British Olympian legend calls for Nike boycott over trans model

British Olympian Sharron Davies wants to see female athletes boycott the brand in response to casting a trans influencer to market its sports bras.

Former Olympic athlete Sharron Davies says Nike’s advertisement is ‘insulting’ and has called for a widespread boycott of the brand.

One of Britain’s famous Olympic swimmers Sharron Davies has called for a boycott of Nike over its “insulting” depiction of women for using a trans influencer to market sports bras, but the message hasn’t reached the England women’s footballers.

The Lionesses, like the Matildas, play in Nike apparel.

After the Lionesses were downed by Australia 2-0 at the GTech stadium in a pre-world cup friendly on Tuesday night, 31-year-old England defender Rachel Daly was asked if Davies’ call for a boycott of Nike has been discussed within the team.

Daly responded with a curt “ah, no”. When pressed she insisted, “we have not discussed”.

England defender Rachel Daly, right, says the Lionesses have not spoke about boycotting Nike over the commercial.

Davies, the three time Olympian and Moscow silver medallist has led an international chorus of women on social media who have called for a boycott of Nike products after the company paid trans influence Dylan Mulvaney, who identifies as a woman but who has not undergone transition surgery, to promote women’s sports bras and leggings.

Said Davies: “It’s an insulting parody, women are being erased everywhere.” She added on twitter, “Women are not a parody, caricature or stereotype companies, and those of you disrespectful enough to not understand that will lose customers. We will make our voices heard through our spending power and boycott companies that don’t know what a woman is.”

The controversy has also shone a spotlight on Nike’s penalising of sponsored female athletes when they are pregnant. One of the most celebrated runners in the world, Allyson Felix said Nike cut her pay 70 percent while she was pregnant. Simon Biles, the 10 times Olympic medalist left Nike after a long association just before the Tokyo Olympics, saying she preferred another brand that was more supportive.

Mulvaney raised eyebrows by previously promoting Tampax, but the biggest backlash so far has been the influencer’s promotion of Bud Light Beer.

The Matildas also play in Nike apparel.

Another high profile voice has been the Montreal 1976 Olympic decathlon champion Caitlyn Jenner. Jenner came out as a trans woman in April 2015, but has opposed the participation of trans athletes in women’s sport because of the physical advantages trans women benefit from having gone through male puberty.

“As someone that grew up in awe of what Phil Knight (the founder of Nike) did, it is a shame to see such an iconic American company go so woke,” she tweeted.

“We can be inclusive but not at the expense of the mass majority of people, and have some decency while being inclusive.

“This is an outrage.”

Nike responded to the controversy urging people to “be kind,” “inclusive” and “to encourage each other”.

But the simmering issue may yet explode at the women’s football world cup in Australia where it is believed some trans women players may take part under current rules.

FIFA allows trans players to compete in the gender they identify with, on a case-by-case basis.