Nike Athlete Think Tank Invests in the Future of Women’s Sport
Image: Nike
What comes to mind when you think of women in sports? A few words for us would be: empowering, change-maker, superwoman, highly intelligent, masterfully skilled, record-breaking, and generational defining. Unfortunately, we all know not everyone thinks this way. But, as an ally and platform for women, we will continue to be a voice for them. One ally that has continued to show up for women in and out of sports is Nike. One of Nike’s commitments to women’s sports is to listen and learn from the athletes and apply their insights to products, services, and partnerships. By doing this, they continue to inspire, empower, and celebrate current generations and generations to come.
This spring, Nike began a new initiative called the Nike Athlete Think Tank that will continue to nurture more meaningful conversations and relationships with athletes. Led by Tanya Hvizdak, Nike's Vice-President of women's global sports marketing, the 13 founding members will share their experiences, and insight, and will fund $1.3 million across 20 grants on their behalf in partnership with CAF America.
“We opened up the conversation to hear their insights and help inform where we can be better. We specifically asked how they believe sport can move the world forward, how we can help break barriers to sport, and how we can better leverage their input and ideas.
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The founding members of the Nike Athlete Think tank include: Ada Hegerberg, Angela Davis, Bebe Vio, Dina Asher-Smith, Deyna Castellanos, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Nafissatou Thiam, Sabrina Ionescu, Scout Bassett, Serena Williams, Shalane Flanagan, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Simone Manuel. The way to continue to support women and girls in sports is to give them access to a positive experience and an equal, inclusive opportunity compared to what men and boys have in sports. The women of the Think Tank know first hand how it feels to not have the same level of access and spoke on what it means to value purpose and performance through having meaningful community efforts.
“Our ultimate goal is to empower the next generation of women in sport.
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The conversation doesn’t stop here. The launch of the Nike Athlete Think Tank also included a partnership with CAF America to fund 20 grants for organizations that specifically align with each athlete. Nike describes the grants as a “meaningful part of the mission and one that helps them see change in their backyards.”
Nike plans to continue adding more women athletes to their roster and creating a dedicated space for the company to be a listening ear, an ally, and learn from the experiences women athletes go through every day.
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