Nike News

Beaverton OR (23 March 2007) – Nike and the Oregon Historical Society announced today that they have joined to bring one of the most popular Smithsonian traveling exhibits ever to the Society’s downtown museum. The exhibition, “Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers,” focuses on 35 athletes and their performances in 17 different sports. Artifacts selected emphasize such issues as women's changing roles, racial and ethnic integration, the emergence of sports celebrities and superstars, perceptions about human physical limitations and technological breakthroughs that enhanced performance and participation. Waffle Trainer Barbara Bowerman's waffle iron inspired husband Bill to create a new running sole using it as his mold. He created an inverse waffle outsole pattern of nubby spikes and glued them onto shoes. A dozen upper were hand-sewn to the new Waffle soles and given to several athletes at the 1972 Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene. The exhibit opens Saturday, June 9 and runs through August 25, 2007 at the Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Ave. Portland. As part of its sponsorship, Nike is creating a special and unique 3,000 square foot exhibition of items from its archives that will complement the Smithsonian display.

“Our ability to showcase these athletes and tell their amazing stories is something we take great pride in at Oregon Historical Society,” said George L. Vogt, the Society’s executive director.   “We are excited that Nike is joining us in presenting the exhibit as well as sharing very special items from their sports collection.  The exhibit will be the ‘must see’ event of the summer.”

Nike’s portion of the exhibit will include the story of its founding in Oregon by former University of Oregon distance runner Phil Knight and his coach, Bill Bowerman as well as Nike’s history of helping athletes such as Oregon distance runner Steve Prefontaine break both physical and social barriers. It will also focus on running, the sport that first inspired Nike, and on the company’s evolution in both performance and social innovation.

“Nike is inspired by athletes, and has always pushed to help them break barriers – whether they are physical or social barriers,” said Nike’s CEO Mark Parker.  “Whether it’s supporting Title IX or advocating for the first women’s Olympic Marathon in 1984, Nike is proud of its tradition of helping sports affect social change. This exhibit wonderfully captures that spirit.”

“Sports” was developed by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES).  Audi is the exclusive national sponsor of the exhibition. “The exhibition vividly portrays the men and women who pioneered, performed better, influenced their sport, championed their country, race or sex, and helped others to achieve,” stated Ellen Roney Hughes, the exhibition’s curator and a cultural historian at the Museum of American History. “These individuals broke records for themselves and broke barriers for all.” ? Marilyn Hamilton Using her own design, Hamilton, a paraplegic, twice won the U.S. Women’s Open Wheelchair Tennis Tournament. National Museum of American History, Courtesy of Sports ‘N Spokes Magazine Spotlighting the Smithsonian's sports collection, the exhibition opens with Abraham Lincoln’s handball and closes with Michael Jordan’s basketball jersey. Gertrude Ederle’s English Channel swim goggles, Roberto Clemente’s batting helmet, Lance Armstrong’s yellow jersey and a “Miracle on Ice” hockey shirt are among the dozens of artifacts. 

The exhibition also features a short video that further explores the athletes featured in the section “More than Sports Champions.”  Produced and donated by The History Channel, the video is narrated by basketball legend Bill Russell.  It looks at the athletes, such as Billie Jean King, Roberto Clemente and Muhammad Ali, who take their roles as public figures seriously and move beyond being sports champions to become champions for a cause.

For access to two images related to the exhibits, see this release on Nikebiz.com. Additional images of the Smithsonian exhibit can be obtained by contacting Rachel Schoening, Oregon Historical Society marketing and events manager. Contact information is listed below.

Audi of America is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and markets a line of premium vehicles. For more information about Audi, visit www.audiusa.com.

SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 50 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play, including museums, libraries, science centers, historical societies, community centers, botanical gardens, schools and shopping malls. Exhibition descriptions and tour schedules are available at www.sites.si.edu.

About Nike, Inc. Based near Beaverton, Oregon, Nike is the world’s leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly-owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; NIKE Bauer Hockey Inc., a leading designer and distributor of hockey equipment; Cole Haan, which designs, markets, and distributes fine dress and casual shoes and accessories; Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories and Exeter Brands Group LLC, which designs and markets athletic footwear and apparel for the value retail channel.

The Oregon Historical Society is located in Portland, Oregon. The Oregon Historical Society is a non profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the history & the history makers of our great state.  We work with the goal of making that history available to people of all ages, ethnicities, and economic backgrounds.