6 Things you might not know about Nike 🤫
Nike is named for the ancient Greek personification of victory, who was shown in a wide range of ancient Greek art as a woman with bird wings. It is interesting to note that Nike was one of the four children of the river goddess Styx along with Kratos, Bia, and Zelus, who were also personifications representing strength, force, and zeal. Together, the four siblings were some of Zeus’s closest companions, having earned that status when Styx brought them over to the side of the gods during their uprising against their titanic predecessors.
2. The Exact Meaning of the Name Is Unclear
With that said, no one knows what the name Nike means. Some scholars have speculated that it might have pre-Greek roots, with one excellent example being the suggestion that it comes from a Proto-Indo-European word meaning “to attack.” If so, this would make Nike cognates with not just other ancient Greek words but also other words in other languages.
3. Started Out as Blue Ribbon Sports
Nike wasn’t named Nike until some time following its founding. Instead, it started out as Blue Ribbon Sports, though it is important to note that it was a shoe distributor rather than a shoe manufacturer in those earliest days. As for the people who co-founded what would go on to become Nike, one was a student athlete named Phil Knight while the other was a school coach named Bill Bowerman.
4. Shoe Distributor for Onitsuka Tiger
In those earliest days, Blue Ribbon Sports was a shoe distributor for a Japanese shoe manufacturer called Onitsuka Tiger. For those who are curious, Onitsuka Tiger is one of the oldest shoe manufacturers that can be found in said island nation, having been founded by an ex-military officer who wanted to promote athletics for the purpose of raising the self-esteem of Japanese youth following the Second World War. Nowadays, Onitsuka Tiger falls under the corporation called ASICS, which was created when Ontsuka Tiger merged with a couple of other Japanese shoe manufacturers. Regardless, when Knight and Bowerman were still working as shoe distributors, they made most of their sales at track meets where the two would carry their products in Knight’s motor vehicle.
5. Had First Brick and Mortar Store in 3rd Year of Operation
Blue Ribbon Sports grew at a decent pace. In the first year of its operation, it sold a total of 1,300 pairs of shoes, which brought in close to $8,000 in gross revenue. However, its second year of operation saw it bringing in close to $20,000 in gross revenue, which was enough for it to support a full-time employee. By its third year of operation, Blue Ribbon Sports had managed to open up its first brick and mortar store, meaning that its employees no longer had to sell its shoes out of the back of their cars.
6. There Is Some Dispute Over Who Bowerman Made the First Pair of Nike Shoes For
There is some dispute regarding who Bowerman made the first pair of Nike shoes for. The official account is that he made them for Knight. However, an Olympic gold winner named Otis Davis has claimed that Bowerman made the first pair of Nike shoes for him, though he has stated that he didn’t like the feel of said shoes on his feet, claiming that they were both too tight and provided insufficient support. Beyond that, Davis also claims that he actually saw Bowerman making that first pair of Nike shoes with a waffle iron of all things.
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