As 26-year veterans with the company, Nike Brand Co-Presidents Mark Parker and Charlie Denson know how to run a successful business, overseeing nearly 90% of Nike, Inc.’s total revenue. In nearly three decades, they’ve not only seen Nike, Inc.’s annual revenues grow from $149 million to nearly $14 billion, they’ve witnessed many pivotal events in sports history. So we asked them to describe one moment that embodies everything we do in business. One moment that represents our inspiration, our obsession with sport, and why we continue to evolve as a company.
I was an American, at a foreign sporting event, in a foreign country. It was the semifinal match of the 1998 World
Cup and I sat with the Dutch National Federation as they played Argentina. The match was tied, and there were about two minutes left in the game.
Frank De Boer made a brilliant steal and fired the ball for what seemed like the entire length of the field. Dennis Bergkamp brought it down from mid-air. It bounced once, he shot and scored the winning goal that launched Holland into the semifinals against Brasil. It was considered one of the top goals ever scored in a World Cup game. Everyone went crazy. It was incredible.
At that moment, I was able to see what sport does to bring the world together, not only to transcend social, political and economic barriers, but to transcend all natural barriers. Sport is a global language. And as a company, we embody sport—intense, focused, competitive, always striving to be the best, breaking through old barriers, and setting new records. It doesn’t get any richer than that.
It was the 15th stage of the 2003 Tour de France. I was in
the US Postal car, following the riders, with the team coach, Johan Bruyneel. It was hot. Lance was fighting a virus and he had already avoided a fatal crash that knocked out one
of the pre-race favorites. And,
suddenly, at one of the steepest climbs of the Alps, Lance went down. But he got up, proceeded to dig in and managed to gain strength to not only win the stage, but the Tour. To be able to see him pull away—with tenacity, focus, and the drive to do everything he could to win—was amazing.
Like Lance, Nike is able to turn adversity, pressure and competition into energy and opportunity. It is a strength for any athlete, team or business. We are in a competitive market. There are always people trying to get pieces of what we do and do it better. And the ability to turn that pressure and competition into the impetus to do our best, as individuals and as a team, is a huge part of Nike. We dig in, we come together, adapt and change to be more competitive . . . always focused on serving the athlete. It’s when we are at our best.