Nike
“When we go to battle and win, we say it is Nike.” This statement is referring to the winged goddess of victory, Nike. This name also represents one of the top leading sportswear and equipment makers in the world, Nike Inc. However, the company did not start out with this name. In 1962, a Stanford graduate and former track runner Phillip Knight, created Blue Ribbon Sports. This was a cover name for Knight’s small-scale shoe business in which he imported athletic shoes from Onitsuka Tiger Co. of Japan, and sold them out of the trunk of his car. Knight’s right-hand man was his track coach from Oregon, Bill Bowerman. Bowerman was determined to make a lighter, more durable track shoe for his athletes. He came up with the “chicken and waffle” design which helped increase traction in track shoes without the added weight. This design was a jumpstart to the success that Blue Ribbon Sports would soon experience.
In 1966, the company gained enough profits to go from selling their shoes out of
the trunks of their cars, to being able to purchase its first retail space. After Blue Ribbon Sports parted ways with Onitsuka Tiger Co., they launched their new line of athletic shoes with the world renowned “swoosh” we know of today and the brand name Nike. The “swoosh” represents the wing of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. The first product that was represented by the new symbol was a soccer shoe. A fitness revolution in the late 70’s, where Americans were viewing running and exercising as a fun activity, had an extreme impact on Nike’s sales and helped the company grow tremendously.
By 1979, Nike was starting to sell athletic apparel along with their athletic shoes, and was starting to be seen as one of the most well-known shoe companies in the world. By the 80’s and 90’s, Nike’s profits were increasing substantially each year. In 1996, Nike was named Marketer of the Year and was extremely profitable that year. To keep an edge on its competitors, Nike came out with a diverse line of shoes for different sports as well as sporting equipment.
As stated earlier, the soccer shoe was the first product that was released with the new swoosh emblem and brand name Nike. The first full-time employee, Jeff Johnson, had a dream about Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. He proposed this name to Blue Ribbon Sports for their first shoe that was about to be released. Phillip Knight had the idea to call the shoe “Dimension 6”, however it was declined and won over by Johnson’s inspiration. The first Nike shoe with the new symbol, the swoosh, was a soccer cleat called “The Nike”.
Today, Nike is constantly innovating different designs and styles of shoes with increasing technology to stay ahead of their competitors. They have a testing site at their headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon where they test their shoes and receive feedback from some of the top soccer players in the world. They are able to get pointers from the best who can give a great input on the positives and negatives of what should go into a shoe, because they play in them on a daily basis.
They also send their shoes out to younger, amateur athletes to test the shoes and write daily journals with their opinion as well. Nike is persistently looking for ways to improve their shoes by designing ones with better comfort, traction, and looks so an athlete can get the most out of playing the sport they love.
Rugby is one of many sports Nike provides apparel and equipment for. Nike’s top selling items for rugby are their rugby jersey’s. These jerseys are worn by rugby-playing nation club teams for practice and games, and even by their loyal fans. These shirts are specifically made to meet the grueling demands of a rugby game. Some fabrics that the shirts are made of include spandex, nylon, cotton-knit, or lycra. The jersey’s have energetic colors with active designs along with the famous bold stripes across the shirt. They also come in men’s and women’s sizes in either short sleeve or long sleeves.
Nike also produces rugby match balls, protective gear, and equipment needed for training and rugby matches.
In February 2008, Nike renewed its sponsorship deal with England’s Rugby National teams. The new contract states that Nike will provide rugby kits for seven English Rugby National teams including, for the first time, the women’s national team. Nike has come out with a striking new kit for England’s home and away jerseys. In 2003, Nike produced shirts that were more fitting to make it harder for opponents to tackle. Since this release, most rugby playing apparel is now fitted and tight so there are no loose ends to pull for the tackle. This is just another example of why Nike is the leading sportswear supplier in the world. Nike is not only the leading sportswear supplier, they are one of the top companies in the world today, and just to think that it all started from the trunk of a car.
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