Nike is an American athletic clothing brand known foremost for its shoes. Nike has become famous in part for its “Swoosh” logo, the slogan “Just Do It,” and endorsements by celebrity athletes. 
The company was founded in 1963 by the American entrepreneur Phil Knight, a former track athlete. It was originally named Blue Ribbon Sports. Knight began selling imported Japanese sneakers out of the trunk of his car at track and field meets. His former track coach at the University of Oregon, William Bowerman, invested $500 in the company and later became a partner. Bowerman also began to design his own shoes. His designs made use of an innovative, wafflelike pattern on the sole. In addition to financing Blue Ribbon Sports and designing shoes, Bowerman also helped to popularize jogging. He wrote a book on the subject, Jogging (1966, with W. E. Harris), spurring a huge surge in jogging’s popularity.
By 1971, Blue Ribbon Sports had grown to include a few store locations and a distribution center. To expand further, Bowerman and Knight sold shares in their company. They also started producing shoes based on Bowerman’s designs. Lastly, they changed the company’s name from Blue Ribbon Sports to Nike, after the Greek goddess of victory. Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student in Portland, designed a new logo, a rounded check mark shape called the Swoosh.
In 1972, Nike signed the American runner Steve Prefontaine to an endorsement contract. Despite warnings against displaying corporate logos, Prefontaine competed in the Olympic trials wearing Nike shoes and set a record. His success inspired other runners to buy shoes from Nike and led Nike to sign more athletes to endorse their products. Nike expanded its endorsements beyond jogging, for example signing the American tennis player John McEnroe. Additional deals with basketball coaches resulted in entire teams wearing Nike shoes.
By the end of the 1970’s, Nike had established its reputation internationally, had started targeting casual athletes rather than just competitive ones, and had become a publicly traded company. They also branched out into making athleticwear. In 1980, early investors had earned 600 times their initial investment.
One of Nike’s best-known collaborations came in 1984. That year, the National Basketball Association (NBA) Chicago Bulls recruited the American player Michael Jordan. At the end of his first season, he was recognized as the NBA Rookie of the Year. Nike took its usual sponsorship deal a step further by creating a custom sneaker, the Air Jordan, in 1985. The original Air Jordan was a black and red shoe with an air pocket in the sole. Nike made over $55 million in profit from Air Jordan sales the first year. The line later grew to include Jordan-branded clothing, backpacks, basketballs, and other items.
Nike’s successes have not come without controversy. In 1997, Nike was accused of exploiting laborers after it was revealed that a plant outside of Ho Chih Minh City in Vietnam exposed workers to dangerous chemicals. Workers at the plant were likely to suffer respiratory issues and worked long hours for an extremely low wage. Nike has continued to struggle with accusations of sweatshoplike conditions for workers. In 2020, a Washington Post investigation found Nike shoes being made in harsh conditions in Qingdao, China.
