Typically, Nike would recover from this and just buy their way out of it. To some degree, this is what they've done with Kelati. Someone at Nike sat sports marketing down and told them that they have zero American prospects in the marathon leading up to LA28, so do what it takes.
On the track, however, it's much more difficult. Hocker could be cresting over his peak and we still have three outdoor season to go. Fisher looks to be moving up as he knows his days on the track are numbered.
On the women’s side (USA), Nike is a mess. There best have aged out or just not interested (Mu).
But here is the problem, Nike from a financial standpoint is in an absolute free fall with no end in sight. The bean counters have likely already started to question the absurdity and cost of Swoosh TC. Throw in the fact that all three teams are pretty much just recycled or nearly direct descended athletes of Schumacher, Taylor or Smith - and you now have a real problem. Nike will only support this endeavor for so long if the results don’t start coming in. Remember this fact: Sports marketing budgets are 12 months.
I don’t see Swoosh TC making it to LA. It's been a miscalculated overshoot and just poorly executed vision from Nike that they can no longer afford.
Not a great showing in the half either. Hicks with another underwhelming run. At some point you have to question the setup in Eugene, he might need a coach who’s fully invested
Typically, Nike would recover from this and just buy their way out of it. To some degree, this is what they've done with Kelati. Someone at Nike sat sports marketing down and told them that they have zero American prospects in the marathon leading up to LA28, so do what it takes.
On the track, however, it's much more difficult. Hocker could be cresting over his peak and we still have three outdoor season to go. Fisher looks to be moving up as he knows his days on the track are numbered.
On the women’s side (USA), Nike is a mess. There best have aged out or just not interested (Mu).
But here is the problem, Nike from a financial standpoint is in an absolute free fall with no end in sight. The bean counters have likely already started to question the absurdity and cost of Swoosh TC. Throw in the fact that all three teams are pretty much just recycled or nearly direct descended athletes of Schumacher, Taylor or Smith - and you now have a real problem. Nike will only support this endeavor for so long if the results don’t start coming in. Remember this fact: Sports marketing budgets are 12 months.
I don’t see Swoosh TC making it to LA. It's been a miscalculated overshoot and just poorly executed vision from Nike that they can no longer afford.
Provo attracts a very specific crowd( former BYU only), Eugene is basically Charles Hicks training alone with a former teammate, and Flagstaff is chaos, Nico Young, in Adidas, somehow setting the tone. No unity, no structure, no identity. For Nike, this rollout looks less like a super team and more like a collection of leftovers.
It's not a real team, not the way Salazar's and Schumacher's teams used to be.
I would just evaluate the individual athlete/coach combinations the same way you would evaluate anyone else sponsored by Nike who's not part of Swoosh TC.
I was surprised Ethan Strand ran the 3K and not 1500. he had zero chance to beat Nico, Cole, or Yared in the 3K. his best chance to make the world indoor team was in the 1500.
Not a great showing in the half either. Hicks with another underwhelming run. At some point you have to question the setup in Eugene, he might need a coach who’s fully invested
I don’t know why anyone would’ve expected them to get any athletes to indoor worlds.
Interesting that Wolfe and Strand were lights out for World Cross.
But Strand looked surprisingly rough in the 3000.
Strand ran a 3K at Millrose, Asics, and yesterday and looked pretty mid in every one. (Asics his best performance, despite Nico and Yared pulling away)
Uh-oh Zero WC qualifiers + no outdoor championships + coaches tied up with college teams = brutal start for a pro group that was supposed to be elite.
Apparently there are three hubs now, but Swoosh TC still doesn’t feel like a tight, high performance crew. It feels more like athletes spread between Eugene and Provo grinding on their own, with two part-time coaches there and one full-time coach in Flagstaff. No real center. No unified culture. And somehow the people at Nike must think it’s “too cool” to even give them an actual team uniform or a real identity. Hard to build something elite when it doesn’t even look like a team.
Interesting that Wolfe and Strand were lights out for World Cross.
But Strand looked surprisingly rough in the 3000.
Strand ran a 3K at Millrose, Asics, and yesterday and looked pretty mid in every one. (Asics his best performance, despite Nico and Yared pulling away)
Strand to AOC would’ve made way more sense. Instead he’s with Mike Smith. Yeah, Colin Sahlman ran fast in the 1500m at NAU, but when it actually counted? Never really delivered. And the handling didn’t exactly scream long-term pro development. Maybe ON didn’t want Strand. Maybe contracts locked him in. Who knows. But if you’re trying to build a legit 3:27-3:30 guy, fit matters. And this one just feels off.
Uh-oh Zero WC qualifiers + no outdoor championships + coaches tied up with college teams = brutal start for a pro group that was supposed to be elite.
Apparently there are three hubs now, but Swoosh TC still doesn’t feel like a tight, high performance crew. It feels more like athletes spread between Eugene and Provo grinding on their own, with two part-time coaches there and one full-time coach in Flagstaff. No real center. No unified culture. And somehow the people at Nike must think it’s “too cool” to even give them an actual team uniform or a real identity. Hard to build something elite when it doesn’t even look like a team.
Alright, you’re obviously the same weirdo that made all the threads during xc that the training situation was bad for Nico, under a million different usernames.
Typically, Nike would recover from this and just buy their way out of it. To some degree, this is what they've done with Kelati. Someone at Nike sat sports marketing down and told them that they have zero American prospects in the marathon leading up to LA28, so do what it takes.
On the track, however, it's much more difficult. Hocker could be cresting over his peak and we still have three outdoor season to go. Fisher looks to be moving up as he knows his days on the track are numbered.
On the women’s side (USA), Nike is a mess. There best have aged out or just not interested (Mu).
But here is the problem, Nike from a financial standpoint is in an absolute free fall with no end in sight. The bean counters have likely already started to question the absurdity and cost of Swoosh TC. Throw in the fact that all three teams are pretty much just recycled or nearly direct descended athletes of Schumacher, Taylor or Smith - and you now have a real problem. Nike will only support this endeavor for so long if the results don’t start coming in. Remember this fact: Sports marketing budgets are 12 months.
I don’t see Swoosh TC making it to LA. It's been a miscalculated overshoot and just poorly executed vision from Nike that they can no longer afford.
Coach Taylor seems more popular than ever. She had several athletes at the Olympics. She had several athletes at 2025 outdoor worlds. Whitni Morgan just became a nike athlete (switched from Adidas). She is coming off of pregnancy and has been training the whole time so will likely be good by outdoor next year. Jane will likely stay as a pro, and it sounds like Riley Chamberlain will as well. Maybe missed this indoor (had some good performances just no qualifiers). Smith has had athletes qualifying for worlds until this indoor as well. Nico will likely sign with Nike once his Adidas contract is up. Plus Nike has Keely, Georgia, and Jacob.
I don’t think this has been a failure at all. It is just getting started and there has not been enough time yet to see full results. All of these programs are recruiting top talent so only growing potential. I don’t agree with op’s take at all.
Typically, Nike would recover from this and just buy their way out of it. To some degree, this is what they've done with Kelati. Someone at Nike sat sports marketing down and told them that they have zero American prospects in the marathon leading up to LA28, so do what it takes.
On the track, however, it's much more difficult. Hocker could be cresting over his peak and we still have three outdoor season to go. Fisher looks to be moving up as he knows his days on the track are numbered.
On the women’s side (USA), Nike is a mess. There best have aged out or just not interested (Mu).
But here is the problem, Nike from a financial standpoint is in an absolute free fall with no end in sight. The bean counters have likely already started to question the absurdity and cost of Swoosh TC. Throw in the fact that all three teams are pretty much just recycled or nearly direct descended athletes of Schumacher, Taylor or Smith - and you now have a real problem. Nike will only support this endeavor for so long if the results don’t start coming in. Remember this fact: Sports marketing budgets are 12 months.
I don’t see Swoosh TC making it to LA. It's been a miscalculated overshoot and just poorly executed vision from Nike that they can no longer afford.
Coach Taylor seems more popular than ever. She had several athletes at the Olympics. She had several athletes at 2025 outdoor worlds. Whitni Morgan just became a nike athlete (switched from Adidas). She is coming off of pregnancy and has been training the whole time so will likely be good by outdoor next year. Jane will likely stay as a pro, and it sounds like Riley Chamberlain will as well. Maybe missed this indoor (had some good performances just no qualifiers). Smith has had athletes qualifying for worlds until this indoor as well. Nico will likely sign with Nike once his Adidas contract is up. Plus Nike has Keely, Georgia, and Jacob.
I don’t think this has been a failure at all. It is just getting started and there has not been enough time yet to see full results. All of these programs are recruiting top talent so only growing potential. I don’t agree with op’s take at all.
Saying “Coach Taylor seems more popular than ever” is branding talk, not performance analysis. And her athletes see ON and Adidas nothing to do with Nike Swoosh TC. Being attached to Nike while someone makes a team isn’t the same as building them into medal threats inside a cohesive pro system.
The real question isn’t:
Did they have athletes at championships?
It’s:
Did this new structure materially elevate athletes beyond where they were already trending? That hasn’t been proven and Swoosh TC is not off to a good start for three groups and with more money than any other company. It’s actually failing
Coach Taylor seems more popular than ever. She had several athletes at the Olympics. She had several athletes at 2025 outdoor worlds. Whitni Morgan just became a nike athlete (switched from Adidas). She is coming off of pregnancy and has been training the whole time so will likely be good by outdoor next year. Jane will likely stay as a pro, and it sounds like Riley Chamberlain will as well. Maybe missed this indoor (had some good performances just no qualifiers). Smith has had athletes qualifying for worlds until this indoor as well. Nico will likely sign with Nike once his Adidas contract is up. Plus Nike has Keely, Georgia, and Jacob.
I don’t think this has been a failure at all. It is just getting started and there has not been enough time yet to see full results. All of these programs are recruiting top talent so only growing potential. I don’t agree with op’s take at all.
Saying “Coach Taylor seems more popular than ever” is branding talk, not performance analysis. And her athletes see ON and Adidas nothing to do with Nike Swoosh TC. Being attached to Nike while someone makes a team isn’t the same as building them into medal threats inside a cohesive pro system.
The real question isn’t:
Did they have athletes at championships?
It’s:
Did this new structure materially elevate athletes beyond where they were already trending? That hasn’t been proven and Swoosh TC is not off to a good start for three groups and with more money than any other company. It’s actually failing
This board has a long history of declaring failure for anything or anyone that is not immediately and constantly winning. This thing just got going.
Saying “Coach Taylor seems more popular than ever” is branding talk, not performance analysis. And her athletes see ON and Adidas nothing to do with Nike Swoosh TC. Being attached to Nike while someone makes a team isn’t the same as building them into medal threats inside a cohesive pro system.
The real question isn’t:
Did they have athletes at championships?
It’s:
Did this new structure materially elevate athletes beyond where they were already trending? That hasn’t been proven and Swoosh TC is not off to a good start for three groups and with more money than any other company. It’s actually failing
This board has a long history of declaring failure for anything or anyone that is not immediately and constantly winning. This thing just got going.
You’re completely missing the point. There is no real team or unified group here. It’s one coach posting on Instagram like a high school hype account, another who coached pros for years but now has a full-time NCAA job, and a third operating solo with a ton of talent while the Swoosh’s top runner is wearing Adidas and Hoka. If you can’t see why that setup deserves criticism, then you’re not being objective.
I wouldn’t call it brutal. I’d be concerned about the trajectory on the men’s side for the Eugene group . . .
Used to be a lot of fun following the BTC pro team before Nike split the pros away from BTC to form Swoosh TC/Eugene.
As best as I can tell, the current Eugene men's team is comprised of Justin Knight, Duncan Hamilton, Thomas Ratcliffe, Kieran Tuntivate, Charles Hicks, and Cole Sprout -- the latter two being exclusively roadies. At least these guys were under contract w/Nike while being coached by Jerry through 2025.
For the women, Karissa Schweizer and Klaudia Kazimierska are the only two left -- at least they were coached by Jerry/Shalane through last year.
However, did anyone notice Christina Aragon and Kaylee Mitchell, both members of Swoosh TC/Eugene last year, were entered in this past weekend's USATF champs as members of Nike OTC? OTC disbanded its pro team back in 2022. Quick check of the current OTC website shows no indication of a new pro team.
So, more questions about the women's team than the men's. Have no idea what's going on here.
Used to be a lot of fun following the BTC pro team before Nike split the pros away from BTC to form Swoosh TC/Eugene.
As best as I can tell, the current Eugene men's team is comprised of Justin Knight, Duncan Hamilton, Thomas Ratcliffe, Kieran Tuntivate, Charles Hicks, and Cole Sprout -- the latter two being exclusively roadies. At least these guys were under contract w/Nike while being coached by Jerry through 2025.
For the women, Karissa Schweizer and Klaudia Kazimierska are the only two left -- at least they were coached by Jerry/Shalane through last year.
However, did anyone notice Christina Aragon and Kaylee Mitchell, both members of Swoosh TC/Eugene last year, were entered in this past weekend's USATF champs as members of Nike OTC? OTC disbanded its pro team back in 2022. Quick check of the current OTC website shows no indication of a new pro team.
So, more questions about the women's team than the men's. Have no idea what's going on here.
yeah idk, on the womens side Mitchell looks good and im assuming theyre set with Kamierska, Ayyildiz, Nielsen soon enough. Snagging foreign athletes who make teams by hitting the standards i mean…not going to make waves but it should work for them. On the US side i guess youre hoping for Birnbaum