Nike, Known for Prosthetic Marketing, Refuses to Sell One Shoe to Disabled Athlete

Received 15% Discount Coupon Offer but Ultimately Declined
"If Marketing to Disabled People, Business Support Must Follow"

A British Paralympic athlete with one leg requested the famous sports brand 'Nike' to allow purchasing a single shoe. This pointed out Nike's behavior of using Paralympic athletes for marketing while failing to accommodate disabled customers when selling products.

Steph Reid, a former British Paralympic track and field athlete, recently posted a video on her TikTok account. In the video, she said, "Recently, friends showed me photos of Nike store mannequins wearing only one shoe, with prosthetic legs on the other side," adding, "I thought it was really cool."

She then contacted Nike with an 'obvious question.' When Reid asked, "I had a leg amputation surgery; is it possible to buy just one shoe or two left shoes?" the Nike representative reportedly replied, "No."

Former British Paralympic track and field athlete Steph Reid [Image source=TikTok capture]

When Reid protested, saying, "Nike products are expensive. It feels ridiculous to pay full price when I can only use half the product," Nike offered a "10% discount coupon." Reid responded, "The offer is kind, but I will still only need one shoe in the future."

The representative even offered a 15% discount coupon, but Reid ultimately declined. The representative said, "I will escalate this issue to higher-ups," and ended the call. However, nine days after the conversation, Reid said she had received no response from Nike.

Reid criticized, "Other sports brands also use athletes running with prosthetic legs for product promotion," adding, "I asked them if they could sell just one shoe, but the answer was 'No'."

She welcomed companies using mannequins with no legs but pointed out, "If they want to use such 'inclusive images,' shouldn't they also support it in their actual business?" The video garnered over 4.4 million views and received significant global attention.

Netizens who saw the video responded, "If you are going to use Paralympic athletes for marketing, allowing the sale of a single shoe is only natural," and "Only a 50% discount coupon would be acceptable," among other comments.

Amid growing controversy, Nike issued a statement saying, "We thank Reid for sharing her concerns. Nike represents all athletes and supports numerous disabled athletes and associations worldwide."

They continued, "At our Memphis logistics center, we are selecting single shoe inventory to provide one shoe only," promising, "We will work to expand this program to more regions in the future."