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Ep370: The Nike Story · Kidcast Daily

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  Spin the wheel, let's take a ride.
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  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder open
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  wide. Come on kids, let's amplify kid
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  cats. Daily starts your day.
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  Fun and laughter come your way. Sports and trivia games galore.
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  Welcome to Kick Ass Daily where we bring you news, trivia, fun
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  facts and more made just for curious kids like you.
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  Today we are exploring the Nike story, a real life journey from
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  a tiny idea to a brand you can spot on shoes, shirts, and
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  sports fields around the world. We will look at how it started,
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  who helped make it grow, the science inside the shoes, and
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  how the company tries to help communities and the planet.
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  All right, let's dive right in. Imagine someone noticing that
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  runners needed lighter, better gripping shoes for the track and
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  deciding to try something new. That is the spirit behind Nike.
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  The company you know today did not appear overnight.
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  It grew step by step through testing, design and teamwork
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  between coaches, runners, designers and business builders.
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  The story includes clever ideas like special rubber patterns on
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  the bottom of shoes and bold choices like a simple check mark
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  shape you now see everywhere. Here is our first trivia
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  challenge. What was Nike's original company
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  name before it changed to Nike? The answer is Blue Ribbon
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  Sports. It started in 1964 as a small
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  business that sold running shoes at track meets and out of a car
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  trunk. Later, the name changed to Nike
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  and the company began creating its own designs.
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  Next up, a yes or no question that adds in neat detail was the
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  iconic Swoosh logo originally designed by a college student.
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  Yes, a design student named Carolyn Davidson created the
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  Swoosh in 1971. She was paid a small amount at
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  1st and later received more recognition and thanks from the
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  company as the logo became famous.
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  Let's talk about the name Nike. It was chosen in 1971 when the
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  brand was ready to launch its own line of shoes.
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  The name was suggested by an early team member who was
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  helping with product ideas and names.
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  Short, quick to say and easy to print on a shoe, it fit what the
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  team wanted. The first shoes with the Swoosh
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  appeared in the early 1970s and athletes began to test them on
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  tracks and fields. Did you know the Swoosh is meant
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  to suggest motion and speed using just a simple curved line?
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  That is one reason it stands out on a moving athlete.
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  Here is a hands on design moment from the early days.
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  A track coach was looking for better traction for runners on
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  cinder and track surfaces. He wanted a rubber pattern that
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  could grip the ground and still feel light.
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  Trivia time. Which common kitchen tool did a
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  Nike Co founder use to experiment with a new sole
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  pattern? A waffle iron.
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  The grid pattern pressed into rubber created a lightweight
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  sole with small lugs for grip. That idea turned into the famous
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  waffle sole scene on early Nike running shoes.
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  Shoes are not just fabric and rubber.
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  Many Nike designs include cushioning systems that come
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  from real engineering. In the late 1970s, an inventor
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  proposed putting gas filled pockets inside the soles to
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  absorb impact. This became known as air
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  technology. When you stand, walk or jump,
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  the air unit compresses and then returns to shape.
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  Which can feel more comfortable during sports or everyday
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  activities? Here is another question that
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  brings in a new time marker. In what year did the Just Do It
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  slogan first appear in Nike Advertising 1988.
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  The short phrase encouraged people to start moving, try
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  their best and stick with their goals.
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  It became one of the most recognized brand slogans in the
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  world. Did you know?
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  Many Nike shoes are tested on treadmills with sensors that
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  measure pressure under your feet?
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  Engineers look at where your foot strikes, how your ankle
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  moves and how much cushioning helps on different surfaces like
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  indoor floors and outdoor tracks.
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  As the years went on, Nike expanded from running shoes into
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  basketball, soccer, tennis and many other sports.
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  The company also added clothing like shorts, shirts, jackets and
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  socks designed for sweat control and comfort.
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  For example, some fabrics are made to pull sweat away from
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  your skin during exercise, which can help you feel drier on a hot
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  day at practice. Kids can notice this during gym
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  class or a weekend game when a shirt feels light even after
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  running a lot. Here is a yes or no question
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  that brings in a fresh geographic fact.
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  Is Nike's global headquarters located in the US state of
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  Oregon? Yes, the headquarters is in
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  Beaverton, OR, with offices and design studios and other places
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  around the world. Nike's growth also included
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  partnerships with athletes and teams who test products in real
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  games and training. When a sprinter gives feedback
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  about spikes being too stiff or a basketball player asks for a
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  lighter ankle collar, designers adjust materials and shapes over
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  time. This back and forth led to
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  lighter foams, stronger knit uppers that feel like a sock,
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  and soles with flex grooves that bend with your foot.
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  Did you know Nike makes lasts, which are foot shaped forms used
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  to build shoes in many sizes to match different foot shapes.
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  This helps create a fit that feels secure without squeezing.
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  The company has also worked on ways to reduce waste.
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  Programs like Nike Grind collect worn out shoes and leftover
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  materials and turn them into things like playground surfaces,
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  running tracks and gym floors. Reuse a Shoe is a program that
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  takes old athletic shoes, separates the parts and reuses
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  the materials. Move to 0 is an effort aimed at
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  lowering carbon emissions and cutting waste during design and
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  manufacturing. Here is another trivia question
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  with a new detail. What is the name of the program
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  that recycles old athletic shoes into materials for new surfaces
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  like playgrounds? It is called Reuse a Shoe.
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  The materials can be ground up and pressed into tiles or poured
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  into track and court layers. Nike also uses digital tools to
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  help people stay active. Apps can track runs, offer
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  training plans and record progress toward goals.
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  Many kids use basic fitness trackers or smartphone apps to
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  count steps. Seeing numbers go up can be a
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  fun way to stay motivated. Did you know some stores use
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  foot scanning devices that measure arch height and foot
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  width to suggest a better fit? Manufacturing happens in many
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  countries. Designers create a shoe in a
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  studio, test samples with athletes, and then factories
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  produce them at scale. Quality teams check stitching,
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  glue strength and sole bonding so shoes hold together during
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  tough use. Did you know shoes are bent
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  thousands of times by machines to make sure the sole does not
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  crack? Early customization has become
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  more common too. Some websites let you pick
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  colors for the upper, the swoosh, and the laces, and even
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  add your initial. This turns a standard model into
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  something personal that you can recognize quickly in a locker
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  room after class or practice. Now for one last yes or no
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  question that introduces a new support tool.
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  Does Nike publish design patents that protect certain shoe
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  technologies and patterns? Yes, many designs and
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  technologies are listed in public patent records.
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  This helps protect inventions like cushioning systems, knit
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  structures and traction layouts. Nike's story includes community
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  programs that support youth sports, coaching clinics and
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  donations of gear for local clubs.
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  When kids have balls, Nets, and safe fields, it makes it easier
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  to join a team and learn skills like passing, pacing yourself,
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  and teamwork. Did you know some grants help
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  schools build or refresh small sports spaces so more students
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  can play safely after class? Before we wrap up, let's connect
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  the story to everyday life. Think about your own shoes.
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  Are they for running, basketball, skateboarding, or
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  everyday walking? You can check the bottom of the
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  sole for the traction pattern, press the heel to feel the
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  cushioning, and look inside for how the insole supports your
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  arch. If the shoe feels good and works
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  for your activity, that is a sign that designers and testers
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  did their jobs. Well.
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  Time for a quick recap of today's episode.
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  Nike began as Blue Ribbon Sports and later launched the Nike name
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  and the Swoosh logo, which was designed by a college student.
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  A waffle iron experiment helped create a lightweight sole
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  pattern for early running shoes, air cushioning brought
• 10:32
  engineering into footwear, and Just Do It appeared in 1988 as a
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  simple message to get moving. The company is based in
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  Beaverton, OR and works across many sports with athlete
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  feedback. Nike tests shoes in labs and on
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  fields, uses programs like Reuse a Shoe and Nike Grind to reduce
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  waste, and supports youth sports and community spaces.
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  Digital tools, careful manufacturing and customization
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  help people find shoes that fit their feet and their goals.
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  That is the Nike story in clear steps.
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  Start small, learn from real athletes, trust good design,
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  keep improving and help more people stay active and.
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  Beyond breakfast, Feeling fine, adventures waiting.
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  Don't be late. Today's the day we celebrate.