Jamal Tann
Dr. G. Alexander Weimer
Business Communications
29 November 2016
Nike vs Adidas
Nike and Adidas are both well-known sportswear firms that have become household
names throughout many parts of the world. They are the undisputed giants of the sportswear and
sports equipment industries, and also consumers can generally expect quality products from the
two brands. Nevertheless, there are instances wherein one may be the better option over the
other, and the factors that go into making such a decision do not always have anything to do with
the quality of the products. Let us take a look at some of the factors that may influence your
purchase decision in the future.
Nike’s precursor originated in 1962, a product of the imagination of Philip H. Knight, a
Stanford University business graduate who had been a member of the track team as an
undergraduate at the University of Oregon. Traveling in Japan after finishing business school,
Knight got in touch with a Japanese firm that made athletic shoes, the Onitsuka Tiger Co., and
arranged to import some of its products to the United States on a small scale. Knight was
convinced that Japanese running shoes could become significant competitors for the German
products that then dominated the American market. In the course of setting up his agreement
with Onitsuka Tiger, Knight invented Blue Ribbon Sports to satisfy his Japanese partner’s
expectations that he represented an actual company, and this hypothetical firm eventually grew
to become Nike, Inc.
At the end of 1963, Knight’s arrangements in Japan came to fruition when he took
delivery of 200 pairs of Tiger athletic shoes, which he stored in his father’s basement and
peddled at various track meets in the area. Knight’s one-man venture became a partnership in the
following year, when his former track coach, William Bowerman, chipped in to equal Knight’s
investment. Bowerman had been experimenting with modified running shoes for his team, and
he worked with runners to improve the designs of prototype Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) shoes.
Innovation in running shoe design eventually would become a cornerstone of the company’s
continued expansion and success. Bowerman’s efforts first paid off in 1968, when a shoe known
as the Cortez, which he had designed, became a big seller.
