Rubber-soled athletic shoes gained popularity at the day one of the 1900s.
The athletic shoe was born in dated Greece when athletes strapped skin onto their feet to protect them during foot races. On the contrary, athletic shoes as we envision of them nowadays, with the especial rubber Individual, were inceptive produced with the infancy of rubber Industry behind of the 1800s.
Sneakers
The locution "sneaker" is believed To possess been coined encircling the neb of the 1800s by kids when describing their tennis shoes. In 1916, Keds became the anterior to popularize sneakers with their Trade-mark in 1916. The succeeding year Converse came away with its chronicle of the athletic shoe, nevertheless the antecedent association to assemble rubber-soled athletic shoes was J.W. Foster and Sons.
Reebok
According to Margo DeMello, in her album "Feet and Footwear: A Cultural Encyclopaedia," Reebok was the anterior society to build athletic shoes, genesis in Great Britain in 1895. Originally named J.W. Foster and Sons, the corporation sold spiked running shoes and closest outfitted runners in the 1924 Olympics. The Reebok path did not hit the U.S. until 1979 and, by then, had to capture up with competitors approximative Nike and Adidas. Reebok focused on the women's and tennis markets, and by the mid-1980s had a denoting artisan of the athletic shoe mart.
Converse
The cardinal basketball shoe was unreal by A.G. Spalding and Brothers encircling 1900, according to Professional Robert W. Peterson. Succeeding called the Converse Rubber Shoe Firm, they rolled gone an all-purpose gym shoe in 1917, calling it the All-Star. Famed basketball representation Chuck Taylor specious All-Stars wildly habitual, as he sold the high-tops to basketball teams sorrounding the community, after retiring from his basketball career. In 1931, Converse began including Chuck Taylor's signature on the All-Star, one of the most popular athletic shoes of all time.
Nike
The other contender for most popular athletic shoe is the Air Jordan, named for basketball great Michael Jordan. When Air Jordans rolled out in 1985, Nike receive a much-needed boost. Started in 1972 by Oregon running coach Bill Bowerman and runner Phil Knight, Nike running shoes quickly became the standard and led the industry. In 2006, Adidas bought Reebok. Puma has since been sold to the company that owns Gucci.
Adidas and Puma
Adidas was one of Nike's toughest competitors in the 1980s. Well before Adolf Dassler founded Adidas in 1949, he and his brother Rudolf were innovators of athletic shoes. The Dassler brothers even provided Jesse Owens' shoes when he won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics. By 1938, however, the two bothers had become bitter enemies. Adolf went on to found Adidas, while Rudolph started Puma. Adidas specialized in soccer and track shoes and outsold Puma. In 1996, 6000 athletes from 33 countries wore the Adidas brand during the 1996 Olympics. However, by the mid-1980s, Nike faced tough competition from other shoe makers. Air Jordans helped reclaim the lead for Nike, along with the Air Max and "Just Do It" marketing campaigns. Nike has since expanded its athletic shoe line to include other sports like soccer and golf and continues its marquee marketing with star athletes like Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
