• Loading stock data...
Friday, February 20, 2026
Law

Sportswear Companies Big Winners of Trump’s Supreme Court Tariff Loss

Nike, Adidas, and On rely on Asian manufacturing partners for the bulk of their goods, and they have had to absorb the cost of higher tariffs, pass them onto consumers, or both.

Feb 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; A Nike All Star 2026 display at Nike The Grove.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Shares of sportswear and retail companies including Adidas, Nike, and Deckers shot up Friday morning after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.

Voting 6–3 in the case brought by a company called Learning Resources, Inc. against the president, the court said Trump exceeded his authority by invoking a federal emergency-powers law to impose “reciprocal” tariffs as well as import taxes the administration says is meant to prevent fentanyl trafficking. 

On Friday morning, shares of Adidas jumped more than 2%; Deckers Outdoor, which owns the Hoka brand, was up 2.3%; Under Armour rose more than 2%; On climbed 1.5%; and shares of Puma and Nike increased less than 1%. The broad market S&P 500 index was up 0.6%.

In a press conference Friday afternoon at the White House Trump told reporters he would impose an additional across-the-board global 10% tariff and said he has “great alternatives” for implementing more duties on imports. 

Countries including Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bangladesh are vital manufacturing centers for global retail companies. For example, for fiscal 2024, factories in Vietnam, Indonesia, and China manufactured approximately 50%, 27%, and 18% of total Nike footwear, respectively. Lululemon also counts Vietnam as its top supplier. As of 2023, 42% of its products were made there, with 16% manufactured in Cambodia, 11% in Sri Lanka, 10% in Indonesia, and 8% in Bangladesh, and the remainder in other regions. All of Under Armour’s footwear products were manufactured by “nine primary contract manufacturers, operating primarily in Vietnam, Indonesia, and China,” in 2024.

Vietnam is also the top supplier for Amer Sports, which owns several outdoor brands including Salomon, Arc’teryx, and tennis racket and ball maker Wilson. China accounts for nearly 30% of Amer’s global sourcing, while Vietnam makes up 39% (Canada and Mexico account for less than 1%).

Nike, On, Under Armour, and Callaway, like many other companies importing goods into the U.S., have raised prices on their products in response to tariffs and/or absorbed some of the higher costs. And a report this month by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that in 2025, the average tariff rate on U.S. imports increased from 2.6% to 13%, and that nearly 90% of the tariffs’ economic burden fell on U.S. businesses and consumers.

Tariffs Beyond Trump’s ‘Legitimate Reach’

In 2025 the Trump Administration imposed tariffs on trading partners using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) as justification. The White House’s executive order declared a “national emergency arising from conditions reflected in large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficit.” On April 2, 2025, Trump announced a baseline 10% minimum tariff on U.S. imports from all countries, as well as “reciprocal tariffs” on goods from 29 trading partners, including major manufacturing hubs for multinational retail companies. 

Shares of retail companies—many of which predominantly source their manufacturing of apparel, shoes, and other products in Asia—sank following the news. 

Before reaching the high court, the tariffs were ruled unlawful by three different lower courts, including a specialized federal appeals court of national jurisdiction that said IEEPA didn’t authorize tariffs of the scale Trump imposed.

In its ruling the court wrote that “the Government reads IEEPA to give the President power to unilaterally impose unbounded tariffs and change them at will. That view would represent a transformative expansion of the President’s authority over tariff policy. It is also telling that in IEEPA’s half century of existence, no President has invoked the statute to impose any tariffs, let alone tariffs of this magnitude and scope. That ‘lack of historical precedent,’ coupled with the ‘breadth of authority’ that the President now claims, suggests that the tariffs extend beyond the President’s ‘legitimate reach.’”

In Friday’s decision, Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh dissented.

The court did not address the extent to which importers were now entitled to refunds. This will be a matter of lower courts again. “The US Court of International Trade will ultimately manage that process, and refunds won’t come automatically, as any importer that wants its money back must sue individually. This process has already kicked off, with over 1,000 corporate entities now involved in a legal fight,” ING analysts wrote in a note after the decision.

Trump has said the money the U.S. brings in from tariffs is “so enormous that you’re not going to have income tax to pay. Whether you get rid of it or just keep it around for fun or have it really low, much lower than it is now, but you won’t be paying income tax.”

“While tariffs are tax increases that raise more revenue for the federal government, the revenue coming in is not enough to cover all the spending the President envisions,” Erica York of the Tax Foundation has said.

In a statement posted on its website, the National Retail Federation lauded the Supreme Court’s decision, saying it provides “much-needed certainty for U.S. businesses and manufacturers, enabling global supply chains to operate without ambiguity.” The trade group said it urges “the lower court to ensure a seamless process to refund the tariffs to U.S. importers.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jun 11, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Fanatics chief executive officer Michael Rubin attends game three of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Fan Who Is Forcing Fanatics to Listen

“I’m hoping that one meeting can lead to another meeting and another meeting.”
Feb 10, 2026; Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy; Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin of the United States during the curling mixed doubles gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium

Curling Clubs Are Swept Up in Olympics Fever. Can It Last?

Every four years, organizations field an influx of curling-curious patrons.
Feb 19, 2026; Milan, Italy; Megan Keller (5) of the United States reacts after scoring the game winning goal against Canada in overtime of the women's ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

US-Canada Hockey Rivalry Takes Center Stage at Olympics

An instant-classic final in women’s ice hockey could repeat on the men’s side.

Super Bowl LX Viewership Revised, Still Falls Short of Record

The updated figure still trails the viewership for last year’s Super Bowl.

Featured Today

Max Valverde by Ron Winsett

How Ski Mountaineering’s Hype Man Went From TikTok to NBC

Max Valverde’s gushing over the niche sport vaulted him to Olympic broadcaster.
Feb 11, 2026; Livigno, Italy; Jaelin Kauf of the United States during freestyle skiing women's moguls final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Livigno Aerials & Moguls Park
February 13, 2026

The Surprise Hit of the Winter Olympics: First-Person Drone Views

Tiny drone cameras have reshaped the Olympics viewing experience.
Feb 11, 2026; Milan, Italy; Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States skate during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena.
February 13, 2026

Olympic Figure Skaters Pay Out of Pocket for $9,000 Costumes

For four minutes on ice, stakes are high—and prices even higher.
February 11, 2026

Epstein Emails Show His F1 Ties Ran Deep

The sex trafficker’s circles included many of the biggest names in F1.
Michael Rubin; Feb 18, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Fanatics owner Michael Rubin attends the 73rd NBA All Star game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Inside Fanatics’s Battle to Block a Polymarket Hire

The two sides informed the court that they have reached a settlement.
exclusive
February 4, 2026

Chicago Sky ‘Self-Dealing’ Suit Is Reminder of WNBA’s Painful Past

A minority investor sued team co-founder Michael Alter last week.
Nov 13, 2024; Irving, TX, USA; Mike Tyson speaks to the media about his upcoming fight with Jake Paul at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory.
February 12, 2026

Mike Tyson, Ric Flair’s Ex-Weed Biz Partners Get More Time to Respond..

A new scheduling conference is slated for April 13. 
Sponsored

From MLS to AUSL: Jon Patricof on Building Sports Leagues

Jon Patricof on athlete equity, fan-first strategy, and how women’s sports can reshape the future of league building.
A view of a Nike retail store in New York City.
February 4, 2026

Feds Probing Nike for ‘Systemic’ Discrimination Against White Workers

“This feels like a surprising and unusual escalation,” Nike said.
Sep 26, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) hits a grand slam home run during the fourth inning Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park
February 4, 2026

Padres Sale Looms After Seidler Family Resolves Lawsuit

Sheel Seidler dropped most of the claims against two of her brothers.
Demonstrators rally outside of the Supreme Court as the justices hear oral arguments in two cases related to transgender athlete participation in sports in Washington, DC, on Jan. 13, 2026. The cases, Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J., seek to decide whether laws that limit participation to women and girls based on sex violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
January 30, 2026

The Former D-I Soccer Player Turned Lawyer Taking On Trans Athlete Cases

“There’s not that many people doing it.”
January 29, 2026

Court Deals Major Blow to Retired Players in Disability Suit Against NFL

A federal judge denied the retired NFL players a class certification.