Nike helped create a coaching program designed to keep girls in sports.
asserted
Nike → help → sports
Three years later, the program is expanding into college classrooms and through a partnership with a national sports governing body, while its own FAQ defines "girls" to include anyone under 18 who identifies as one.
Sarah Barker, a former coach and creator of The Female Category, spent months reviewing CoachingHER, its training modules and the research cited to support them.
asserted
Barker → expand → them
She told OutKick in an exclusive interview that what she found does not match how she believes the program is being presented to coaches.
asserted
program → tell → coaches
"Everything about it tells me that it is not, in fact, what it is being sold as," Barker said.
asserted
Barker → tell → what
CoachingHER launched in 2023 as a collaboration between Nike and the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota.
asserted
CoachingHER → launch → Minnesota
Nike said at the time that it developed the free digital resource to help coaches recognize unconscious gender biases and stereotypes that negatively affect girls' experiences in sports.
asserted
that → say → sports
Barker first encountered CoachingHER through the Minnesota State High School League after spending 10 years as a coach.
asserted
Barker → encounter → coach
She decided to take the course herself.
asserted
She → decide → course
"I did the training modules and I interviewed the director of the Coaching Her program at the Tucker Center," Barker said.
asserted
Barker → do → Center
Then she kept digging.
asserted
she → keep → ?
Barker questions CoachingHER's focus on gender bias
CoachingHER’s current FAQ defines "girls" as someone under 18 "who was assigned female at birth or who identifies as a girl" and says the program is "inclusive of gender-expansive identities," language Barker said was displayed more prominently when she first investigated the program in 2024.
asserted
she → question → 2024
For Barker, those few words change the meaning of the training that follows.
asserted
that → change → training
The CoachingHER website says its courses give coaches "girl-centered strategies" and tools to create "supportive, inclusive environments for girls in sports."
asserted
courses → say → sports
Barker said that definition becomes especially important in a module addressing bodies and identities.
asserted
definition → say → bodies
"They exhort coaches in one of the training modules to accept all, and all is in capital letters, all bodies and identities," Barker said.
asserted
Barker → exhort → letters
On its face, Barker said much of the advice sounds unobjectionable.
asserted
much → say → advice
But she argues the program's definition of "girls" changes the context because it also encompasses transgender-identifying athletes.
asserted
it → argue → athletes
Barker's broader criticism is that CoachingHER's emphasis on coaches' gender biases does not match what she found in the research on why girls leave sports.
asserted
girls → match → sports
A current CoachingHER article, citing 2024 research from Dove and Nike, says low body confidence is the "No. 1 reason girls quit sports."
asserted
girls → cite → sports
But the program describes its mission as addressing "the unconscious gender biases and stereotypes held by coaches."
asserted
program → describe → coaches
The Tucker Center and Nike have said coaches were chosen as a focus because earlier research identified them as an important influence on girls' sports experiences.
asserted
research → say → experiences
In a 2023 article about the creation of CoachingHER, Tucker Center director Nicole LaVoi and former Nike social-impact executive Caitlin Morris also said workshops with girls and coaches helped shape the program's focus on gender stereotypes.
asserted
workshops → say → stereotypes
Barker argues that explanation does not resolve the disconnect she found in the research on why girls actually leave sports.
asserted
girls → argue → sports
"They knew that the number one reason girls drop out of sports was concerns with body image," Barker said.
asserted
Barker → know → image
She said CoachingHER director Alicia Pelton acknowledged the same point when Barker interviewed her in 2024.
asserted
Barker → say → 2024
Yet Barker said that in the research and lists of dropout factors she reviewed, coaches' gender bias and their understanding of gender identity were not identified among the leading reasons girls leave sports.
asserted
girls → say → sports
"What's weird about this is that of the many reasons listed for girls dropping out of sports, their coaches' gender bias was never listed, not in the Tucker Center's own research," Barker said.
asserted
Barker → list → research
"It was never listed, not even in the top 15 reasons.
asserted
It → list → reasons
That led Barker to question why a program marketed as a way to keep girls in sports was focused so heavily on changing coaches' attitudes about gender.
asserted
program → lead → gender
"Why would they build an entire program around blaming coaches when they know that that is not true?" she said.
asserted
she → build → coaches
Nike helped create CoachingHER, but its current financial role is unclear
uncertain
role → create → CoachingHER
When Nike publicly announced the program in March 2023, the company said it had developed CoachingHER in partnership with the Tucker Center.
asserted
it → announce → Center
Nike's website continues to promote CoachingHER in 2026, describing it as a resource "created in partnership with the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport."
The CoachingHER website also continues to display Nike's logo under the words "Brought to you by."
Barker said she separately discussed Nike's involvement with CoachingHER program director Alicia Pelton during her 2024 investigation.
"When I interviewed Alicia Pelton ... she was open about the fact that Nike funded this program," Barker said.
asserted
Barker → continue → program
"I don't know the amount.
asserted
I → know → amount
I asked and was not told the amount."
asserted
I → ask → amount
While Nike’s current financial involvement with CoachingHER is unclear, its public connection to the program remains.
uncertain
connection → remain → program
In January 2026, the University of Minnesota described CoachingHER as "powered by Nike."
asserted
University → describe → Nike
OutKick asked Nike whether it currently funds CoachingHER, what role the company currently plays in developing or reviewing the curriculum, and whether Nike endorses the program's definition of girls.
asserted
Nike → ask → girls
OutKick also contacted the Tucker Center and CoachingHER seeking responses to Barker's criticisms and clarification about Nike's current role in the program.
asserted
OutKick → contact → program
Neither Nike nor the Tucker Center responded before publication.
asserted
Nike → respond → publication
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
