Nike's new CEO Elliott Hill isn't sitting behind a desk. He's flying around the world, shaking hands with football's biggest stars and rebuilding bridges that nearly burned down.
Picture this: It's a cold February evening in Paris. Hill is watching PSG play Monaco when club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi pulls him aside. They need to talk business. Al-Khelaifi hints that a player might jump ship to a Nike competitor. This is exactly the kind of fire Hill needs to put out.
"Since he arrived, he changed everything at Nike," Al-Khelaifi said. "It was tough before."
And tough is putting it lightly. Nike completely lost its way over the past few years. Instead of creating groundbreaking new boots and gear, they just kept releasing new colours of old shoes. Athletes felt ignored. Major League Baseball players complained about jersey quality. The NFL nearly walked away from their uniform deal.
From Retirement to Rescue Mission
Hill, 62, came out of retirement 15 months ago to fix this mess. He's copying the playbook of Nike co-founder Phil Knight, who built the company on athlete relationships. But the damage was real.
Hill's predecessor, John Donahoe, focused on selling directly online and cut out retail partners. Sales hit $50 billion by 2023, but the company lost its soul. Tiger Woods left. Simone Biles left. NBA MVP Nikola Jokic left for competitors.
By late 2023, everything collapsed. Nike had its worst stock market day ever in June 2024, losing $28 billion in value overnight. Within months, Donahoe was gone and Hill was back.
Hill's strategy is simple but exhausting. In February, he went on a 16-day global sprint. Super Bowl in San Francisco with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Winter Olympics in Italy. Then Monaco to meet PSG, whose Nike deal is worth over $156 million per year. After the PSG match, he had dinner with Al-Khelaifi until 1am.
Barcelona and Football's Future
The next morning, Hill was at Barcelona's training ground outside the city. He met with the women's team manager and got a signed jersey. For Nike, Barcelona is critical - one of football's most prestigious partnerships.
Then Hill found Gavi, Barcelona's 21-year-old midfield star. Hill wanted technical feedback on the custom blue boots Gavi wears. How's the fit? The traction?
Gavi's answer was pure football: "If you look good, you play good." He just loved the colour.
Hill's next meeting was with Alexia Putellas, one of women's football's biggest stars. At 32, Putellas has her own Nike boot - the Phantom 6 - with her personal logo. She talks to Nike executives weekly about ideas and projects.
"When I have an idea, I call and we share some ideas about my journey, or my project, or the club," Putellas explained. "Maybe once per week, minimum."
Barcelona's president Rafa Yuste treated Hill like royalty at the stadium undergoing a $1.6 billion renovation. There were speeches and fancy hors d'oeuvres. Hill's final stop? A Nike flagship store covered in images of Putellas and her "La Reina" (The Queen) nickname.
The stakes are massive for bettors and football fans alike. Nike's dominance in football affects which boots players wear, which can impact performance. When top athletes switch brands, it often signals broader shifts in the market.
Hill has restructured Nike entirely around sports. Teams that were split by men's and women's products now focus on individual sports like tennis, golf, or skateboarding. Each division builds relationships with elite athletes directly.
There's progress. Sales rose 1% in Nike's most recent quarter, with strong performance in North America. But the company faces brutal competition from Adidas, Hoka, and Asics, especially in running.
Hill even texts Michael Jordan on his birthday. He meets with the basketball legend every three months to discuss the Jordan Brand, which generates over $7 billion annually.
"What sets Elliott apart is his ability to build trust - with athletes, partners and people on the ground around the world," Jordan said.
In basketball, all eyes are on Caitlin Clark's upcoming signature shoe. The Indiana Fever star has worked with Nike designers for over a year. When it drops this year, it'll be a huge test.
As Hill walked Barcelona's streets after his meetings, he counted the shoes on people's feet. Nike versus competitors. Always watching. Always competing.
For Hill, winning back football's elite clubs and athletes isn't just business. It's survival.
