For decades Nike has dominated footwear as well as sports apparel and equipment. Nike acquired its name from the Greek goddess of victory, who also had enormous strength and speed, which is some of the qualities Nike hopes their customers can achieve through their brand. In
2008, Nike earned $18.6 billion in profits which is the direct result of their appeal to various ages and ethnicities all around the world. Nike can be worn during fitness activities or as a fashion statement. The famous “shoosh” mark and Just Do It logo makes Nike a unique and memorable trend.
“The Nike swoosh is so recognizable,” junior Hana Fahmi said. “I think basically everyone knows exactly what it stands for. I love my Nike shorts. They are so comfortable, and I have all the colors.”
Nike has numerous outlets and stores all around the globe. The first Niketown store made an appearance in downtown Portland, Oregon, where the headquarters also is located. Ironically, a fouth grader at Urban Park Elementary in Dallas suggested the logo Just Do It, and it was trademarked in the late 80’s. One of the most talented basketball players in the history of the NBA was endorsed by Nike for his brand Air Jordan, but was also banned from the NBA which brought a lot of publicity to the issue.
“The Nike outlet in Allen is a good one,” junior Kayla Stovall said. “I like the selection they have and the fact that there is a store with just Nike is pretty cool. My cousin works there and it is all he wears.”
Many sports have a relationship with Nike such as hockey, golf, football and even
cricket. They endorse people and teams for the benefit of getting their name on more equipment, apparel and footwear. More well-known athletes like Tiger Woods and LeBron James have signed contracts with Nike for millions of dollars. Nike also sponsored the 1996 Summer Olympics and yet again their motto caused controversy, with “You Don’t Win Silver- You Lose Gold.” This was offensive to former silver and bronze Olympic winners who struggled through intense training for years to receive their silver and bronze awards.
“I love Nike,” junior Cesar Colon said. “It symbolizes victory so of course if you are a champ you want that brand, but basically, yes, I love most of the stuff I buy from there especially things for soccer. Well that and Adidas, but I like Nike better.”
When the superpower of Nike brand contracted with Apple products, genius technology was born that would be helpful to users of both products. The major function of the hybrid was that athletes, runners, or trainers could log and keep track of their run via the Nike website and iTunes. They called this Nike+iPod sports kit.
“It was a pretty smart idea for those two companies to make the Nike+iPod sports kit because a lot of people have ipods or some type of Apple products and a lot of people wear Nike as well,” Fahmi said.
From 1970, the year the famous “shoosh” first made an appearance on cleats for
football and soccer to now where Nike’s net worth is billions. Nike also keeps up with recent studies to improve their products, such as the shoe they released in 2008 with Flywire. Flywire is a new material made up of vectran fibers that are proven to be five times stronger than steel and never becomes weak. Lunar Form was discovered by NASA and which is beneficial because it has good shock absorption and is very comfortable.
“I am a basketball player so they are the best for performance and comfort as well as
design,” junior Demetrius Williams said. “They design shoes for basically anything as well as overall there just “in.” They are very popular; kind of like when your dad used to wear Converse.”
