Nike sparked backlash earlier this week after partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney on its latest sports bra campaign - but it is not the first time the brand has been embroiled in scandal.
The sportswear giant has been plagued with a series of controversies over the years after suffering multiple missteps.
Recent points of contention include sneakers emblazoned with 'racist' flags, lawsuits over gender discrimination and accusations of forced labor.
Here, FEMAIL has laid bare the worst scandals to haunt Nike to date.
Nike sparked backlash earlier this week after partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney on its latest sports bra campaign (pictured) - but it is not the first time the brand has been embroiled in scandal
Nike angered feminists after choosing trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney as the new face of its sports bra
Earlier this week, Nike sparked fury after starting a partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
The 26-year-old posted a series of videos and photos to Instagram on Tuesday, tagging Nike Women while linking to the products' pages.
She appeared in a pair of black skintight leggings and a white sports bra, and could be seen striking yoga poses in a sunny backyard.
In an accompanying video, Mulvaney was dancing about the yard in her bare feet doing mock workouts while an upbeat song played over the performance.
Mulvaney appeared in a pair of black skintight leggings and a white sports bra, and could be seen striking yoga poses in a sunny backyard
Mulvaney is currently on hormones to help her transition into a woman - and has been documenting her change 'into girlhood.'
Many took to social media to express their outrage that she had been given the sponsorship and not a biological woman, and questioned who the brand was trying to sell its products to with the ads.
It remains unclear how much money Mulvaney was paid for the postings, but insiders dealing with social media sponsorships previously told DailyMail.com she could be making more than $50,000 per paid post.
Neither Mulvaney nor Nike responded to DailyMail.com requests for comment at the time.
The brand was forced to pull its Fourth of July sneakers which were emblazoned with 'racist flag'
In 2019, Nike was forced to drop its Fourth of July sneakers because they featured an early American flag, known as 'Betsy Ross,' on the heel.
The Air Max 1 USA shoes were set to go on sale for $140 before NFL star Colin Kaepernick complained that the symbol was offensive.
The free agent quarterback said the old flag had links to an era of slavery, The Wall Street Journal reported at the time.
Nike had already shipped the shoes to retailers when it asked for them to be returned without explanation, according to the paper.
In 2019, Nike was forced to drop its Fourth of July sneakers because they featured an early American flag, known as 'Betsy Ross,' on the heel
The Air Max 1 USA shoes were set to go on sale for $140 before NFL star Colin Kaepernick complained that the symbol was offensive
'Nike has chosen not to release the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July as it featured the old version of the American flag,' a Nike spokeswoman told the outlet.
The Betsy Ross flag, which features 13 white stars in a circle representing the 13 original US colonies, was created during the American Revolution.
It was a time when lawmakers advocated for the expansion of slavery and declared that those born into it were slaves for life.
The flag has more recently been appropriated by some extremist groups which are opposed to the country's increasing diversity.
Nike customers burned branded clothes in protest at anthem-kneeler Colin Kaepernick becoming the face of Just Do It campaign
Nike's decision to pick Kaepernick as one of the faces for ads commemorating the 30th anniversary of its Just Do It slogan caused quite the stir.
The athlete sparked national controversy by taking a knee while the anthem was played before games during the NFL's 2016 season to draw attention to police killings of black men and other issues.
The anthem protests, soon embraced by other players, polarized the country.
Nike nonetheless released campaign imagery that featured a close-up of Kaepernick's face with the message, 'Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.'
Nike's decision to pick Kaepernick as one of the faces for advertisements commemorating the 30th anniversary of its Just Do It slogan caused quite the stir
It did not take long for angry Nike shoppers to announce a boycott - cutting up their socks, burning their shoes, and sharing their outrage on social media
And it did not take long for angry Nike shoppers to announce a boycott - cutting up their socks, burning their shoes, and sharing their outrage on social media.
Then-president Donald Trump deemed the ad 'a terrible message.'
In the immediate aftermath, the sportswear company felt the hit and suffered a three per cent dip, amounting to a $4 billion loss.
Despite the critics, Nike maintained that it supported Kaepernick who remained a divisive figure.
The sportswear giant was forced to severe its ties with Kyrie Irving to avoid being engulfed in anti-Semitic controversy
NBA star Kyrie Irving signed with Nike in 2011 and had a signature line of shoes from 2014 in an annual endorsement deal believed to be worth at least $11 million.
But, in 2022, the sportswear giant was forced to part ways with the basketball pro.
Irving faced criticism after sharing a link to the Amazon page for the 2018 film Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America, which contained anti-Semitic tropes.
Nike started by suspending its partnership with the athlete after he initially refused to apologize.
NBA star Kyrie Irving signed with Nike in 2011 and had a signature line of shoes from 2014 in an annual endorsement deal believed to be worth at least $11 million
Irving faced criticism and backlash after sharing a link to the Amazon page for the 2018 film Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America, which contained anti-Semitic tropes
Eventually, the company decided to part ways with Irving for good.
In a statement at the time, Nike said it was 'deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation.'
The brand also revealed that it would not launch the Kyrie 8s - the shoe designed by the player and company - which were set to be released late last year.
Irving offered a belated apology following his suspension, but only after several contentious exchanges with the media including one instance, in which he told reporters: 'I'm not going to stand down on anything I believe in.'
Nike was happy to stand by golfer Tiger Woods through multiple scandals
The sportswear company has a long-standing relationship with Tiger Woods dating back to his first contract with the brand in 1996.
And, over time, it has become abundantly clear that Nike would be turning a blind eye to his indiscretions.
In 2009, the golfer's wholesome image took a battering but the sportswear giant seemed unfazed.
The sportswear company has a long-standing relationship with Tiger Woods dating back to his first contract with the brand in 1996
Nike turned a blind eye to Tiger Wood's indiscretions even after he publicly admitted that he had been unfaithful to then-wife Elin Nordegren (pictured together)
Woods was first involved in a car crash before also publicly admitting that he had been unfaithful to then-wife Elin Nordegren in a series of affairs.
It was feared that the events may have impacted his marketability, but Nike stood by their athlete.
'He is the best golfer in the world and one of the greatest athletes of his era,' a Nike spokeswoman said in a statement at the time.
'We look forward to his return to golf. He and his family have Nike's full support.'
Despite various other personal turbulence in recent years, the brand continues to collaborate with the now 47-year-old.
Nike executives were accused of getting 'sloppy drunk and lure female subordinates to give them oral sex'
Executives at a Nike US office would get 'sloppy drunk' and prey on female subordinates, according to an unsealed 2018 gender discrimination lawsuit.
The series of documents provided shocking accounts from female staffers who worked at the firm's Oregon headquarters, alleging sexist attitudes and behavior.
The accounts - which included one woman's recollection of walking into a campus gym to find a senior staffer receiving oral sex from a female subordinate and another who was told by male coworkers to 'dress sexier' - were taken from thousands of pages of surveys and interviews from staffers.
Their release came as part of a lawsuit brought against the company by 14 female staffers alleging gender discrimination at the Oregon office, filed less than four months after reports surfaced that Nike was offering staffers such surveys.
A series of documents provided shocking accounts from female staffers who worked at the firm's Oregon headquarters (pictured), alleging sexist attitudes and behavior
Delivered to then-CEO Mark Parker the complaints seemingly fell on deaf ears, with the company not addressing the concerns until the suits filing more than four years ago
Delivered to then-CEO Mark Parker the complaints seemingly fell on deaf ears, with the company not addressing the concerns until the suits filing more than four years ago.
The documents, which date back to 2018, detail how female staffers at the company's main branch in Beaverton felt either unsafe or mistreated at the office, and even aired belief that Nike management were unlikely to address their concerns.
The anonymous surveys from the unnamed women - who are not confirmed to be of the 14 plaintiffs to file the suit - allege how they were subjected to sexual advances and suggestive comments from male execs, as well as hints and innuendos alluding to sex.
The suit, which was denied class action status earlier this year, is still ongoing.
The sportswear giant has been plagued by allegations concerning sweatshops and forced labor
Nike has long been plagued by questions of their ethics and, in 2011, workers making its Converse shoes at a factory in Indonesia claimed that they were being physically and mentally abused.
Workers at the Sukabumi plant said supervisors frequently threw shoes at them, slapped them in the face, kicked them, and called them dogs and pigs.
Nike admitted at the time that such abuse had occurred among the contractors that make its high-tops, but said there was little it could do to stop it.
More recently, in 2021, the company was one of many global brands to be accused of getting supplies from factories using forced labor.
The Conservative Party Human Rights Commission report said that tens of thousands of Uyghur Muslims had been transported to factories across the country to work.
The sportswear giant has been plagued by allegations concerning sweatshops and forced labor (stock image)
It noted that one of the 'most shocking new developments' in the last five years was that forced labor was now used 'throughout China in factories which are part of the supply chain of major international corporations.'
Nike was named alongside Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen
A spokesperson for the company said at the time: 'We are concerned about reports of forced labor in, and connected to, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Nike does not source products from the XUAR and we have confirmed with our contract suppliers that they are not using textiles or spun yarn from the region.
'The Nike Code of Conduct and Code Leadership Standards have requirements prohibiting any type of prison, forced, bonded or indentured labor, including detailed provisions for freedom of movement and prohibitions on discrimination based on ethnic background or religion.'
Ten-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix claimed the brand threatened to cut her pay for having children
Allyson Felix had been working with Nike for almost a decade when she became pregnant in 2018.
But the track and field athlete was left 'frustrated' by the brand's reaction to the news and claimed that her then-sponsor 'weren't willing' to support her 'through starting a family.'
Writing in a New York Times op-ed at the time, she said: 'Despite all my victories, Nike wanted to pay me 70 per cent less than before. If that's what they think I'm worth now, I accept that.
'What I'm not willing to accept is the enduring status quo around maternity.
Allyson Felix had been working with Nike for almost a decade when she became pregnant in 2018
But the track and field athlete was left 'frustrated' by the brand's reaction to the news and claimed that her then-sponsor 'weren't willing' to support her 'through starting a family' after she welcomed daughter Camryn in November 2018
'I asked Nike to contractually guarantee that I wouldn't be punished if I didn't perform at my best in the months surrounding childbirth.
'I wanted to set a new standard. If I, one of Nike's most widely marketed athletes, couldn't secure these protections, who could? Nike declined.'
The brand did not directly address the claims but later said it was 'adding language to new contracts for female athletes that will protect their pay during pregnancy,' according to the Wall Street Journal.
Felix has since launched her own brand, Saysh, which is created by women for women and also signed a deal with Athleta – which she describes as her 'big sister.'
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