From adidas to Doritos: Christina Clemons Opens Up on Unique Sponsorship, Motherhood, and Missing Paris 2024

When Christina Clemons, a 2021 US Olympian in the 100m hurdles, lined up for the start of the 100m hurdles at the 2024 US Olympic Trials, there was one stunning thing about her blue racing kit. It contained a gold Doritos logo where the shoe sponsor logo would usually go. To top it off, Doritos was listed as her sponsor on the entry list.

It is virtually unheard of for a company outside of the running industry to be the primary sponsor of an athlete. Clemons’s unusual logo got notice on the LetsRun.com forum.

This logo wasn’t allowed after Round 1 at the Trials for Clemons (Kevin Morris photo)

The next day, when Clemons lined up for the semifinals and final, she was wearing the same blue jersey, but it no longer had the Doritos logo on it. Instead, Clemons’ jersey was decorated with gold triangles resembling Doritos chips. Turns out, USATF and USOPC rules limit athletes to wearing logos that are “generally used on products sold through retail in the six-month period prior to the Trials.” So the Doritos logo was out, but Clemons got creative and ironed on the fake chips herself.

Clemons’ day 2 kit (Kevin Morris photo)

Clemons would unfortunately hit a hurdle in the final and not make the team, finishing 7th.

An unusual partnership started in 2021

How had the unusual partnership with Doritos come about? Thanks to some history between Doritos and Clemons and Clemons’ own initiative.

Back in 2021, Clemons had worn Doritos earrings at the Trials when she made the Olympic team and gave an emotional interview on NBC national TV that went viral:

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Christina Clemons, OLY (@shethemanning)

(Seriously spend 30 seconds and watch it and you’ll feel better today after doing so).

Clemons had fulfilled her lifelong dream, talked about it emotionally, and was wearing Doritos earrings the entire time. Doritos got on board and nicknamed her “Cool Ranch Clemons” and sent her gold Doritos earrings and a custom Doritos bag. But the partnership did not go much beyond that as adidas was Clemons’ primary sponsor.

The earrings that started it all

But Clemons’ adidas contract expired at the end of 2023 suddenly she was without a sponsor in the critical Olympic year of 2024. As the Trials approached, Clemons decided to reach out to Doritos. They were interested and signed on as her main sponsor right before the Trials. At the Trials, Clemons told LetsRun.com that the Doritos sponsorship paid her “better” than her adidas sponsorship. We decided to reach back out to her via email to find out more about the unique partnership.

(The questions and answers have been edited and re-ordered for clarity)

When exactly did your adidas sponsorship end?

My contract with adidas ended on December 31, 2023. I found out in November of that year that they wouldn’t be renewing it. This news hit me hard because my agent and I were under the impression that my contract was safe, I had been ranked within the top 7 in the world [since 2017] before my pregnancy in 2022. I had already moved to Austin for training, had a place in Dallas, my husband is a full-time chiropractic student and I was also a first-time mom during an Olympic year. It was a shock not only to me but also to my agent, who is good friends with the adidas rep. My agent tried to negotiate with adidas and even suggested accepting less, but when he came back to me, he was shocked by their decision of not renewing, saying they were being “just mean.”

How did you go about securing a deal with Doritos, can you walk us through that process?

So originally I was reaching out to different sport apparel companies. Not necessarily shoe companies, though I did reach out to a few I thought would be a good fit. Most companies came back saying that their budget would not allocate an athlete of my caliber and others let me know they weren’t taking on any sprinters until a couple of years. So I just thought to myself about companies in general and things that I like. I love food lol then I remembered last Trials and how quickly Doritos reached out to me after the competition in 2021. So I decided to reach out myself, I let them know the situation with adidas and they were very excited to work with me. From there things moved quickly because it was only two weeks before Trials.

How is working with Doritos different than working with adidas?

The two companies are completely different of course. You have a company that specializes in shoes and a company that specializes in tortilla flavored chips lol but the biggest difference is the value. When I say value, I’m speaking more of the intrinsic value. Doritos actually cares about me as a mom, an athlete, and a person. And if they don’t, at least they make me feel that way, which is important to me from a sponsor. I enjoy working with Doritos because they get excited about it all. It’s different for them and it’s different for me but it makes what I do more fun vs it feeling like pressure to perform. 

In my experience, adidas made me feel like just another number, not a valued individual. They seem to sign a lot of athletes instead of investing in the ones they have. When I say a lot, I mean too many. This strategy doesn’t make sense to me and doesn’t foster loyalty. I believe if they actually said we are going to sponsor x amount of athletes they would be able to pour into who they have, create and establish relationships with who they actually sponsor and not their agents, and contribute to the development and success of the athlete. I don’t know if sponsors realize they have the power to enhance an athlete’s career significantly. Maybe the reason your sponsored athlete isn’t performing to their potential is because they can’t afford treatment to take care of their body. They can’t afford the type of travel they need for a long haul flight so they have to pick the cheapest one or they can’t eat the way they need to because it’s too expensive. 

What I will say is personally, I feel as though I should have been told prior to 1 month before my contract was ending that I wasn’t going to receive the option year. The option year is an extension of the contract for that year, especially after becoming a mother. A new mom, no money, during the biggest year of our sport — this added on to what has been the hardest year of my life. More than anything, I think it was extremely distasteful of adidas. I was with adidas for 12 years and I’ve always received the option year but it wasn’t until after I had a child where the option wasn’t given. Very ironic. I truly believe adidas did not think I was going to come back after my child and perform well enough to be sponsored by them.

Are you allowed to add a shoe sponsor now if you wanted to?

Yes, I am able to work with other companies that are not in direct competition with Doritos. I also do not have to wear their kit every race. It’s a very unique situation and I’m enjoying it.

Why was the Trials your first meet being sponsored by Doritos?

It took a while for me to reach out to Doritos because I was speaking with another sport apparel company they was “delighted” in their words, to work with me. When it came to the proposal stage of the conversation, they told me they didn’t have a spike yet and [were] dragging their feet so I decided at last minute to reach out to Doritos. That was two weeks before the Trials. 

How long does your Doritos contract last?

My contract is for the remainder of the season with Doritos.  

How can shoe companies do better in general?

I can’t speak for all shoe companies, I was only sponsored by one. So for adidas: Pay your athletes. Stop signing every and anybody. Invest in the athletes you have. Use your athletes for shoots and commercials. Do events your athletes can be a part of. And don’t write off moms. Just do better. 

I also feel adidas needs to reassess how they evaluate athletes. They focus too much on medals, overlooking other important factors like an athlete’s influence and their impact on the sport. As an Olympian, I’ve noticed that fans don’t really care about medal counts – they’re more interested in our stories and what we represent.

adidas seems to misunderstand what drives consumer interest. People who buy their products are often more inspired by an athlete’s journey and influence rather than their competitive achievements. We athletes with compelling stories can give people hope, and that’s something adidas should value more in how they treat and support us.

Note: LetsRun.com gave adidas the opportunity to respond to Clemons’ comments. adidas provided the following statement from a spokesperson:

“We are disappointed to hear Christina’s feelings of not being adequately supported during her time as an adidas sponsored athlete. We are proud of the partnership we had together for 12 years, which included support during long term injury. Whilst we will not discuss individual contract details, we feel confident that throughout our partnership we went above and beyond our obligations. Our ambition is to always create the best for the athlete, and we continue to support a wide range of athletes across many sports, geographies and demographics. Athlete feedback is always important for us and whilst we are no longer partners, we wish Christina the best with her career.”