Simone Biles hints that Nike failed to support her 'as an individual' after dumping the brand for Athleta ahead of Tokyo Olympics
- Simone Biles left Nike for a long-term partnership with Athleta, the brand announced Friday.
- The superstar gymnast suggested Nike did not support her adequately "as an individual."
- Athleta stands "for everything that I stand for," Biles told The Wall Street Journal. "... it was time for a change."
It sounds like Simone Biles has some beef with Nike.
The most decorated gymnast on the planet announced a new partnership with Athleta on Friday, spurning her longtime apparel partner in the process. And though she didn't directly criticize Nike, she alluded to having some grievances with the brand in an interview with The Wall Street Journal's Louise Radnofsky.
"It was obviously super neat at that age to sign with such a big brand," Biles said. "But now I feel like it's so much different because I was the one that got to sit down and speak with the team and decide, yes, this is who I want to go forward with, this is the team I want to work with."
"I just thought it was time for a change," she added.
Biles first signed with sportswear giant in 2015, when she was 18 years old and had just opted out of college to go pro. Four Olympic and nine World Championship gold medals later, Biles has become the most recognizable name in her sport and is considered by many to be the most dominant athlete in history.
But as Biles' star rose, her share of promotions within Nike did not appear to increase accordingly, as Radnofsky noted. And with numerous Nike scandals surrounding its treatment of pregnant athletes and female runners likely coloring her view of the brand, Biles decided to move forward with Athleta, which has committed to sponsoring her post-Olympics tour and making her the face of her own sportswear line.
"I felt like it wasn't just about my achievements, it's what I stood for and how they were going to help me use my voice and also be a voice for females and kids," Biles said about her new deal with Athleta. "I feel like they also support me, not just as an athlete, but just as an individual outside of the gym and the change that I want to create, which is so refreshing."
"Athleta is committed to diversity and inclusion, of all women, backgrounds, ages, sizes, abilities, and races," she added.
Biles noted that, upon initially signing with Nike, she "totally" felt that the brand supported its female athletes.
"But now that I'm older and kind of in the world a little bit more, I see and I know and I learn and I grow from things," she said. "So to partner with Athleta, I think they stand for everything that I stand for."