Previous
12. 1972
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Shoe Dog, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Entrepreneurship, Experience, and Perseverance
Leadership
Global Economies
Balancing Family and Work
Summary
Analysis
Prefontaine did not perform as well as he had hoped in the Olympics, finishing fourth place overall. Like Bowerman, the terrorist attack deeply affects him, and he is not the same afterward. Nonetheless, when he returns to America, he continues training and strives to be better. While in America, Prefontaine sets a new record for the 5,000-meter distance, all while wearing Nikes. After the race, Knight offers Prefontaine a job working for Nike as a celebrity endorser. Prefontaine accepts the position and then goes on a tour around America to speak about the greatness of Nike to anyone who will listen to him.
Prefontaine is the perfect Nike athlete because he embodies the characteristics Bowerman and Knight most respect. Despite his brush with tragedy, Prefontaine pushes himself to improve, and his hard work eventually pays off. Knight gets the perfect spokesperson for his rapidly growing brand by hiring Prefontaine as a celebrity endorser. Unlike Nastase, Prefontaine does not cost Knight more than he can afford to pay, and he gets more out of him.
Themes
Around the same time, Knight makes a number of other moves, which he thinks are for the betterment of Nike. He sends Woodell to the East Coast to take over for Johnson and asks Johnson to return to West Coast so he can help design new shoes. Neither Woodell nor Johnson is eager to move, but Knight eventually talks them into it. Both men want Nike to succeed, and they realize this is the best way to make that dream come true.
Knight continues to move Johnson around wherever he needs him without thinking much about how Johnson feels. Indeed, Knight might be making smart business moves, but he has already lost one key member of his team, and it is important that he does not lose another. Luckily, Johnson and Woodell are Knight's most dedicated employees.
Themes
Then, the lawsuits begin. Onitsuka files against Blue Ribbon in Japan, so, in response, Blue Ribbon files a suit against Onitsuka for breach of contract. These developments stress Knight out because he knows Onitsuka could cripple Blue Ribbon if he does not play his cards right. Knight hires a lawyer named Rob Strasser at the recommendation of his cousin, Houser. Knight immediately likes Strasser, a fellow Oregon man who shares many interests and sensibilities with Knight.
Finally, the mounting legal battle between Blue Ribbon and Onitsuka begins. Both companies have compelling claims against each other, and Knight knows the court case will not be straightforward. Of course, legal battles also cost money, especially between major entities like Blue Ribbon and Onitsuka, which spells even more problems for Knight.
Themes
In addition to the mounting legal battle, Knight knows he needs to get his finances in order. As such, he implements a “Futures program,” which asks retailers to place large orders for Nikes that will not come for another six months in return for a large refund. The orders quickly come in, which fixes Knight’s cash problem and gives him more leeway with his Nissho Iwai and his bank. On top of everything else, Knight also ends 1973 with a considerable development in his personal life, as Penny gives birth to the couple’s second son, Travis.
Knight's "Futures program" is a brilliant move to fix his short-term cash problem, but, like most of his financial decisions, it makes him open to future problems. Essentially, Knight continues to kick the can down the road regarding his finances without ever solving the root of the issue. On top of everything else, Knight's family—which he barely has time for as is—grows even larger.
Themes
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