Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Laynce Nix struggled through a frustrating 2012 season last year. Because of injuries, the 32-year-old was only able to play in 70 games. He became a small part of what was a major theme for the Phillies all year long, but unlike his teammates Nix has someone to blame for his injuries.
It’s the shoes. According to Nix, the Nike cleats he wore over the last few years were the cause of his Achilles and calf problems.
“To be short and direct, the shoes that I was wearing didn’t flex where my toes flex, and it caused tension in the Achilles’ (tendon) and calves,” Nix told The Delaware County Daily Times. “That built up for a couple of years in my Achilles and calves.”
Nix even took the liberty of blaming Nike for injuries that Mark Teixeira and Albert Pujols have suffered during their careers.
“They had (calf issues) too, and had worn Nikes before,” he said. “Certain shoes that Nike makes just don’t do that (offer toe flex), and it’s really shocking. If you look back at the same time (Yankees first baseman) Mark Teixeira and (Angels first baseman) Albert Pujols had calf strains, and so did I wearing the same type of shoes. That was sort of eye-opening to me, so I had to make a change of shoes. It was very frustrating, because it wasn’t anything I did from a lack of training or strengthening.”
We’re certainly familiar with athletic gear and apparel companies battling to get players to endorse their products, but it’s not all that common for a player to come out and bash a particular brand of equipment. Nix’s comments are what Nike would call the opposite of an endorsement deal.
