Nike: The Greek Goddess Who Inspired the Most Popular Sports Brand in the World

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Nike the Greek goddess of victoryThe Greek goddess Nike. Vienna museum. Credit: Manfred Werner / Tsui / CC by-sa 4.0

Nike is 1 of the astir fashionable and recognized sports brands successful the world. Have you ever wondered what the communicative is down the company’s name? The sanction did not simply abruptly look a fewer years agone successful the United States. Instead, it is Greek and has been astir for thousands of years since Nike was known arsenic a Greek goddess.

Nike, contiguous 1 of the astir recognizable brands globally, was inspired by Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.

Even Nike’s iconic logo, the fashionable “Swoosh,” dates backmost to the past of the Greek gods.

Inspiration for Nike: passionateness for athletics

The past of Nike began a fewer decades agone successful the 1950s connected the moving way of the University of Oregon. The coach, Billl Bowerman, was looking for ways to springiness his athletes competitory advantages. He tested hydration, clothing, diet, way surfaces and, of course, their footwear.

One of these athletes that Bowerman trained was Phil Knight, who besides wrote stories for the assemblage newspaper, aboriginal graduating successful journalism. He past obtained an MBA astatine Stanford.

Knight, driven by the glory years of Oregon’s storied moving programme and his lifelong passionateness for athletics, began submitting proposals to footwear manufacturers successful Japan.

A fewer months later, his erstwhile coach, Bill Bowerman would go his partner, erstwhile they formed the institution “Blue Ribbon Sports.” It distributed the shoes of the Japanese shaper until the 1970s, erstwhile they decided to instrumentality the leap and spell from distributors to manufacturers themselves.

Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman. Public domain

Everything was primed for Blue Ribbon Sports to instrumentality the adjacent step, but they didn’t person a sanction for their shoes yet.

It was Jeff Johnson, a selling idiosyncratic for the company, who had heard that a bully logo should person 2 syllables and a memorable letter. Five hours earlier sending the papers, Johnson woke up with “Nike,” the sanction of the Greek goddess of triumph successful his head.

Knight didn’t similar it astatine first, but it was conscionable a substance of time.

The “swoosh”: a Nike wing

Nike wing Inspiration for the Nike “swoosh” comes from the goddess’ wings. Public domain illustration.

In 1971, Knight and Bowerman paid $35 to Carolyn Davidson, a graphic plan pupil astatine  Portland University, for designing a logo. Known arsenic “swoosh” it represents a helping of the Greek goddess Niké.

In the twelvemonth 1972, Nike made its authoritative debut connected the diversion tracks successful tests successful Eugene, Oregon. During the test, the footwear with a waffle iron-inspired sole that improved traction with the crushed much than different designs caught everyone’s attention.

Today, Nike has go 1 of the astir fashionable sports brands successful the world, and galore antithetic athletes deterioration Nike.

It has besides released different lines of covering and accessories for athletes from astir the satellite and each cultures.

Nike: the Greek goddess of victory

According to Greek mythology, Nike was the girl of the goddess Styx and the titan Pallas; immoderate stories accidental that she was the girl of Mars, the deity of war.

She is represented arsenic a tiny fig successful the manus of gods similar Zeus and Athena, his ally. She presided implicit diversion competitions and subject disputes, symbolizing her victories.

Since the Olympic Games successful Amsterdam successful 1928, the gold, silver, and bronze medals person had connected the obverse the representation of Nike with a laurel wreath.

tokyo Medals Tokyo medals for 2020/2021

This year, however, the Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medals diagnostic Nike, the Greek goddess of triumph arsenic the main image.

New Nike-inspired Air Force 1 Low

Nike did not instrumentality agelong to wage tribute to the goddess from whom it derives its name. It has been celebrating her for immoderate time, but this time, the institution decided to praise her and motorboat a peculiar variation with its celebrated Air Force 1 Low, though somewhat modified in grant of the Greek goddess of victory.

In the edition, these Air Force 1 Lows person a beauteous plan that combines textures; the mesh lingua enactment reflects the wings of the goddess.

Nike Air Force 1 low Nike Force 1 Low inspired by the Greek goddess of victory, Nike. Credit: Sneaker News
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