Pride Month is here, which means your favorite athletic brands are about to swap their logos for rainbows and lecture you about "inclusion" while charging $160 for sneakers stitched together overseas. If you'd rather your workout money fund American jobs instead of corporate activism, you're not alone — and you have more options than the marketing departments at Nike and Adidas want you to know about.
We pulled the woke scores straight from the Buy Woke Free brand database and lined up the activewear aisle from worst to best. The big names you see plastered across stadiums and Instagram ads? They sit at the very top of the woke scale. The brands actually worth your money are the ones quietly making gear in the USA and keeping their politics out of your gym bag.
How We Score Athletic Brands
Every brand on Buy Woke Free is scored 0 to 100 across six research-backed dimensions: ESG initiatives, DEI programs, Pride sponsorships, Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index (CEI) ratings, political contributions, and CEO Action for Diversity participation. A score near 0 means a company keeps its head down and makes good products. A score near 100 means it has turned itself into a political action committee that happens to sell shoes.
Here's how the household names stack up — and why your running shoes have become a culture-war battleground.
The Brands to Leave on the Shelf
These are the activewear giants pouring resources into the exact agenda most of our readers are trying to avoid. The scores speak for themselves:
- The North Face — 100/100 (Extremely Woke). A perfect score. North Face has gone all-in on DEI, ESG reporting, and Pride activism, even running campaigns explicitly inviting customers to "come out" with the brand. There is no daylight between this company and the movement.
- Under Armour — 76/100 (Extremely Woke). Despite its tough-guy image, Under Armour racks up a high CEI rating and a deep DEI bureaucracy.
- Nike — 75/100 (Extremely Woke). The brand that built a marketing empire on Colin Kaepernick continues to lead corporate America in political spending and identity-driven campaigns.
- Adidas — 75/100 (Extremely Woke). Nike's chief rival is just as committed to the same playbook, from Pride collections to sweeping ESG pledges.
- Lululemon — 68/100 (Woke). The $120-leggings brand pairs premium pricing with a premium dose of corporate activism.
- Columbia Sportswear — 55/100 (Woke) and Allbirds — 45/100 (Woke) round out the outdoor and "sustainable" set.
- Brooks — 45/100 and HOKA — 42/100 are the running-store favorites that still tilt left on the woke scale.
- Patagonia — 30/100 (Mildly Woke). Better than the rest of this list, but a company that literally gave itself away to fund environmental activism is never going to be neutral.
8 Woke-Free Athletic Brands to Buy Instead
Now the good news. There is a thriving lineup of American-made, veteran-owned, and politically neutral athletic brands that would rather earn your loyalty with quality than guilt you into it.
1. Origin USA — Woke Score: 0/100
If you buy nothing else from this list, start here. Origin USA, founded by retired Navy SEAL Jocko Willink, makes boots, jeans, jiu-jitsu gear, and athletic apparel entirely in Maine — from the cotton to the cutting to the stitching. A flawless 0 on the woke scale and a supply chain that brought textile manufacturing back to American soil. This is the gold standard.
2. Born Primitive — Woke Score: 3/100
Founded by a Navy officer and his wife, Born Primitive builds performance training apparel for people who actually lift, run, and compete. Veteran-owned, unapologetically pro-America, and a near-perfect 3 on the woke scale. Their gear holds up in a CrossFit box without a single rainbow logo in sight.
3. New Balance
The last major sneaker maker still running factories on American soil, New Balance produces its premium "Made in USA" 990 series in Massachusetts and Maine. The company has largely stayed out of the culture wars, focusing on craftsmanship instead of campaigns — which is exactly why it has quietly become the thinking man's alternative to Nike.
4. NOBULL
An American performance brand built for functional fitness, NOBULL keeps the messaging on training, not politics. No celebrity activism, no Pride pivots — just minimalist trainers and gear that lets the product do the talking.
5. GORUCK
Founded by a Green Beret, GORUCK builds rucksacks, boots, and apparel tough enough for Special Forces and assembles much of its flagship gear in Bozeman, Montana. Veteran-owned and mission-driven in the literal sense, it's a favorite for anyone who trains like they mean it.
6. Xero Shoes
This Colorado-based, family-owned company makes minimalist and barefoot-style footwear for runners and hikers. An American small business that grew the hard way — through a great product and word of mouth, not corporate virtue signaling.
7. SAS (San Antonio Shoemakers)
Handcrafted in San Antonio, Texas since 1976, SAS makes comfort and walking shoes the old-fashioned way: American workers, American factories, American quality. If you want a daily-wear shoe with zero political baggage, SAS has been delivering for nearly 50 years.
8. Nine Line Apparel
A veteran-owned Georgia company, Nine Line makes patriotic athletic and casual apparel and proudly wears its values on its sleeve — the right ones. Founded by an Army family, it's become a go-to for shoppers who want their workout gear to celebrate the country, not scold it.
The Bottom Line
You don't have to fund the rainbow-washing season to stay in shape. Every dollar you spend on a swoosh or three stripes this June helps bankroll the very agenda you're trying to escape. Spend it on Origin USA, Born Primitive, or New Balance instead, and you're backing American workers, veteran founders, and companies that respect their customers enough to leave the lectures at the door.
Check any brand's full woke score before you buy at BuyWokeFree.com — because the best workout starts with a clear conscience.