Nike is an American sportswear company that was founded in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight. Bowerman was a track-and-field coach at the University of Oregon, and Knight was his former student and runner.
They started by importing high-quality but low-cost running shoes from Japan and selling them in the U.S. market. In 1972, they launched their own brand of shoes, called Nike, which featured a curved check mark logo known as the "swoosh". The name Nike was inspired by the Greek goddess of victory.
Nike grew rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s, thanks to its innovative products, aggressive marketing, and strategic endorsements by famous athletes such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Roger Federer. Nike also expanded its product line to include other sports apparel and equipment, such as golf, soccer, basketball, and skateboarding.
Nike also acquired other brands, such as Converse, Cole Haan, Umbro, and Bauer. Today, Nike is one of the largest and most valuable sports brands in the world, with a presence in more than 170 countries and a revenue of over $37 billion in 2020.