Is Nike Serious About Surfing This Time?

But in 2002, Nike had acquired Hurley for a reported $70. Nike 6.0 was launched shortly thereafter in 2005. From my understanding of the situation, there was a battle brewing in Beaverton. Some at Nike wanted to continue to lean into Nike 6.0, while others wanted to double down on their investment in Bob Hurley’s baby. Ultimately, Hurley won out and Nike 6.0 was abruptly shuttered in 2013. The party was over as quickly as it had started. In 2019, Nike offloaded Hurley to licensing company Blue Star Alliance and retreated from surfing completely (hence the Hurley pickleball paddles you can now buy at Marshalls). Lesson learned, the “Just Don’t Do It” crowd was right.

Or were they? This year we’ve seen the Swoosh show up on the board of world champ Italo Ferreira, and with the news of SURFER cover girl Erin Brooks inking a new deal with the footwear giant, Nike’s very much entered the lineup once again … albeit more quietly and covertly this time around.

There’s little question in my mind that Nike would have been successful if they’d stayed the course with Nike 6.0. I certainly was hoping they would have made it because it was a hell of a good time for surfing, and personally, working for Nike was a blast. But when the call went out in 2013 that the rie was over, tickers were pulled off boards and my dear social media accounts left to go dark. The team they’d amassed and the momentum of support that was growing behind the brand had captured the entire surfing world’s attention. It just needed more time.

As Nike knows from what they’ve accomplished with athletes like Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, and Tiger Woods, timing is everything, and when it comes to surfing in 2025, their timing could be impeccable. With surfing’s entry into the Olympics and landing at Trestles in 2028, Nike now has a global stage to play on. The south side of the Huntington pier was never going to be big enough for what they were trying to accomplish.

On the athlete side, Brooks is bound for greatness. Ferreira has the hearts and minds of an adoring Brazil. They also have high-flying, hard-charging Sierra Kerr on the program, who like Brooks, is already changing the game. Strategic partnerships and athlete support has long been Nike’s strong suit, and as they creep back to the beach, they’ve nailed it thus far.

The other thing that Nike has going for it now is that the surf industry is a shell of what it was in the early Aughts. Despite the impacts of a global recession, when they tried to get into the game in 2009, brands like Quiksilver, Billabong and RVCA were at the height of their power. But shifting economies, years of corporate consolidation, private equity money, and buyouts (not to mention sellouts) have left the business of surf a smoldering beach fire. For somebody with the spending power and infrastructure like Nike, they can go as big as they want in surf right now and very easily come away a winner. 

It’s still early days, but watch this space, Nike may just do it this time.