By Samantha Kamman | The Christian Post | May 20, 2025
Women’s sports advocates are calling on Nike to stand up for biological women in athletics following reports that the brand was involved in funding a study related to transgender-identifying athletes.
The conversation gained traction after XX-XY Athletics, a brand dedicated to raising awareness about fairness in women’s sports, released an ad campaign earlier this month. In the video, prominent female athletes shared messages directed at Nike, urging the company to protect women-only sports.
“If I had a chance to talk to Nike, I would tell them to ‘just do it,’” said Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer and outspoken advocate for women in sports. “That’s your slogan, isn’t it, Nike? Just do it. When I say it, I mean the right thing. And that’s defending women and biological reality.”
Gaines, a former swimmer at the University of Kentucky, rose to national prominence in 2022 after competing against Lia (Will) Thomas, a transgender-identifying athlete from the University of Pennsylvania, during the NCAA championships. Although Gaines and Thomas tied for fifth place in the 200-meter freestyle, Gaines was informed she could not hold the trophy during the ceremony because the NCAA prioritized media coverage of Thomas.
Voices From the Field: Injury and Advocacy
Payton McNabb, another voice in the XX-XY ad, recounted how her high school volleyball career ended prematurely due to an on-court incident involving a trans-identifying athlete. During a 2022 game in North Carolina, McNabb sustained a head injury after a powerful spike from an opposing player. She later suffered from partial paralysis and memory loss, according to the Independent Women’s Forum.
“I had dreams of playing in college,” said McNabb. “But those were taken away from me by a man.”
Professional golfer Lauren Miller also appeared in the ad, urging Nike to reflect on the implications of allowing male athletes in women’s divisions.
“Think about your daughters. If we let men and boys continue to invade, women’s sports will be erased,” she said.
Nike’s Response and Clarification
The ad came on the heels of a New York Times article spotlighting Blaire Fleming, a male-identifying-as-female volleyball player at San Jose State University. Several teams reportedly chose to forfeit matches rather than compete against a team featuring a biologically male player.
The Times article also mentioned a study led by Joanna Harper, a researcher at Oregon Health & Science University, who was said to be examining the fitness levels of transgender-identifying youth before and after medical transition. The study, which reportedly had Nike’s backing, aimed to track participants over a five-year period—including after surgical procedures.
When contacted, Harper did not respond to The Christian Post’s inquiry.
According to OutKick, a Nike executive clarified that while there was discussion of such a study, it ultimately “was never initialized” and “is not moving forward.” When pressed on whether it was inaccurate to say Nike funded the study, the executive responded:
“No one was wrong, but there might have been some gaps in the information chain.”
The Larger Debate
This controversy underscores ongoing national debates surrounding transgender inclusion in women’s sports, a topic that continues to generate legal, ethical, and emotional responses across the sports community, advocacy groups, and corporations.
Nike has not issued a public statement as of this publication. This article will be updated if further comment is received.
She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com.
Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
