Nike

It may surprise some people to learn that Nike is still a very young company, only a little over 30 years old. The company was first developed by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight in 1962 as Blue Ribbon Sports. In 1972, the partners changed the company name to Nike after the Greek goddess of victory. The symbolism surrounding the idea of the winged goddess was well-suited to Nike's new approach to high performance athletic footwear. Today, Nike is an iconic leader all over the world.One of the main missions of the Nike company is to bring innovation and inspiration to all types of athletic gear. Another mission is to provide footwear that will enhance the competitive edge athletes need in order to perform better than their competition. The shoe designers at Nike are driven to new ideas by studying and attempting to more carefully understand the minds of athletes. The first major shoe innovation developed by Nike was inspired when Bill Bowerman poured rubber into his wife's waffle iron. The waffle outsole made a major impact on running shoes, changing the running world forever. The Nike Air system changed the way nearly all athletic shoe manufacturers thought about shoe cushioning. Nike still continues to develop better and more advanced cushion systems for their running shoes, basketball shoes, and other athletic shoes, all of which are designed to protect athletes from impact, add to their comfort, distribute foot pressure and reduce shock. All of these elements are implemented with one principal goal: helping athletes be the best they can possibly be. Recent additions to the Nike shoe technologies include Max Air, Zoom Air, Tuned Air and Nike Shox. Beyond shoes, Nike also manufactures high performance apparel and equipment. Functional accessories can also be found bearing the Nike name, including eyewear, socks, underwear, watches and bags.