So in 1972 Nike was born, as I understand it, out of Phil Knight and Coach Bill Bowerman’s desire to make good athletic shoes. Nike Air Max 97 Bowerman was a bit of a nut about running and running shoes, according to runners’ mythology, and his principle innovation was the lightweight running shoe with the now-famous waffle outsole. Yadda yadda yadda, they become the biggest sport brand in the world, thanks in no small part to Mr. Michael Jordan, his Airness and their ability to consistently market their innovations.

Oddly enough, their growth hasn’t ever really been about the technical superiority of their product, besides perhaps in the basketball category. In almost every sport, Nike Air Max isn’t the choice of the “serious” athletes. If you’re a serious basketballer or American footballer, it’s likely that you wear Swooshes. But serious runners typically choose something that is appropriate for their stride (New Balance, Saucony, Mizuno and Asics lead here, perhaps not in sales…). And most serious cyclists ride with Shimano, Sidi or Carnac. Serious backpackers and hikers stick with Asolo or some other specialty brand. Until recently (with the Joga effort and its ancestors)

Nike Air Max classic Nike played second fiddle for adidas in soccer. I’m not that familiar with baseball but I’ve seen a lot of logo diversity on the mound, suggesting that Nike’s hold here isn’t that strong. Nike rose to great heights with Agassi and stole Sampras away from Sergio Tacchini, but other specialty brands were still considered superior by many serious Tennis players. And in Golf, Footjoy and others lead (at least in perception of quality and appropriateness) Nike despite their ownership of the Greatest Of All Time, Tiger.

So Nike’s success, as far as I can tell, been founded on their ability to win over weekend warriors and to provide fashionable designs that can be worn outside of sporting activities. As I recollect from my middle-school and early high-school days, most every kid wore some sort of Nike Air Max classic bw (or Nike-inspired Payless knockoff) athletic shoe, typically of either basketball or running varietal.

I remember in about 2002/3, my cousin Adam called from Italy and told me that everyone was wearing tight jeans tucked into wrestling boots. If you’re not familiar with wrestling boots, they are tall boots with a very spare midsole (the foam part) and a thin outsole. This helps wrestlers grip the mat; in this case, supportive foam is a detriment…you want as much “mat feel” as possible. About this time, Nike’s design really started to suffer. Their shoes became too technically garish, too over-the-top, too self-celebratory, Nike Air Max 2012.