Corporate America went bonkers during the woke era, telling us that a new breed of leadership had arrived. It would be more compassionate, more socially aware, more diverse, enlightened, and way more interested in "changing the world" than the stodgy old executives who came before them.

Well, how's that working out?

Spoiler alert: not very good.

We've watched some of America's biggest brands wander straight into social justice minefields they had absolutely no reason to be in. Victoria's Secret abandoned the hot, sexy fantasy that made it famous. Bud Light managed to turn drinking a cheap beer into a political statement about transgenders. Disney discovered that parents don't really enjoy being lectured by the company selling them Mickey Mouse gear. Cracker Barrel decided biscuits and rocking chairs weren't exciting enough and wandered into its own unnecessary headache.

And there's been an interesting pattern inside a lot of these corporate disasters… powerful female executives embracing the same highly political, emotionally driven style of leadership where running the business doesn't seem to be enough anymore.

The company has to have a social mission these days. They've gotta right all the societal wrongs, educate and finger-wig at the customer, and change the culture as we know it.

Meanwhile, the customer's standing there thinking, "Can I just get a damn beer?"

Or, in Nike's case, a really cool pair of sneakers, please…

And that brings us to the latest corporate giant staring at the consequences of spending years turning its brand into something customers never asked for.

Yes, Nike.

We recently took a look at just how ugly things have gotten for the ol' Swoosh, because there's a scoreboard, and Nike's getting clobbered out there.

The company that once practically was the face of America's sports culture spent years attaching itself to some of the most divisive political and cultural moments in the country. What does George Floyd have to do with sneakers? Nothing.

But the brand stopped feeling like Michael Jordan flying through the air and started feeling like some crabby HR lady wanted to have a word with you.