Nike Tracksuit - The Perfect Companion

A Little Nike History

If Nike didn't start the fitness revolution, it is said that they were “at least right there. And we sure rode it for one hell of a ride” (Katz, 66). The 80s and 90s would yield greater and greater profits as Nike began to assume the appearance of an athletic juggernaut, rather than the underdog of old.
The company was founded on January 25, 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight, and officially became Nike, Inc. in 1978. The company takes its name from Nike (Greek Νίκη pronounced [ níːkɛː]), the Greek goddess of victory; it is also based on Egyptian usage of "strength", "victory", nakht.
In Greek mythology, Nike, was a goddess who personified triumph throughout the ages of the ancient Greek culture. She is known as the Winged Goddess of Victory.
Nike is the Goddess of strength, speed, and victory.
"Advertising Age" named Nike the 1996 Marketer of the Year, citing the "ubiquitous swoosh...was more recognized and coveted by consumers than any other sports brand--arguably any brand" (Jensen, 12/96). That same year Nike's revenues were a staggering $6.74 billion. Expecting $8 billion sales in fiscal 1997, Nike has targeted $12 billion in sales by the year 2000.
Nike sponsors many high profile athletes and sports teams around the world, with the highly recognized trademarks of "Just do it" and the Swoosh logo.

Nike is a company that chooses to use big time athletes in order to promote their products. Promoting the athletes they sponsor is normally evident in advertisements and by the athlete wearing Nike gear ie. Nike Tracksuit, Nike Trainers etc. Nike sponsor a specific type of athlete that is at the top of their sport. With this in mind when the Nike sponsored athlete wins a major championship, Nike use this exposure to promote their products. However, sometimes an incident occurs that gives Nike the promotion and status that confirms they are on top of the sporting world. Tiger Woods won the 2005 masters with a chip shot;15 million viewers watched the Nike ball take 17 seconds to roll into the hole. This is the ideal product placement that Nike could never have staged without its ability to constantly sponsor the top athletes in the business. The large sums of money Nike pay out to their athletes seems mind blowing to the everyday person. But it is moments like that of the 2005 Masters that give Nike the edge over other rivals. The $4-billion-a-year golf market is constantly increasing and it seems almost minimal to pay Tiger $25million dollars a year considering the impact he has on the sport. I think Nike athletes deserve they amount of money they are offered in their contracts because the small sporting miracles they create will exist for a life time of promotion.
The Evoloution of the Nike Tracksuit
Once upon a time the nike tracksuit was just an article of clothing consisting of two parts: trousers and a jacket. It was originally intended for use in sports, mainly as what athletes wore over competition clothing (such as running shirt and shorts or a swimsuit) and would take off before competition. In modern times, the nike tracksuit has become commonly worn in other contexts.
The emergence of the nike tracksuit as a fashion item began in the 1970s. Suits from firm gloss nylon jersey were produced, jackets and trousers being narrowly cut.
In the 1980s, the nike tracksuit became popular with the hip hop and break dancing scene and more widely accepted as leisure clothing. With this a completely new kind of nike tracksuit appeared, intended for jogging rather than warming up. This consisted of two weights of fabric: a light, silky exterior resembling parachute material consisting of nylon or polyester, and lining made from a lighter, often net-like, textile. These were often available bearing panels and flashes of many different colours, and were commonly known as shell suits.
Although the nike tracksuit was at first mostly worn by athletes, in the 1980s the nike tracksuit became increasingly fashionable as leisurewear, though jackets and trousers tended to be worn separately rather than as a suit. The nike tracksuit refered to as Shell suits became particularly popular in the United Kingdom.
In the 1990s nike tracksuit trousers were worn in new variations of the '70s versions, namely parachute pants and jogging bottoms. In bodybuilding subculture, new styles of bottoms emerged, which were carrot-shaped with broad elasticated waists. The style of tracksuits seen in 1970s and 1980s styles made a comeback in techno and hip-hop subculture and as clubwear.
Nike Tracksuit tops have now disappeared nearly completely as sportswear. Nike Tracksuit trousers remain popular, although in contrast to the bright colours characteristic of the shell suits in the 1980s (which are often cited as a faux pas of 1980s fashion), they are commonly worn in muted colours such as grey, black or navy blue.
The Nike Tracksuit is also often associated with Hip hop fashion especially with Old skool hip-hop. This is because, as stated earlier, the nike tracksuit provided easy mobility for breakdancing due to the fact that they were loose-fitting as well as its ability to slide on smooth surfaces by providing minimal friction.