{
  "id": 8066775,
  "title": "Nike is getting dropped from the S&P 100 after 18 years. Here’s its plan to come back",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/nike-is-getting-dropped-from-the-s-p-100-after-18-years-heres-its",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-17T16:59:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91606312/nike-innovation-chief-talks-about-partnerships-the-road-ahead"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "After 18 years of partnership, Nike will be removed from the S&P 100 index later this month. However, Nike's chief innovation, design, and product officer, Phil McCartney, expressed confidence that the company has a bright future ahead. The key to this resurgence, according to McCartney, is a renewed emphasis on Nike's connection with athletes.\n\nMcCartney's guiding principle for the past 15 months has been encapsulated in a two-part motto: \"Create epic shit, make athletes better.\" The first part, inspired by the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant, encourages Nike to produce exceptional products. Two current athletes, Sabrina Ionescu and Cade Cunningham, shared insights into their partnerships with Nike.\n\nCunningham, a two-time NBA All-Star and Detroit Pistons guard, is currently developing his signature shoe line with Nike, a dream he has held for years. Ionescu, a four-time WNBA All-Star and New York Liberty guard, released her Sabrina 4 basketball shoe over the summer, marking Nike's first unisex basketball shoe. These partnerships go beyond conventional ad campaigns, involving collaborative processes where athletes balance their vision with Nike's expertise in market dynamics.\n\nMcCartney emphasized that addressing problems faced by athletes will eventually benefit all of Nike's customers. For example, innovations designed for marathon runners have been incorporated into the company's lifestyle and streetwear shoes. The Air Force One sneakers, initially developed to enhance shock absorption on the basketball court in the 1980s, remain iconic across sports and fashion.\n\nOne of Nike's biggest challenges is to improve its Wall Street standing, particularly its Converse brand, which has seen a decline in revenue. McCartney aims to retain the original design of Converse classics like the Jack Purcell racket shoes and Chuck 70 canvas high-tops while enhancing comfort through \"radical prioritization\" of product improvements.\n\nMcCartney believes that Nike needs to remain motivated and channel the voice of the athletes to succeed. Both Ionescu and Cunningham have overcome significant setbacks that later fueled their achievements. Cunningham, who led the Pistons to their best record in the Eastern Conference this year, recalled a challenging three-season period in 2021. Ionescu, after her Liberty team's championship loss in 2023, used the experience to help her team win the championship the following year. The ultimate question remains whether Nike can translate its past setbacks into future success.",
  "summary": "After an 18-year tenure, Nike will be removed from the S&P 100 later this month. But during a panel at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York City this week, Phil McCartney, Nike’s chief innovation, design, and product officer, maintained that the company’s best days remain ahead. The secret sauce fueling this turnaround, he said, is a renewed focus on Nike’s engagement with athletes.…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}