Nike and Adidas have been ensnared in a relentless rivalry that has commanded the athletic wear industry for nearly 60 years, attempting to out design, out recruit and out cool one another in order to dominate the now $310 billion global sporting goods market.
The running boom of the late 1960s and ’70s kickstarted the original sneaker battle, but fierce competition fueled Nike and Adidas through the millennium as they cozied up to athletes and celebrities and expanded their product lineups, succeeding in embedding themselves into consumer culture along the way.
