The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2025
Nike ended its $100,000 deal with Grace Tame over her Gaza posts
Five months after signing the runner to a $100,000 ambassador deal, Nike said 'we've agreed to part ways' over her anti-Israel posts.
Nike · 2025-06-09
What happened
Grace Tame, a former Australian of the Year and a competitive distance runner with over 250,000 Instagram followers, signed a $100,000 ambassador deal with Nike in January 2025 — a return to a brand she had worked with four years earlier.
In May and June 2025 she posted repeatedly about the war in Gaza, posting claims of 'genocide' and 'ethnic cleansing', and reposted a statement by Palestinian writer Mohammed el-Kurd about the killing of two Israeli embassy officials in Washington.
In early June, The Australian reported Nike was reviewing her role and investigating her social media. A Nike spokesperson said the company does not stand for any form of discrimination, including anti-Semitism, took the matter very seriously, and was in touch with Tame's team.
On June 9, 2025, Nike confirmed the end of the deal: 'We've agreed to part ways. We wish Grace the best as she continues her running journey.'
Why it happened
- Nike's own statement named the line: anti-Semitism — once the posts were framed that way, staying with Tame meant defending them.
- A $100,000 deal is small next to one market's outrage: the brand cut a six-month tie-up rather than carry a political fight into its stores.
- The risk was concentrated in one person's feed: an ambassador whose every post became a Nike headline made the deal worth less than its silence.
The lesson
Nike ended Tame's $100,000 deal five months in, when her Gaza posts read as anti-Semitism. A political feed is a liability the brand prices instantly: the smaller the deal, the faster the cut.
Aftermath
On June 9, 2025, Nike confirmed it had ended its partnership with Grace Tame, five months after signing her to a $100,000 ambassadorial deal. A Nike spokesperson said 'We've agreed to part ways. We wish Grace the best as she continues her running journey.' Days earlier, The Australian reported the company reviewing her role after she posted claims of 'genocide' and 'ethnic cleansing' about Israel's campaign in Gaza and reposted a statement by Mohammed el-Kurd; Nike said it does not stand for any form of discrimination, including anti-Semitism, and was in touch with her team.
Sources
- Arab News — Nike cuts ties with Australian brand ambassador over pro-Palestinian posts
- The Nightly — Nike reviewing Grace Tame brand deal over anti-Israel, pro-Palestine rants
spotted an error? The club wants to know.
More like this
GQ Australia outlived its rivals — then traded 22 years of print for a website
Mercury bought Bauer Australia and killed eight glossies in four days
Dolly raised Miranda Kerr and a generation — Bauer cut the print edition at 46
Somewhere, someone solved the problem this company failed at. 2nd Opinion →
Comments · 0
Sign in to join the comments.