Word: nike
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From Bowerman, a legendary coach, Knight got two things: an innovative track shoe and a relentless appetite for competition. "Every time I tour people around, I show them a picture of Phil Knight running behind Jim Grelle," says Hollister, who ran track with Knight and became one of Nike's first employees. It was Knight's customary position. Grelle was a champion, and Knight never caught him, says Hollister, but he never stopped pursuing. Another Oregon track god, Steve Prefontaine, became patriarch of the culture. "Pre," a rebellious soul and ferocious competitor, prodded Knight endlessly to improve the quality...
...Knight signed the great Zeus of hoops in 1984, or a couple of hundred million Airs ago. Although Jordan too has been scorched by some criticism about the high price of sneakers, he remains an all-world marketer. He recently turned a nationally televised game into a two-hour Nike commercial by donning a 14-year-old pair of Air Jordans for his "last" appearance at Madison Square Garden. Then he tortured the New York Knicks for 42 points...
...Nike campus teems with adherents to this athletistocracy. It attracts a weirdly diverse collection of go-getters who are young (average age: 31) and confident, if not cocksure. Nike remains one of the most sought-after companies for employment by new M.B.A.s. Says Nelson Farris, another of Knight's former teammates: "We like employees who aren't afraid...
Fortunately for Nike, the brand is not so controversial in the rest of the world, where most of its growth lies. Last year sales outside the U.S. increased 49%, and represent about 38% of the total. Like Coca-Cola, Nike measures purchases per capita per country. In the U.S. it's more than $20, but in the rest of the world the figure is $6 or $7, and as little as $2 or $3 in Germany, home of Adidas and Puma. That's why Nike has made soccer the focus of an unprecedented assault. The logic is simple. Soccer...
...typically outrageous statement. To do that, Nike will have to kick aside heritage brands such Umbro, Diadora, Puma and Adidas, the market leader and three times Nike's size in this category. Yet this June, when 32 nations battle for planetary soccer supremacy at the World Cup in France (Adidas is a title sponsor), six teams will wear Nike gear, which is six more than in the last Cup, four years...