Nike's Short Game: The swoosh is everywhere. So how does the sports giant market itself as an upstart? Think small.

Publication: Newsweek

Publication Date: 26-JAN-04

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Byline: Brad Stone

Few sports are as insular as skateboarding, a world of homegrown brands with insouciant names (Grind King, Shorty's) and graffiti-style logos. So it seems a safe bet that the last thing any self-respecting hipster would want is anything with a familiar emblem that's on the sweats, socks and shoes that Grandma dons for her morning power walk in the mall. It's an ethos captured by the anti-Nike poster hanging in the Skateworks store in Redwood City, Calif: DON'T DO IT! But look what's on the shelf, not far from that rallying cry: the Dunk SB and Air Angus, both Nike sneakers. Owner Jason Strubing says the recent retro craze among skaters over the '80s-era Dunks persuaded him to overcome his distaste for the mainstream megacorporation. "There are kids who come in here and say, 'I can't believe you guys are carrying Nike'," he says. "But other kids totally accept it now."...

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