Swoosh: Unauthorized Story of Nike and the Men Who Played There, The

Enjoyed reading this as it takes you from the inception of the company through early 1991. The chaos within the company very possibly lead to some unnecessary problems but that might also have just been the magic that allowed this enterprise to survive what anyone would consider formidable odds. As an entrepreneur myself I enjoy these types of books primarily to see how these companies manage to get through the initial phases. So many people jump off because they are going to get into "something better" and it should serve as a lesson that a little hard work and sacrifice for the right project leads to much better results than job hopping. Without the loyalty of key people in these endeavors they would never make it. Knight himself is the key in the initial phases of the book but you also get the impression that as the company developed he laid a lot of responsibility on these key people and might be rightly accused of lacking in the same sort of loyalty in return. Worth the read anyway.

I graduated from Oregon in 1966 and spent my time in the Knight Library and quite unaware of the magic that was being created in Hayward Field. Then the Pre story,his death in 1975, and reading about the track program at Oregon from San Francisco, made me realize what I had missed at Oregon. Ron Bellamy, Eugene Register Guard, told me to read SWOOSH and I am reliving my Oregon years through his brilliant recommendation.SWOOSH is a great primer for students who want to be in sports management, marketing and sales and who can take their energy and youth to create a company like NIKE.What a great read! The history of Phil Knight and the incredible men and women he brought into his company to make NIKE the firm which it is today."Deja Oregon" is what I feel through SWOOSH,and I look at the tremendous Oregon Track and Field Program of today at The University of Oregon, and I can hear the voice of Bill Bowerman as track men and women SWOOSH through Hayward Field. Go Ducks!

This a must read book to understand what Philip Knight, Bill Bowerman and others started as BRS that morphed and grew to become Nike.One consistent theme, is Phil Knight's lack of communication, which served as a "set-up" for many around him and served his ego by playing the Lone Ranger riding back into town and "saving" the day.The founding member were able to laugh at themselves, and plot their growth for the future.Many of the principles that BRS started are still being applied today, and Nike has figured out how to sell "cool" and they aren't afraid to push the envelope and strut all the way to the bank.

A good book that holds up well across the years. I picked up "Swoosh" on a friend's recommendation. I used to work in sports footwear retail and publishing, so was able to meet several of the key early influencers of the business and had a good idea on what was selling. Nike shoes were already popular and just about to explode. The quality wasn't too good but most customers were buying for comfort and style and not necessarily for performance. Reading "Swoosh" convinced me to never purchase any Nike product again and I've not missed them.

Book delivered in great condition.

This is a well written engrossing book. The storyline is fascinating and their are tons of good business idea's. The only flaw is that the author credits her husband (Strasser) with too much credit for forming the company and even credits him with "inventing" the phrase - just do it- riiiight, sure he did. NOT.

alot thicker then what i was expecting but a good read. would of loved some pictures for some visual effect but good story overall

This is the book that made me want to be an entrepreneur. Most people think that you can scientifically start any business. This book let's you know that ingenuity to solve problems and luck matter as well.

Great book, written in a very informal/easy to read style detailing the stories of the beginning and history of Nike, starting with who Phil Knight is and his connection to Bill Bowerman (the coach with the waffle iron) and the people who became magnetised to the steam train.Even if you're a Nike fan then this is a great read, although it's difficult to take this as full facts - it's almost comedic the manner (not a bad thing) in which the stories are told of how Nike danced with all their problems and still managed to arrive where they are now.

I enjoyed reading this more than Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight. A good read of How Knight got BRS of the ground and built the nike empire with the people he employeed. Loads of stories of things going right and wrong up until 1990 when this book finishes. Power struggles, in-fighting and a game of snakes and ladders to the top.

Read the Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, very similar but good to get a different perspective. Knight did not speak much about the problems that Nike faced with staff product development and the threat of Reebok, which is very well highlighted in this book.

Brilliant - a great read and insight into another world - corporate life on the edge.

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