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Popular Athletic Shoe Brand Fun Facts! Featured

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There are many athletic shoe brands that have stepped onto the scene, but we can't deny the popularity of the oldies and goodies that seem to stick around. These brands have withstood the test of time, both physically and metaphorically, but have you ever wondered what brought them here today? Well, we're bringing you some fun facts about a few of the world's most famous athletic shoe brands!

1. Nike
Nike is an American company founded in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports. It changed its name in 1978 to Nike after the Greek goddess of victory. Its “Just Do It” slogan and swoosh logo are some of the most recognizable marketing items in the world today. It is considered to be the leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel.

2. Adidas
Adolf Dassler established Adidas in 1948 in Germany. Its roots, however, may also be traced back to 1924 when the Gebruder Dassler Schuhfabrik was founded by Adolf and his brother, Rudolf. The two split up in 1949 with Rudolf establishing Puma. The basic design of Adidas is the three parallel bars which is also incorporated in the company’s logo.

3. Reebok
The company was founded in 1895 as J.W. Foster and Sons in England. It came from a desire to create a spiked running shoe for his sons. In 1958, his grandsons, Joe and Jeff, renamed the company Reebok, which is the Afrikaan spelling of rhebok, a type of antelope or gazelle native to the continent. Paul Fireman brought it to the United States in 1979 after seeing a pair in an international trade show. Reebok has been a subsidiary of Adidas since 2005.

4. Converse
Marquis Mills Converse established the company in 1908 as the Converse Rubber Shoe Company. In 1915, it began making tennis shoes. A company milestone occurred in 1917 when a basketball player named Charles H. Taylor walked into its office because of sore feet. He designed a high-top sneaker that became the classic we know today as “Chuck Taylor.”

5. New Balance
New Balance was established in 1906 as the New Balance Arch Support Company. Its shoes are typically more expensive than its rivals because it maintains manufacturing plants in the U.S. and the U.K. Its shoes are known by its model numbers as the company prefer not to give it names that would distract from the emphasis on the New Balance name.

6. Fila
Fila Ltd. was established in 1911 in Italy. It is known for its logo that features its name in snakelike letters. It used to be endorsed by Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg. It collapsed in 2003 forcing it to sell to a hedge fund company. Fila Korea, however, was a distinct company and bought all the rights to the company in 2007.

Read 217237 times Last modified on Wednesday, 12 November 2014 22:29
Wednesday, 12 November 2014 22:00

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