

Your Last Name*: 

Your E-mail*: 

Your Website: 

Your Location: 

Your Twitter Username: 

Create a WTS Username*: 

Create a Password*: 

Confirm Password*: 

Check here to receive bi-weekly emails from Women Talk Sports and partners highlighting discussions on our site and upcoming women's sporting events, as well as informing you of new products, services and special offers.

I accept the Terms & Conditions for joining Women Talk Sports