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__**The History of Nike, Inc.**__

Nike, Inc. has been the largest sportswear supplier in the world since the late 1970s. They have been "bringing inspiration and innovation to every athlete" by helping them gain a competitive edge in their sport.


 * Early History**

Before there was the Swoosh, before there was Nike, there were two men who lead a revolution in athletic footwear that completely redefined the industry. Bill Bowerman, a track and field coach at the University of Oregon, was always looking for new ways to give his athletes a competitive edge. He experimented with everything from different track surfaces to different lightweight shoe materials. Bowerman tried to forward his innovating ideas to large footwear manufacturers, but they ignored him; So instead of quitting, he began to build his own shoes for his runners.

Phil Knight was a talented middle-distance runner for Oregon, and he competed in Bowerman's track program. After graduating from Oregon, he went to Stanford University to earn his MBA in finance, where he wrote a paper stating that running shoes made in Japan would be better than shoes made in Germany. He sent his paper to several Japanese companies, but like Bowerman, he received no response. He was disappointed but motivated, so he took a risk and called the Japanese footwear company, Tiger. He asked them if he could be a distributor for their shoes; they said yes, and when he received his first pair of sample shoes, he sent several to Bowerman, hoping he could sell them. Instead, Bowerman asked Knight to become his partner, and together they could provide Tiger with new footwear designs.

In January of 1964, Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight shook hands to form Blue Ribbon Sports. They each put five hundred dollars into their new business and placed an order of three hundred Tiger shoes. While Knight was selling shoes from the back of his car, Bowerman was ripping them apart to see how he could make them better. They were doing well, but both men had jobs and couldn't put the full time into Blue Ribbon Sports that it needed. So in 1965, Knight employed his friend and fellow runner, Jeff Johnson, to manage the business. Johnson kept the company together, and he helped to make it thrive.


 * Nike in the 1970s**

Johnson created the first product brochures and took photographs for the company's catalogs. He also opened the first BRS retail store in Santa Monica, California and managed it. Many of the early Nike shoe designs came from him. While BRS was doing well, their relationship with Tiger was falling apart. The two co-owners of BRS were ready to design and manufacture their own brand of shoes.

Some time around 1971, they split from Tiger and formed their new footwear company, Nike. A student from Portland State University designed their new logo know as the "Swoosh". The very first line of Nike shoes appeared on the shelf in 1972 and just in time for the track season. Many runners favored Nike shoes especially their new state of the art waffle-print design which helped runners get a good grip on the track without as much material on the shoe. With a new company, a new logo, and a new design, all Nike needed was someone to promote them. They found just the right person there in Oregon, a college track star named Steve Prefontaine.

Prefontaine was loved by many people because of the way he electrified the crowd. He never lost a race at his home track, Hayward Field, during his four year college career. It is said that Nike was born at Hayward Field because that is where Bowerman and Knight met and where Prefontaine ran. Prefontaine challenged Nike to reach its limit and then go farther. He became a huge promoter of Nike which greatly boosted their sales.


 * The '80s and the '90s**

Despite the tragic death of Steve Prefontaine in 1975, Nike entered the 1980s on a roll with the successful launch of their Tailwind running shoe featuring their new Nike Air technology. By the end of 1980, Nike completed its Initial Public Offering (IPO) and was now publicly selling stock. During this period of transition, some of Nike's earliest pioneers decided to move on to other things. Phil Knight even stepped down as president from 1983 to 1984;, however, he remained chairman of the board and CEO.

In the mid-1980s, Nike began to fall of the the top of the chart in the sports industry. It couldn't keep up with the new era of sportswear, but then an NBA rookie named Michael Jordan got them back up on their feet in 1985 with the debut of his new line, Air Jordan. Jordan shoes became very popular and have a huge affect on pop culture today. Along with successful shoes, Nike was also branching out with advertisements. In 1988, they first used their popular slogan " Just Do It" in a series of ads. These ads included a young athlete by the name of Bo Jackson, and the commercials he featured in helped Nike regain its spot as number one in the industry.

Just like the 1980s, Nike entered the 1990s doing well, except this time they were stronger. With a newly built Nike head quarters in Portland, Oregon, Nike could run their business with a larger sense of power in the sports world. They had many successful product launches in the late '80s and early '90s, so Nike was at the top of their game during this time. In November of 1990, Nike introduced the first Niketown where they sold every Nike product. Niketowns can be found all over the country now.

During the '90s Nike wanted to focus mainly on their top sports of soccer and golf. In 1994, Nike signed several individual soccer players who would soon play for the Brazilian National Team. Then, in 1995, Nike decided to sign the whole Brazilian team providing them with new uniforms. One year later, Nike found a talented but not yet proven golfer, Eldrick "Tiger" Woods. People laughed at Tiger and lost faith in Nike; that is until Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters with a record-breaking twelve strokes. Besides soccer and golf, Nike also took an interest in cycling when they met up with Lance Armstrong. Lance was diagnosed with cancer, and he lost many of his sponsors, but Nike stuck with him. In 1999, he won the Tour De France and has since won it again.


 * Present Day Nike**

Along with the new Nike Shox cushioning system for footwear, Nike also had new marketing strategies. Nike launched their "Secret Tournament" campaign in 2002. It incorporated internet advertisements, television commercials, and magazine promotions. The "Secret Tournament" campaign targeted soccer players by using profession athletes such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho Gaucho, and Edgar Davis. This new approach to advertising had become a cornerstone for Nike marketing.

Nike's strong sport has always been soccer, but more recently they have taken an interest in other sports like football, basketball, and baseball. Nike and Jordan basketball shoes have become a huge part in today's culture. They provide style and comfort for whoever wears them. Cleats are important in both baseball and football. Different football positions require different cleats, and Nike makes them for all positions. Bats, gloves, baseballs, and mitts are also made by Nike. Nike tries to find every sport out there, look at the athletes who play them, and help them gain a competitive edge in that sport. Nike has truly stuck to their mission of "bringing inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world."

Nike is personally my favorite sportswear company. There are many other great companies, but Nike tops them all. Although I don't play basketball, I have two pairs of Nike basketball shoes, and I plan on buying some more in the future. I also have several pairs of Nike shorts and shirts. It was really interesting to learn about the history of Nike and to see what they went through to become the biggest corporation in the industry. Nike not only provides athletes with great equipment, but they provide athletes with great inspiration.