Nike apologizes and removes Boston ad that joked about tolerance

Nike promised it would “do better” after apparently getting complaints over a new ad in Boston.

The ad was part of a marketing campaign centered on the Boston Marathon, an elite annual race that took place on Monday. The simple text ad apparently sparked enough controversy with Nike that the company pulled the graphic almost immediately after putting it up.

‘We’ll use this moment to do better and continue showing up for all runners.’

The ad was featured in the window of Nike’s Newbury Street store in Boston, reportedly just a few hundred feet from the marathon’s finish line. It featured black text on a dark red background that read, “Runners Welcome. Walkers Tolerated.”

The ad was up for only about a day, according to multiple outlets like Marathon Handbook, which said it was put up on April 16 but was taken down by the following morning.

Nike was quick to apologize for the joke, saying, “We want more people to feel welcome in running — no matter their pace, experience, or the distance.”

“During race week in Boston, we put up a series of signs to encourage runners,” the company continued, according to Runner’s World. “One of them missed the mark. We took it down, and we’ll use this moment to do better and continue showing up for all runners.”

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– YouTube

Nike also released a statement to Boston.com that claimed, “We listen to the voice of the athlete.”

The media team also attached an image that appeared to be a replacement ad for the same store. The image reads, “Boston will always remind you, movement is what matters.”

Counternarratives have since emerged stating that Nike’s original messaging was not out of place given the elite level of competition at the Boston Marathon.

Jennifer Sey, a U.S. national champion in gymnastics and frequent Nike critic, said that when it comes to advertising, Nike has “one swing and a miss after another. For at least 5 years.”

“Nike can’t get anything right at the moment,” Sey wrote on X. She then called company leadership out-of-touch “egomaniacs.”

“It’s always been a douchey culture,” she added.

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“This is the Boston Marathon. … Obviously, they’re going to encourage them to run,” said runner and YouTuber Rob Tolo.

“Why are we getting offended by that, bro? This is for the elite of the elite,” he added. “This is Boston, bro. I’d love to qualify for that one day.”

Commentator Jake Heyen said he disagreed with the backlash too and that Nike’s objective was to celebrate ambition and performance.

“The messaging of this ad should not be controversial, and honestly, I would respect Nike much more if they brought the sign back today with even more hardcore messaging,” he said.

Nike stock dropped by a couple of dollars per share amid the controversy on Thursday but had recovered by Friday morning.

However, shares have fallen by more than 27% in 2026, averaging out to a 17% drop since April 2025. Value peaked at nearly $80 per share last August before plummeting to just over $46 per share at the time of this writing.

The company’s all-time high was around $170 per share in 2021. Nike is currently back down to 2015 numbers.

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