Nike seized on World Cup fever by selling women's team shirts in men's sizes - and jersey sales nearly doubled
- Nike.com has sold more USA women's jerseys this season than it has of any other soccer team's shirt ever.
- Nike's sales of women's tournament-related apparel gained by more than 150% compared with 2015.
Team USA may have lifted the Women's World Cup, but sponsor Nike won the tournament too.
Nike.com has sold more USA women's jerseys this season than it has of any other soccer team's shirt ever. Combined with strong demand for French, English, Brazilian, and Nigerian women's team shirts, the sportswear retailer's sales of tournament jerseys have more than tripled compared with the last Women's World Cup in 2015.
Sales of men's jerseys followed suit, nearly doubling as more countries offered women's shirt designs in men's sizes. Women snapped up training and lifestyle apparel tied to the Brazilian, Nigerian, Chilean, and Chinese teams, lifting Nike's sales of women's tournament-related apparel by more than 150% compared with 2015.
The blockbuster sales may come as a surprise given the tournament's divisiveness. After forward Megan Rapinoe said she would reject an invite to the White House, President Donald Trump tweeted that she should win the tournament before talking.
Nike also alienated some consumers last week by scrapping a line of upcoming sneakers featuring the Betsy Ross flag after Colin Kaepernick, a frontman for the Black Lives Matter movement and a recent Just Do It campaign, complained it was offensive.