Gotcha. Well when I left Illinois I took a job at Auburn University as a web designer but I left after a year to return to St. Louis where I now work at a successful and growing ad agency. I used to love sports design, but I really enjoy being out of the in-house sort of job, now. And I feel like design is more appreciated in my current industry than it was/is in sports.
Would I jump at the chance to work for Nike? No, not me personally, but that's because I've learned (I think I always knew, but now it's been tested) that home matters most to me.
With that said, do I respect Nike's designers? Tremendously. Nike has really talented individuals. I'm not claiming to be better than them.
But do I think they've gotten lazy in their process for rebranding schools and re-designing uniforms? I do. I really do. I think they've found a formula that satisfies the greater public and they've fallen into the trap of relying on that.
That's ok, but that's what it produces. Ok work that gets by.
But again, it's not really even Nike that I blame. I blame the client, the DIA. There are plenty of examples of rebrands that Nike pushed beyond their simple formula, and it's either because they value them as a marquee program or because the school pushed for more and better.
Sorry to be repeating myself, as this is all things I've said before, but it's how I would answer your question/comments.
Basically, this isn't a broad knock on Nike or their designers. It's a specific knock on the work the DIA & Nike have rolled out (which can translate to qualms with a handful of other Nike rebrands that I think suffered from the same problems).
