Why Nike Doesn't Like Roger Federer

Zendaya: the Hollywood superstar with two Emmys, a Golden Globe, and 180 million Instagram followers. Instead of the usual suspects like Nike or Adidas, she signed with On. So, what is going On?
Let's rewind. Tennis legend Roger Federer, once Nike's poster boy, made headlines by leaving the swoosh - and joining On. Think of it as the sportswear equivalent of breaking up with the popular kid to start a garage band - and becoming a rockstar. On went from garden hose prototypes to billion-dollar sales in just a few years.
On's secret? Innovation, direct sales, and a touch of Swiss precision. Even The Rock gave them a free Super Bowl shoutout.
Is Nike sweating? With Zendaya and Federer, On is climbing faster than your heart rate on a treadmill. Check out our latest video to see how On is turning the sportswear game upside down - one cloud at a time.
⏱ Timestamps
00:00 What is On?
01:44 Nike vs On
02:16 The Rise
04:47 The Strategy
09:00 The IPO
12:00 The Future
🎬 About
Athletic Interest is a video essay series that investigates business stories from the world of sports.
✅ Follow
Email list: athleticinterest.substack.com/
Instagram: / athleticinterest
🍿 Watch more
Most popular: bit.ly/36ZZ3Qe
Latest video: bit.ly/2MpsDW6
#federer #on #nike #zendaya

[@WeskerXM96E1]

It could have been Nike Federair...

[@demonofpurgatory5188]

Not even close to lebron

[@BMRH09]

Nice!

[@WeskerXM96E1]

I missed my calling in corporate branding 😭

[@pervezrahman9216]

Suggestion - Fedair, How's it

[@frknwrld999]

Another one is CaiR7

[@its3amagain.]

The fact that ON is already close to Puma in terms of value is crazy to me.

[@bnwo]

And yet they still dominate the market by a mile.

[@ronaldbibi209]

wall street value is pretty much scam these days, it's just trying to create FOMO 🤣

[@pizzafanatic123]

@@ronaldbibi209 i dont know why people still dont understand this!!

[@rabbgod5219]

@@ronaldbibi209and who in your humble opinion creates this fomo? Innovative brands just tend to have high value cause they have a realistic chance of beeing the next big thing

[@bloodspartan300]

But its not

[@de132]

To be fair, most people did not think Federer leaving Nike was a "mistake", they just felt it was "wrong" for sentimental reasons

[@Johannes-sp2th]

Whenever athletic interest uploads im here

[@hassanzsohail]

I can't believe how underrated this guy.the work he put into making these videos is amazing

[@anexpertonthematter1468]

it's not a "guy", it's an more like an enterprise or like a studio really, like Kurzgesagt

[@kedrprao]

Underrated? 😂

[@FTfutball]

They are one of the biggest football and sports media network..not underrated ❤

[@robovac3557]

This underrated dribble is everywhere. ​@@kedrprao

[@cedricbrs481]

Subscription model for a pair of shoes … "You’ll own nothing and be happy", no thanks, I’m not your cash cow

[@Khalil.8611]

Honestly, it's not worth 10 dollars per month.

[@samuelmidzi8240]

Become a slave

[@its3amagain.]

@@Khalil.8611 I think it is on a long run (I see what I did there)

[@bnjkf9u3]

Also "recycle" and "sustainable" 😂 it's never as sustainable as the shoe I own that goes from running -> weekend mornings -> garden shoe.

[@eossoon]

I mean if you're a serious runner, you run through shoes at a large pace. Most of the best shoes are foam based, and the foam bottoms out over time. People who run on rough surfaces often wear out the sole very quickly. It could be worth it for those people.

[@cristinasada4819]

Zendaya was such a smart move. It makes On a “sexier” sportswear. I see so many people in my city (very business-forward city) wearing Ons to work!

[@huancarlos1965]

Zendaya is transformer 🌈 nothing sexy about him

[@gabkoost]

ON is growing trough it's excusivity brand. If they want to challenge NIKE they have to abandon this line and become mainstreeam which will slowly make them lose their core clientele and be destroyed by the other brands. They are very succesful as they are. There is no need at all to challenge Nike and Adidas as this video suggests. It is not the branch they are in and all their business model is about going the other way and cater for other markets. People that buy ON mostly do it as a statement. If Joe from the corner starts wearing those shoes while he mows his lawn then it's RIP for then.

[@Nomolso_Netinei_Djer]

As a Guy who only wears ON boots and knows the brand since long before Federer entered the company I feel entitled to tell you that you are writing BS. On's are (in Switzerland, where a lot (you can't go anywhere without seeing them) of people wear them) mostly bought cause they are increadibly comfy. It's has nothing to do with Status, in fact On's get mocked all the time. They are just plain better than what nike has to offer (at least many people like them more comfort-wise)

[@Nomolso_Netinei_Djer]

in other words: Joe has been wearing them since long ago and nobody cares.

[@deusexmachina9776]

look at their competition tho, there isnt a single sports brand with that model that has had longevity. correct me if i am wrong

[@kerzch]

⁠@@Nomolso_Netinei_Djerexactly, nobody cares about this brand outside swiss

[@j1mster3]

@@Nomolso_Netinei_Djer On is playing a game similar to Patagonia etc I live in a big city in Canada, alot finance and tech bros, office workers, older ladies are now wearing this because its comfy and virtue signal "im not a pleb" vibes. As I get older I dont fall for big brand marketing anymore, as long as the shoes are reasonably priced and top tier performance similar to Nike or Adidas, im ok i perform well on court regardless of the shoes im wearing.

[@aroboy5906]

got a nike ad during this video lol

[@producedbypodcast]

I've been following you since your earliest video and eagerly anticipating every new upload. Your production quality, interesting topics and beautiful visuals always amaze me. Keep up the great work! 🔥

[@AthleticInterest]

Thank you!

[@tiscover]

I don't know - in Europe these are already considered dad sneakers. Mostly older people wear them for their comfort 😅

[@toskiemail1371]

Ah..no wonder.

[@zward0522]

That is New Balance's position in the US.

[@peglor]

@@zward0522 Interesting to hear. Every pair of New Balance shoes I have has significantly outlasted both Asics and Nike shoes I've used previously with the same use.

[@ChrisRobato]

That's eating up New Balance market share then.

[@arroe8386]

I mean Nike was considered sports wear for fat people and they have a huge market share now 🤷🏻

[@user-em1ds2sr7q]

I’m very proud of myself to own a pair of ON shoes before athletic interest made a video about them

[@dandanthesoundman7607]

My wife & I have 6 pairs between us:).

[@Standupforthe99]

Unfortunately the quality is really poor

[@mariospanna8389]

quality is trash...

[@cc8530]

Then you all have more money than sense. Outrageous prices for ‘recycled polyester’ LOL

[@dronesclubhighjinks]

Super video! I’m always impressed at how you manage to present so much information concisely and clearly. Thanks very much and have a great weekend! 🙏👟🎾

[@Adrian-nj6bx]

The materials of the ON shoe CAN be recycled, but it was recently demonstrated that ON never recycled anything. This is a big problem, and risks a class action, because ON sold premium shoes and subscriptions with the promise of recycling them, but so far these shoes are just sitting somewhere…probably cause recycling costs money and ON doesn’t want to lose any.

[@NouGeTV]

The only one in my family or friend group who is wearing ON shoes here in Switzerland is my 81 year old grandma…

[@youlatubey4532]

Im running with on shoes, but I see your point there. A lot of old and many unfit people at my company are also wearing them, which kinda makes them unattractive for me. But I still like them for the sport.

[@sigmawear]

​@@youlatubey4532That means On succesfully sells the shoes as a lifestyle and feeling, not as utility clothing

[@rabbgod5219]

@@sigmawearif you feel stupid wearing the shoe in everyday life that definetly isn‘t positive

[@amolshrivastava5609]

Mind blowing stuff! Big ups! Hope you keep making such content

[@daryltaylor6060]

Excellent as always! Castore next? Seem to be getting bigger and bigger although with set backs like Newcastle and Aston Villa

[@KodiakWG]

Once Again Great work Sir, thank you for the video

[@adisucipto5386]

let's see if On can sustain the gain they achieved, or they will follow Under Armour😂

[@JustBrowsing23]

This is another moment for ON. I didn’t care about this brand until Athletic Interest.

[@user-be7jk5ql8s]

Thanks for always educating us all

[@UnknownNetworkTV]

I needed this video

[@messibeaucoup]

Nice that you covered something related to running this time! Maybe the story of marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum and his tragic death, and how it impacted Kipchoge would be a good story for your channel as well…

[@AthleticInterest]

Thanks for the idea!

[@ldm2622]

nike and jordan brand will always be relevant. this whole On wave feels like another flash in the pan

[@pmadhav1000]

Funny part about ON $1b is that they made $300 million in 2 years. The visualization is skewed 1:48

[@cameronscott1853]

And profit in that, 300 mill is nothing if they didnt profit ​@@pmadhav1000

[@fragile00]

Thanks for the stock tip. Looks very interesting and with a business model like On, it's no wonder the market is interested.

[@insights_universe]

Very interesting. Never heard of this brand and some of the facts in this video. Thanks for sharing.

[@someshojha5692]

So Nike couldn't "Just do it" anymore eh?

[@demonofpurgatory5188]

Hes not lebron

[@CitizenoftheWorld1]

I never heard of On till now. Considering I'm training for my first marathon I should def look into it

[@slushpuppii]

as someone who has ran multiple marathons i'd advise theres better brands. Saucony New Balance to name a few

[@paultrubas]

I never heared about the brand "ON" before this video... you should start getting advertisement deals from the brand you talkabout. ;)

[@bloodspartan300]

This was a paid video by on

[@dylan4865]

Dope viddy

[@rahmatstyles4218]

I do really enjoy these kind of topics.

[@bgnr0107]

Always waiting for your next upload!

[@lahmerali7652]

So fantastic (it's simply the best Channel ❤)

[@samlee86421]

Great ON shoe commercial

[@Tom-wy5up]

You should always be wary of using stock value in these cases where a companies "value" blows up rapidly. It can predominantly be a bubble that could burst and crash if confidence wobbles. This is obviously the case to one extent or another for any listed company but ON is riding a wave of rapid growth and market disrupting confidence at the moment that's likely significantly exaggerating it's true value.

[@bionicle37]

The company gives me "You will own nothing and be happy" vibes

[@maneee3_]

I came to watch a video about Federer and ended up buying a new pair of shoes!!

[@applejackzo]

I’ve been seeing these shoes so much around Boston. These and Hoka are taking over

[@EngineerDJ_Julius]

I've heard of ON once a few years ago, and never again since until now very interesting

[@backupdancer3720]

I love Roger Federer... Ask me a year, and I can tell you what grand slam he won, and whonhd played against. That said, Federer is as middle class an athlete a brand could hope for... Roger Federer has always been closer to Rolex's target audience than Nike's. Now, Nike let Federer go because he has never been a major driver of their sales, and this would only decrease once he retired... But for On's Swiss, wealthier, middle/upper class, Rolex-wearing, distance-running target market... Roger Federer ticks box after box.

[@dylan4865]

That recycling ♻️ ability is pretty darn cool

[@mayamikophiri857]

0:24 that’s exactly the question that needs to be asked 🤣

[@leerickss]

would it have been even wiser had he worn ON apparel instead of signing with Uniqlo? Ofc the cash on the table was too good to make this an easy choice but it would've been pretty cool to see him wrapping up his career wearing a new brand he helped created, marking the beginning of the second chapter of his life.

[@kingcuckoo]

He signed with UNIQLO first and for way more cash. ON becoming a giant was kind of lucky for him. Although he is a huge part of the casual and tennis success they would've been a billion dollar company without him.

[@deusexmachina9776]

ON has nothing to distinguish it from everyone else

[@impopquiz]

@@deusexmachina9776and Nike has? Nike only has that many sponsored athletes to support. 😅

[@deusexmachina9776]

@@impopquiz Nike is an established brand, at this point they have already done the work to lead a whole industry. ON is new and in need of customers, nothing about their clothes screams ''chose us over far cheaper nike'

[@lucasmoreno5330]

On's shares price has not climbed since their listing. They opened at 38.95 in 2021 and 39.00 today.

[@deusexmachina9776]

Zendaya is a fashion icon due to her ability to dress up on the red carpet for the specific themes of her film, a chamelon, she however has no personal brand. Selling sports wear around her is unlikely to pay off like say Serena Williams, Beyonce and Rihanna are bigger stars yet their brands are tanking. Social media follows dont translate to actual sales the film Challengers was marketed around her and still flopped. Hollywood doesnt have stars anymore who can sell movies or brands like they used to.

[@jordanschellhase2952]

I remember slinging ON shoes back in 2013 at a specialty running store, anyone who put them on took a pair

[@FodenEnthusiast]

why does this actually make me wanna buy a pair of on shoes now? i do my running in my nike shoes but ts vid is basically an ad lol

[@shadhinov]

Brilliant

[@ilovelimpfries]

Been an On user since 2017. Great shoes if you're walking all day.

[@Denioproductions]

They also signed the current no.1 women's tennis player Iga Świątek which further drives the performance aspect

[@josealfredotirado5934]

The thing with On tennis shoes is that they are not On tennis shoes, they are Roger's tennis shoes. That means that they are more of a collectors item that a shoe meant for play. They released the Roger clubhouse pro, which is a cheaper and more traditional tennis shoe, so let's see how it goes.

[@renedominguez8395]

They need to do the same marketing in Latin America, there only cheap sports retailers sell ON, and the market is aspirational middle class that want to feel they’re rich. Otherwise, there’s no doubt they will be competing with the greats

[@ERMVET1986]

The ROck: hey Nike... how about you give me a life supply of your shoes, i like them. Nike: nah... The Rock: ok then, it's ON!

[@FPGVlog]

Hoka for me.. comfortable to wear

[@krogdog]

There's another video on YT which goes into more detail about Federer leaving Nike and signing an apparel deal with Uniqlo in addition to ON. Apparently Nike made quite a bit more from other sports than tennis and, as a result, paid LeBron and Ronaldo more in endorsements.

[@HolyPire]

I love the swiss

[@shanepursch5622]

ON are some of the worst shoes I’ve ever run in. My knees hurt within the first mile and I had lower back pain in the first week of use. Of course this isn’t the same for everyone but my sensitive knees were not compatible.

[@carlosteranneumane1888]

I have never seen an On store. I have only seen On shoes at third party retailers in many countries.

[@Levente23]

I'm here for the outro song

[@TheHajinator]

This is a big ad I’m convinced

[@Jack-sc3dn]

I better find out why the O in ON looks like that while watching this

[@romanmesic]

Maybe it’s a reference to old switches when turned on lol

[@bloodspartan300]

Nope you won't part of the reason this brand sucks... its doesn't make and sense... and ON doesn't mean anything and if it doesn't mean anything then how is it supposed to stand for something.

[@BenCaesar]

Hmmmm explosive growth but NB is not one to be slept on

[@akshilshah2351]

Is this a coincidence or because of this video nike shares are 20% down today🤔

[@georgeatte788]

I bought their stocks when Federer joined and I can say I'm quite happy with the outcome of that purchase. I'm happy to see them grow. They do make excellent running shoes. Edit: because Federer joined, not when.

[@DandyHippo]

How the FUCK have I not heard Fed has a company. And its big.

[@betterchapter]

Kinda weird to see Roger without Nike after so many years and accomplishments. I wouldn't say no to $300 million though. Great video once again man!

[@Seabearenthusiast]

My parents love on, didn’t know they did this

[@sh0001]

Nike liked Roger but didn’t value his brand highly once they knew that his career was coming to an end.

[@MrSonny208]

My idol is Federer so I wish they come out with great design, this to me is like asics, it might be the most comfortable thing ever, but it looks meh, not ugly just whatever. On the other hand Nike has all the jordan line and more designs to choose from even if other brands are " better shoes".

[@bobotmeister]

Funny thing, Roger's shoes doesn't have cloud tec 😅

[@lfc1981]

it takes more than just influencers or celebrities to boost the image nowadays. we all know that they are paid to say the things on TV, youtube, tik tok. where's the credibility? only the teens to mid 20s would fall for it.

[@kenim]

They still look terrible. They just give the same cringe vibes like Under Armour.

[@user-mg1vv4ep7o]

My idolo

[@silmyfasy6696]

The title should be why Roger don't like Nike?

[@chucky1golf]

Not enough KZbinrs pushing On yet

[@Ali_Almaliky]

It's good and all for the company but from my experience, On "innovation" is overrated. I tried a pair before and they aren't that great. When it comes to running shoes, nothing beats Asics in my opinion and many people I know agree with me.

[@SirZuri]

On is not a premium brand. Their prices are premium but their quality is lacking. They are no different to any other brand. Also they are not allowed to sell shoes with the swiss flag in Switzerland because the shoes are not produced in Switzerland.

[@Errearrea14]

On's marketing is also less loud and urban like Nike's and more toned down and human. This means they are capturing those aged 35+ which have more money to spend

[@leslielemmon7729]

I think "On" won't even be able to seriously take on the "JORDAN" brand let alone Nike as the mother brand. There have been even bigger names in the past that shot for the moon, like Under Armour. Since then, Under Armour Stocks have dropped right into the center of hell.

[@rupjyoti9]

Me learning sports marking from Athletic interest

[@canonogic]

Federer backed himself and using his own image instead of letting Nike use it. Went from being marketed to being the marketer

[@bl00dkillz]

Don't really see this in NYC here to begin with

[@dolyharianto]

I wonder how much UA punished The Rock for wearing On that day 😅😅

[@Canoneosmiami]

The wholes on the bottom looks like a nightmare to clean when u step into shit ..

[@kavinkacreates]

When Federer announced his retirement, one of the first places I checked the day after was Nike's official IG page. Thought they would post something about him. Nothing. Damn.

[@demonofpurgatory5188]

Hes not lebron

[@badboycr7]

Can you make a video of how Ronaldo can become the new Jordan brand for nike in upcoming years

[@santha_psk]

ad for ON

[@marcop.525]

Why's Ze daya is wearing my granps shoes? 👟👟 😅

[@izzuddinfaruqi1493]

Never heard about ON before this video. Bruh, I'm really late to the game huh

[@robin-whg]

The title and thumbnail is pretty misleading

[@TheYaq]

never heard of this brand

[@bnwo]

Zendadya x ON is going to be a huge flop. ON is on a influencer powered hype train now. It's going to need more than that to compete for real.

[@NN0888]

On's apparel too simplistic. People would rather buy uniqlo

[@user-sk8zq3fj1x]

ON isn't stylish enough for those fashion conscious. It just looks weird and their logo is confusing. I am currently in the market for a running shoes, ON isn't even in my top 3 brand choices. 1-Nike 2-New balance 3-Asics For the time being, Nike and Adidas can sleep peacefully 😴.

[@user-es5uf6mv6h]

Nike is a brand that signs multiple top athletes with no distinction between them. Where Federer made a mega move in terms of image and business. ON is today what Nikey was when they signed Jordan and Niket is today what Adidas was at that period. As well brands like NB come strong from the the back , where Puma, Reebok and Lacoste are reinventing themselves. As well Adidas was always there looking to get its place back. So as long as Nikey co tinues to make bad quality shoes with basic designs addressing to nobody they will lose more and more from the market pie.

[@sasmitsirroco]

A 12:39 ad for ON

[@tiscover]

I bought one of the first shoes ON pit on the European market. I really enjoyed them, but one of the garden hose broke after a few months of running.

[@israelolomola1162]

We want another Ronaldo and Nike video

[@STEEZ4U]

On doesn’t have a huge back catalog of loved shoes for different generations to capture their nostalgia. On only focuses on running so they will never be as relevant as Nike unless they take over every sport and subculture in the US. The streets are never gonna wear On - just suburban moms when they replace their Hokas.

[@hellworld3000]

im ready for the asteroid