Nike ‘Sincerely’ Apologizes Over Marathon Billboard That Sparked Holocaust Backlash

Conservative News DailyApril 29, 2025

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Nike recently faced a meaningful backlash after a controversial advertisement was displayed during the London Marathon. The ad, wich featured the phrase “NEVER AGAIN. UNTIL NEXT YEAR,” was widely criticized for its insensitivity, as “Never again” holds a solemn significance in the context of the Holocaust. The marketing team aimed to highlight the challenges of marathon running, but many perceived it as trivializing the immense suffering associated with the Holocaust.

responses on social media were largely negative, with users expressing outrage and vowing to boycott Nike products. Critics pointed out the derelict decision-making in the approval process of such an ad.However, there were some defenders who claimed that in the context of running, the phrase could relate to the grueling nature of the experience.

In light of the uproar, Nike issued a public apology, stating that the intention was not to cause harm and acknowledging the offensive nature of the messaging.The offending billboards were promptly taken down as part of a broader effort to mitigate fallout from the incident.

This is one Nike ad that just didn’t do it.

Someone in the sports apparel giant’s marketing department decided for some reason that turning a Holocaust phrase into a joke, using deathly-black lettering on a blood-red background, was a spectacular idea for Sunday’s London Marathon.

And now the company is scrambling to apologize.

The amount of people that had to approve this ad from @Nike and didn’t notice anything wrong is kind of insane. pic.twitter.com/E91ul06ylW

— Yehuda Teitelbaum (@chalavyishmael) April 28, 2025

As part of a series of billboards along the marathon route, the company aimed to emphasize the toughness of the 26-mile trek. But one in particular stood out for all the wrong reasons.

It declared, in all-uppercase emphasis:

“NEVER AGAIN.

UNTIL NEXT YEAR.”

“Never again” is a phrase that can be used in many contexts, of course. But in the post-World War II years, and in a number of languages, it has a special resonance — a vow that “never again” would the Jewish people allow themselves to be victimized by the kind of international genocide that was the Holocaust.

Nike’s billboard, right down to the crimson coloring, appeared to many to make a sport of that resonance, cheapening the suffering and death of countless millions by comparing it to the rubbery legs and muscle cramps of marathon running.

And their responses were a PR nightmare for a company that spends billions each year on advertising:

I will “never again” purchase anything from Nike. pic.twitter.com/lPx99oOsqV

— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) April 28, 2025

I guess Nike’s deranged new slogan did achieve one thing: a lot of people will never again buy any of their products. pic.twitter.com/zqctqlvsIq

— Uri Kurlianchik (@VerminusM) April 28, 2025

I’m guessing it’s not super fun in the halls of @Nike right now.

So many unforced errors.

Never again? WTAF was this marketing person thinking??

A purge of mid level marketers must be underway. Plus some high level ones. pic.twitter.com/sz8NXaDZdZ

— Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) April 28, 2025

However, there was a sizable contingent of commenters who argued that Nike was getting a bad rap.

To this camp, “never again” can apply to just about any arduous experience — and a marathon run is certainly an arduous experience:

Monster kosher super Jew Zionist here. Just an fyi, when runners run marathons, the first thing they say (and when I say first, I mean first) is Never Again. Ive said it myself many times And this was an ad at a running event. I get the confusion but not everything has to be…

— Gregg Golan (@gregggolan) April 28, 2025

I’ve never seen such a ridiculous outcry for nothing like this before.
If you’ve ever run a marathon you almost definitely say the words ‘never again’ during the race.
This is a great ad that all runners would understand.

— Dean Smith (@deanysmith) April 29, 2025

Most runners finishing a marathon will say exactly that? What’s the issue?

— FTM42 (@ftm42) April 28, 2025

Nike is known for bold, or baffling, marketing decisions. (This is the company that’s stood by NFL has-been Colin Kaepernick for years now, long after his shelf life had expired.)

But in the world after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, after anti-Semitism has been allowed to run riot on some U.S. college campuses, the “Never Again” billboard has apparently embarrassed even Nike executives.

In a statement the company gave to Fox News Tuesday, it offered an apology:

“We did not mean any harm and sincerely apologize for any we caused,” the statement said.

“The London billboards were part of a broader campaign built on runners’ insights and designed to motivate runners to push past what they think is possible.

“Nike condemns any form of antisemitism. The language should not have been used, and the billboards have come down.”