Representative appearances

• People Still Don't Understand Nike

  Phil had just the guy in mind his name was Steve pre Fontaine but everyone called him pre and an era before Sports were intertwined with pop culture PRI was a superstar Americans loved him because he was like James Dean if James Dean ran track oregonians loved him because he was one of their own in 1972 for the first time ever the trials that determined who qualified for the US Olympics track and field team were held in Oregon PRI was front and center he won the trials in an American record in a stadium packed with people cheering for him Phil knew PR was the ideal Nike athlete there was just one small wrinkle he wasn't actually a Nike athlete he ran in Adidas and Phil didn't dare ask him to switch during a meet but he made himself a promise that before long one of Oregon's favorite Sons would race in shoes made by an Oregon company before PRI and Bill Bowerman left for Munich Phil filed a patent for bowerman's waffleo invention everything was finally coming together but what should have been a golden games turned into a tragedy the 1972 Munich games became one of the darkest moments in Olympic history armed Palestinian gorillas raided the sleeping quarters of the Israeli team millions of viewers watched it unfold on live TV and the world Mourns the innocent victims of the Munich Massacre by the time the attack was brought to an end 17 people including five perpetrators were dead Bowman and pre narrowly avoided the attack but they were deeply traumatized by what they had seen pre could only finish fourth in the 5,000 meter final just 2 seconds behind the winner and soon after Bowerman announced his retirement from coaching after the Munich Massacre morale at Nike plummeted how could it not Phil was worried for his friend and worried that without his unique genius his company might soon lose its Edge

• Phil Knight: Founder of Nike