Shoe Dog

Most of us know of Nike as this big, giant shoe behemoth that has tentacles stretching in seemingly every direction. But in reading Shoe Dog, Phil Knight’s memoir we learn that was not always the case.

            It’s hard to see the Swoosh as representing an underdog. Knight had a crazy idea and was in the right place at the right time and it took a lot of sweat equity to make it go.

            There’s a part of me that likes understanding how the machine works and how the hamburger is made, so I really enjoyed reading this book and seeing the genesis of what has become one of the most recognizable brands on the planet. Knight ran track at Oregon under Bill Bowerman and eventually formed Blue Ribbon Sports and sold Tiger shoes he imported from Japan.

            So often in those early years things ran on a shoestring budget (get it? shoestring budget?) even though he couldn’t get shoes in fast enough to replace the ones they sold. It was impressive to see all the work that went into making the organization successful, and for Knight to get the level of buy in that he did from his staff. Remember these are the early days of Nike, when the outcome was still very much in doubt and success seemed so far away.

            Of course, things worked themselves out and Nike overtook Adidas in the shoe wars (though I still love my Energy Boost shoes) and basically conquered the world. 

            Part of Mark Twain’s famous quote states that travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness. It was insightful to see how Knight’s trip around the world as a twenty-something informed his thinking for the rest of his life. Plus it was fun to read that even the CEO of Nike threw caution to the wind and chose to see what else is out there, perhaps going against his better judgment. 

            So think what you will of Nike. It was fascinating to hear the other side of the story, learning how the foundation was laid, brick by brick, and how the company is making an effort to be a responsible corporate citizen. This was a great read and I had trouble putting it down.