In the world of sports, the most popular company in apparel is Nike. Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, the Fortune 500 company has an extensive supply of athletic shoes and equipment. Nike is one of the most profitable companies in the world, reporting revenue of more than $24 billion for the 2012 fiscal year. The company was originally founded in 1964 under the name Blue Ribbon Sports. It wasn't until 1978 that the company became known as Nike. Under the Nike name, their brand also spreads out to include the lines of Air Jordan, Nike Pro, Nike Golf and Nike Skateboarding, as well as other companies like Hurley International and Converse.
The company has one of the most recognized brand logos in the world with the swoosh and used the famous "Just Do It" slogan to change the way sports apparel was seen in advertising. Another method of advertising the company has used during its existence is sponsoring the most popular athletes in the world. The first athlete Nike sponsored was a Romanian tennis player, Ilie Năstase. Ever since, the company has sponsored several track and field stars like Carl Lewis and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, but it was until Pro Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Michael Jordan signed the company and a relationship with Spike Lee helped them grow.
Since the 1980s when Jordan was brought in, Nike has continued to invade the sport community, sponsoring the biggest stars of each sport. From Manny Pacquiao to Rory Mcllroy, Serena Williams to Rafael Nadal, Anderson Silva to Jon Jones with dozens of colleges and football clubs, Nike has worked to make sure their swoosh logo is seen on fields and playing courts around the world.
Nike isn't a company that only specializes in shoes, as they also have a large collection of shirts, headwear and other accessories, including sports watches. They continue to improve their quality of products with each new release and advance their lead in the sports apparel community.
