Nike Athlete Think Tank Cohort 4.0
Five years ago, Nike introduced a first-of-its-kind program called the Athlete Think Tank, which was designed to with one clear goal: to confront the challenges women face in sports. The Think Tank accomplishes this by convening and listening to elite women athletes, and then implementing their feedback to drive innovation for female athletes at all levels. To-date, Athlete Think Tank participants have included Serena Williams, Sabrina Ionescu, Faith Kipeygon, and Chloe Kim, and over the past five years, the program has served as a trusted space where athletes can help shape Nike’s efforts to ensure all female athletes feel seen, heard, and supported.
This year, Nike is doubling down on the belief that the future of sport will be shaped by women by kicking off Cohort 4.0 of the Athlete Think Tank, featuring top global athletes from across all sports. The list includes rising basketball star JuJu Watkins, Olympic medalist Sha’Carri Richardson, international soccer star Leah Williamson, basketball legend Sue Bird, plus many more. While their sports and backgrounds vary, these athletes share a collective goal of creating meaningful change by building a more equitable and inclusive future for women and girls in sport. For Sue Bird, a now retired athlete who has spent her post-playing career investing in women’s sports through venture capital, entrepreneurship, and media, joining the Think Tank is highly personal.
“There’s the old adage, ‘leave it better than when you got there,’ and I think a lot of us in women’s sports feel that way,” said Bird. “That’s what makes the Think Tank so special.”
From community grants to product design, the Think Tank is influencing everything from sportswear to systemic change. One of the most visible innovations born from the Think Tank is Nike Leakproof, which is a product developed in direct response to feedback from cohort athletes. And according to Bird, that kind of progress is only possible when women are given the platform to inform what’s being built for them.
“We understand everything from the functionality of a product, to the design, to the fashion elements. We are constantly thinking about all of this, so who better to give feedback than the ones who are wearing it almost every single day?” Bird went on to share, “By getting a woman’s perspective on women’s products, you’re going to come out with something authentic and then I think more women can then trust it.”
For Bird, the importance of brands like Nike investing in women’s sports extends beyond just creating products: it’s about rewriting a narrative that women athletes have fought against for decades.
“For years and years, we were told as WNBA players that nobody cared. That there was no value. I knew based on my own lived experience that was wrong,” she said. “I knew it from walking around the streets and having people stop me and tell me how much I’ve inspired them. I knew it from playing in arenas that had tens of thousands of fans in them.”
Bird also sees brand investment in women’s sports as a smart, long-term business move. Nike’s creation of Athlete Think Tank Cohort 4.0 is an example of a brand spotting the value of women’s sports and leaning in.
“At the end of the day, this is just a really good business decision,” said Bird.
As part of the Think Tank, Nike has also invested over $4.4 million in community organizations and plans to continue this commitment with the new cohort. The brand views the initiative not just as a product pipeline, but as part of the company’s larger responsibility to serve women and girls in sport.
The full list of Nike’s Athlete Think Nike Cohort 4.o includes:
- Carson Pickett, Soccer Player
- Dora Atim, Running Coach
- Erin Matson, Field Hockey Coach
- India Sardjoe, Breakdancer
- Jess Sims, Trainer
- JuJu Watkins, Basketball Player
- Leah Williamson, Soccer Player
- Sanya Richards-Ross, Track and Field Athlete
- Sha’Carri Richardson, Track and Field Athlete
- Sophie Hahn, Paralympian
- Sue Bird, Basketball Player
- Tayla Harris, Football Player
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