Shoe Dog

Phil “Buck” Knight is the founder of Nike and author of Shoe Dog. A native Oregonian, Knight was educated at the University of Oregon, where he ran track under Bill Bowerman, and at Stanford University, where he received a master’s degree in business. While at Stanford, Knight came up with the idea of introducing Japanese running shoes to the American market. Shoe Dog describes the evolution of that idea into the company now known as Nike. Knight would go on to serve as the company’s first CEO; he stepped down from this position in 2004 but has remained involved in the company’s operations.

In recounting the company’s rocky early years, Knight characterizes himself as a driven businessman—someone unafraid of taking risks but equally committed to Telling the Truth as a Successful Business Strategy. Knight’s framing of Nike’s story is key to this depiction; by ending the main narrative with the decision to go public, Knight largely avoids discussing the 1990s scandal that surfaced involving Nike’s reliance on sweatshops and child labor. Although Knight would announce changes to company policy in response, the practice contributed to Nike’s considerable growth throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, suggesting a darker side to Knight’s emphasis on