Since 776 B.C.s(About 11 centuries ago) when the Olympics first started Track and Field events have been an important part of society. And That’s just in the Olympics! Who knows how long Track events have really been going on outside of competitions. Track and Field originated in Ancient Greece coming up right after wrestling, Track events take the field for oldest known sports. Cool, right? Well one thing that people have been struggling with for many centuries is proper footwear for running.
Originally, people wore sandals for track events. That soon went way out of style when most competitors got blisters, making it very hard to compete as the leather proved to be very slippery when sweaty. Later they grew out of that, and started going barefoot. You can probably see where things went wrong there, but it was the best bet they had, because anything larger would just slow them down. Therefore, athletes were stuck being uncomfortable.
Of course, there were advancements, for example: In the 1800s, Elijah McCoy made the first rubber-soled shoe called “Plimsolls.” They were a large advancement, but that doesn’t mean that they were very helpful. For one thing, they didn’t have left or right feet, and they definitely didn’t have any cushioning. But later, a brand would come out that would change sporting life forever.
January 25th, 1964. Nike first came out with their life changing brand. The founders, Phil Knight, and head coach Bill Bowerman first started their company. There was a lot of debating on what the name should be. Swoosh, Bengal, and Peregrine were just a few of their many ideas. In the end, Knight stated the winning name, Nike. Nike is the name of the Ancient Greek goddess. The goddess of victory.
Later in 1971, the shoes made their first appearance, track star Steve Prefontaine, made the first appearance in his running shoes. No one had ever seen such different shoes before, and it made a huge difference in the performance of athletes.
As you can see, Nike shoes made a large difference in sporting life. I bet you didn’t know that there was so much history behind the pair of sneakers you are wearing right now! Nike is a very successful company and deserves the catch phrase, “Just Do It!”