Nike Essay

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According to Greek Mythology, Nike was the winged goddess or spirit of victory, both in battle and peaceful competition. The supernatural being was a common figure in ancient Greek art, appearing in sculptures, on pottery, and on coins. Her appearance fit the description as ‘beautiful- ankled Nike’, because she was described with wings and was always carried before her wreath of victory, which she offered either to other gods or to prize-winning heroes and athletes. Like the inspirational Nike in the Bronze Age, Nike of the twentieth century is footwear that motivates the world's top athletes to new levels of mastery and success. The Nike “swoosh”, created in 1971 by Carolyn Davidson, represents the spirit of the winged goddess who inspired the most brave and noble warriors at the beginning of evolution.
Nationally respected track and field coach at the University of Oregon, Bill Bowerman, was constantly trying to find different ways to give his runners an edge over their competition. He tried different track tops, re-hydration drinks, and searched extremely hard for new enhancements in running shoes. Unfortunately, well-known footwear producers of the 1950’s ignored the designs he tried to suggest to them at first, so Bowerman began put together shoes for his runners on his own.
Talented middle- distance runner, Phil Knight from Portland, Oregon enrolled in the fall of 1955 at Oregon and competed for Bill Bowerman’s track program. Other than graduating from Oregon, Knight earned his MBA in finance from Stanford University, where he wrote a paper that suggested quality running shoes could be industrialized in Japan that would contend with other well-known German brands, like Adidas. However, his letters went unreturned from manuf...

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...o accustomed to. Like Michael Jordan, I am very satisfied with my choice of being a huge fan of the Nike brand. In many ways, Nike has a big influence on my life. The idea of Nike fills my mind with many confident thoughts. Nike gear makes me feel like a mighty warrior of the Bronze Age. When I am draped in Nike gear, I feel extremely confident and victorious. I feel as if I deserve to be handed a wreath of victory such as the one the Greek goddess would offer to champion heroes and Olympians. This brand is very inspiring and motivating to me because of its history. The history of Nike says it all. After doing my research on Nike, it makes so much sense why the brand has become such a success. The hard work, dedication, and patience that Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight displayed to achieve their dreams really motivates me to one day become just as successful.

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