Shoe Dog Book Review

Shoe Dog traces the journey of Phil Knight from a distance runner to becoming the founder of Nike (previously known as Blue Ribbon). It traces the relationships Knight had with his coach Bill Bowerman, Hayes, Johnson and Woodell. It talks about the initial struggles he had with importing low cost quality shoes from the company Onitsuka in Japan. He started Nike with a small loan of 50 dollars from his father who initially was skeptical about what Knight was doing. Knight talks about difficulties, crushing setbacks, ruthless competitors he had to face to grow Nike. It also talks about his love for sports in general. Nike’s rise as a sporting goods company is evident from the successful partnerships Knight had with various sports stars from Tiger Woods to Serena Williams. Nike’s annual sales today are worth 30 billion dollars. It also talks about the sacrifices he made for his family. This book is a must read for everyone who loves sports.