Nike swoosh claims victory over Adidas stripes

Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Cristiano Ronaldo. Four different sports, 10 NBA championships, 79 PGA Tour wins, 33 majors and 4 FIFA Ballon d’Or victories split between the six.

So what do all these champions have in common? They are sponsored by Nike. Whether it’s posting on social media about giveaways or handing out free merchandise in person, these stars elevate the Nike brand to unequaled status.

Besides this, Nike’s top-flight designers also have much to do with the company’s success. The simple clean lines and wearable colors and patterns perfectly balance with stylistic touches.  

In addition, Nike’s affordable prices make the brand much more enticing than Adidas’ ridiculous costs. Adidas’ popular UltraBOOST shoe is priced at $180, while Nike’s popular Free Run Flyknit goes for $120.

Nike’s simplicity but flair combined with its wide range of athletic gear for various sports such as basketball and golf allows people of all ages, genders and interests to sport the swoosh.

I own countless Nike T-shirts, from specific athletes’ gear to simple shirts with just the iconic swoosh on it. From  kindergarten on, I have always had a pair of Nike shoes. Every pair of basketball shorts I have worn are also made from the brand.

All great outfits start from the ground up, and Nike’s signature all-white Air Force 1 Lows, priced at $90, are the perfect beginning to endless possibilities.

The Air Force 1 was an instant hit after its release in 1982. In later years, pop culture king and fashion icon A$AP Ferg elevated the shoes to even higher heights after wearing them to in multiple concerts and red carpet events, cementing their place among some of the most iconic shoes of all time.

The obsession with the Air Force 1 is for good reason. The comfortable fit matched with the timeless look has been the prize of athletes, sneakerheads and fashion moguls alike.

Adidas, Nike’s closest competitor, simply does not live up to the same affordability, hype and quality that Nike boasts.

Upon further examination, Adidas’s overpriced shoes seem even more ridiculous. Pharrell Williams’ “Human Race Family and Friends” sneaker is mostly sought after by lavish spenders, reselling at a whopping $9,000.

The dark purple shoes are widely unknown to the average consumer and look extraordinarily out of place in a standard outfit.

As important as shoes are, a company’s shirts offer consumers an opportunity to speak without saying a single word, unknowingly forming connections with people we see walking down the street.

Nike boasts a large variety of team-inspired products including San Francisco 49ers gear. When I wore my Niners T-shirt at the Westgate Mall, a stranger walked up to me, gave me a high-five and we started talking about the new Niners roster and management team.

Another shirt that I wear on a regular basis is the USA Men’s Basketball Team T-shirt, priced at only $11 during the 2016 Olympics. It combines a black and white eagle seamlessly with the all-black shirt itself, making it clean but not outlandish.

In the 2016-2017, Adidas made all the NBA team uniforms and merchandise.

But starting this season, Nike has taken this role too. The new NBA jerseys and designs have received positive reviews in looks, and although they have ripped a few times, Nike should be cut some slack due to their inexperience in jerseys.

Adidas simply cannot compete with Nike on a marketing basis either. Adidas’s marketing is subpar, with attempts to sell signature products from Damian Lillard and Andrew Wiggins, relatively unknown basketball players who have yet to win a single championship.

Already, Nike trumps Adidas in its affordability, style and quality. Not to mention, even the meanings behind the names of the companies suggest Adidas’ inferiority to Nike.

Nike is named after the Greek goddess Nike, who symbolizes victory.

On the other hand, Adidas’ name is inspired by a man named Adolf Dassler. If you have never heard of Dassler, it’s no  surprise. Dassler is no athlete of any kind — he is simply the founder of Adidas.

In fact, the meaning behind Adidas was so inferior to the meaning of Nike that Adidas fans pretended the company’s name was an acronym for “All Day I Dream About Sports.”

Try as Adidas might, Nike’s fresh look will undoubtedly stand up to the test of time. The Nike swoosh is more than just a logo: It symbolizes hard-earned success, victory and,  most importantly, a brand that inspires young athletes.