Tens of thousands of people are appalled by the idea of using kangaroo leather for soccer shoes.
A petition aimed at Nike has garnered 200,000 signatures. The petition asks Nike to follow in the footsteps of companies like Adidas and Puma that have either pledged to reduce or stop their use of kangaroo skin.
"Our whole family loves soccer and we also love animals. ...That's why we want Nike to stop using kangaroo leather," according to the petition, which was launched by a family in Portland, Ore.
Nike said it has been "phasing out exotic skins from its product range" and stopped using snake, lizard and crocodile skin in 2009.
The company has continued to use kangaroo leather in some soccer shoes "because it has a very high tensile and tear strength and 'feel' for players that currently can't be replicated by synthetic materials," a company spokeswoman said.
Nike will continue to look for ways to phase out kangaroo leather completely, she added.
