As OutKick previously reported, Dr. Kathryn Ackerman and researcher Joanna Harper have both publicly stated that Nike is helping to fund a study on youth transgender athletes as young as 12 years old. At first, Nike did not respond to requests about the study to confirm or deny their involvement.
However, with public pressure mounting, a Nike executive with knowledge of the situation finally contacted OutKick. According to the executive, the study “was never initialized” and “is not moving forward.” But what exactly does that mean? Unfortunately, Nike has not provided any clarity.
OutKick asked the Nike executive if Dr. Ackerman and Harper were wrong to say that Nike funded the study, something both have said multiple times since 2023 and as recently as 2025. The executive said “no one was wrong” but that there might have been some “gaps in the information chain.” Again, what does that mean?
Nike finally revealed some information about their alleged involvement in funding a study on youth transgender athletes, but their response raised more questions than provided answers.
(Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Unfortunately, OutKick also did not receive a response from Dr. Ackerman, who we attempted to reach through multiple means, including her positions at the Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School and The Female Athlete Conference.
OutKick also contacted Sarah Sowers, the Director of Research Partnerships at the Nike Sport Research Lab. Sowers was referenced specifically by Ackerman during one of her presentations, but Sowers instructed us to contact Nike media relations.
The New York Times, in their story about transgender volleyball player Blaire Fleming, also reported that Nike was funding the study. OutKick asked the Times if Nike contacted the outlet to demand a retraction.
“We are confident in the accuracy of our reporting,” a New York Times spokesperson told OutKick.
So, what do we know? We know that during a seminar in 2023, Ackerman stated, “Recently, we got some money from Nike, who wanted to study this more… they wanted to look at transgender folks who are going through the transition younger. So, if we are talking about athletes who are pausing puberty and then doing gender-affirming care and cross-hormonal treatment, what happens to them over time.”
We know that Harper told the New York Times that Nike is funding the study and the New York Times stands by its reporting. We know that Nike now says that the study “was never initialized” and “is not moving forward.” What we don’t know is if Nike actually provided any funds in the first place, when the decision was made not to “move forward,” who might have made that decision, or why they made it.
Like we said, more questions than answers. Unfortunately, Nike has decided to leave these questions unanswered.
