Scott R.’s Post

There have been a few stories posted recently about the cutbacks in the Nike archives department staff, and I am, as are many current and former employees, worried about this. To dispel a recurring rumor, no, the entire Nike archive staff has not been let go, but it has been significantly downsized. No one has shared with me the "logic" behind these cuts, and I'm struggling to understand how the loss of this Nike history knowledge could possibly be beneficial to the company. What I do know is those lovely people who remain in DNA are doing everything they can to keep Nike's history/heritage alive and vibrant, and I encourage my brothers and sisters in 6453 ALUMNI to help the DNA team. Current and future generations of Nike employees can only benefit from what we share with them. Nike is at a crossroads, and I am fully committed to helping keep the magic we all created alive. Please join me.

This article is so full of truly egregious mistakes it makes my head spin. I’m curious to see in the comments what you all can identify as the crimes against history.

Today’s sad news of the passing of UCLA and NBA legend Bill Walton has really been a gut punch. Sure, when the games he was covering with the ever-patient Dave Pasch were blowouts he would go off into sublime/ridiculous rabbit holes, but there was always something endearing about his earnestness. Back in January of 2018, I was fortunate to have the use of Phil Knight’s courtside tickets at Matthew Knight Arena when my longtime buddy Marc B. Spiegel was visiting my wife and me. The three of us, and my son Mitch Reames, drove to Eugene and we saw a great Duck victory. We also enjoyed up close the great chemistry Walton had with the UO “Pit Crew” section right behind him and Pasch. Walton exuded passion and energy and we kept alternating watching the game and checking out Walton’s antics. After the game, we decided to approach him to say hello and he could not have been more gracious. When he learned I was Nike’s historian his face lit up and he talked about how much he loved “Shoe Dog,” Phil Knight, Nike, Eugene, Oregon and on and on. I offered to give him a tour of Nike and the archives building and he said he would take me up on that and gave me his contact information. Then he said he really needed to pee, but before he bolted off he posed for a picture. Over the next couple of seasons we could never come up with a date/time for him to get to Portland for the tour, and then Covid shut things down, I retired, and now he’s gone. Rest in peace, Bill. Thank you for leading Portland to its only NBA title and for all the hilarious comments over the years as you covered “The Conference of Champions.”

Tracey Panek is of the very best in our business, answering the questions that are often asked of corporate historians. Enjoy!

I have to say that I have been truly moved by the many, many posts recently by people who were either affected by the Nike layoffs or are offering their support to those who have suddenly had their worlds turned upside down. [Plug: If you are now a Nike "alum," please join us at 6453 ALUMNI.] What hit me the hardest has been how gracious the folks have been who have posted that they have been let go. If they feel any internal bitterness they are not expressing it in their posts. To the contrary, they are celebrating what they accomplished during their Nike careers and thanking their colleagues. It's been extraordinary, and inspiring. During my 17 years as Nike's historian, I was at first surprised that every former employee I reached out to was willing to tell me his/her story. I never had a single person decline an opportunity to be interviewed. I think a big part of that was because when I first started the job, I met with Phil Knight and told him I could not in good faith capture Nike's full and true history without including people like Peter Moore and Rob Strasser. Both were integral to Nike's success but left and ultimately became part of adidas America. Phil unequivocally told me that it was impossible to tell Nike's story without them, which gave me an important mandate. Sure, those who went to a competitor asked if we could talk in the evening or on the weekend, rather than at their desk, but they wanted to talk to me. They were clearly proud of what the contributed to the Nike story, regardless of how/why they left the company. One of the other telling things I noticed was how consistently the former Nike employees referred to Nike as "we" ... as in "we were looking to design this/that" and when they referred to the company with whom they were currently employed they used "they." I don't know what to infer about this, but this is what happened every single time. So to all the talented men and women who have recently been let go, please accept my heartfelt condolences. I left on my own terms in October of 2021, but it was most definitely catalyzed by the layoffs in March of that year. In the aftermath I was ready to separate and go, and I did. Nike was, is and could continue to be a truly amazing company. But it will be up to the "survivors" to forge new paths and to find new ways to connect with the core consumer. Based on our...I mean their...past I would NOT bet against them. Despite all the chaos and the negative press recently, I know Nike too well to count them out.

It's been extremely gratifying to receive + feedback to my occasional ramblings about Nike, and I've been overwhelmed by the number of link requests received. Thank you for your interest in Nike's fascinating history. Toward that end, I can't jump into lengthy conversations with everyone who asks to talk about Nike, the industry and so on. But I will commit to answering a question (or two) and encourage you to send them to me via DM. If I get enough questions about a specific topic, I'll post my thoughts in longer form. Case in point: one of the questions I get most often is some variation of 'How the hell did you become Nike's historian?' The follow-up is usually 'Do other companies have historians?' Answering the second question first: yes, I'm happy to report dozens of Fortune 500 companies have historians and archives, and I'm fortunate to be friends with many of them. Because there is no competition between us, I would often confer with my counterparts at Levi Strauss, Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola and others to share best practices. In fact, when I became Nike's first historian in 2005, one of the first things I did was to meet with the historians at Coke, Harley-Davidson, Boeing and others to learn what they were doing and then determine how best to implement their best practices at Nike. What they shared was invaluable to me as I helped shape what would become DNA (Department of Nike Archives). In 2017, the Society of American Archivists had its annual conference in Portland. I begged/cajoled our director to host a party at the Nike archives. More than 75 historians/archivists from the most iconic companies in the US came to our event. The stories we shared illustrated no matter what our respective companies made/sold, we had the same challenges. It was revelatory. As for how I lucked into this job...well, I created it. Nike has always been a storytelling brand, and internally there have been dozens of colorful characters who regale new generations of employees with their stories. The trouble was, I noticed, those stories varied each time they were told. A little drift here, a little drift there, and soon the story was barely quasi-accurate. At the time I was Nike's senior spokesperson, handling media inquiries for Phil Knight, Mark Parker and other senior executives. As I sat in on interviews, I noticed the answers Phil and others gave about our history varied from one telling to the next. Nothing egregious, but it impressed upon me that there wasn't any authoritative body that could confirm the actual dates/facts. Michael Shea and I created a proposal for DNA, with the role of Historian as the critical component toward not only capturing Nike's history, but verifying it by cross-referencing with multiple interviewees. We presented it to Nelson Farris, who loved the proposal, and he arranged for us to present it to Phil Knight. Phil liked the concept. A few months later I was offered the job. And the rest, as they say....

To all my former colleagues, please join this amazing group. Together we created something truly remarkable, not the least of which were the friendships.

About two percent of Nike employees are, or will soon be, losing their jobs through no fault of their own. Historically, layoffs occur at Nike roughly every six or seven years. In December 1986, Nike laid off approx. 10 percent of its workforce. And yet just months later the company introduced “visible Air” in a landmark ad campaign featuring The Beatles. That was followed by “Just Do It” in 1988 and the explosion of cross-training led by the “Bo Knows” campaign in 1989. The early 1990s brought the advent of ACG, Dri-FIT, Niketowns and Nike’s return to leadership in the industry. And then another round of layoffs in 1993...I don't recall the percentage. Over the next five years, Nike revenue skyrocketed from $3 billion in 1992 to $9 billion in 1998, and signed deals with USA Basketball, Track and Field, the US and Brazilian Soccer Federations and a young golfer named Tiger. But then another round of painful layoffs (seven percent) came in 1998, when Phil Knight addressed an all-employee meeting by saying “I’m sorry” and taking the blame for Nike’s downturn. In 2000 came the launches of Nike Shox and Nike Presto, and later Nike Free. Nike bought Converse, the Jordan Brand flourished despite MJ’s retirement and the company grew internationally. Until another downturn in 2008-9 brought more painful layoffs. You can see the pattern here. None of which diminishes the pain employees (and their families) are feeling now. And this upcoming week will be excruciating for those who lose their jobs or must decide if they’ll accept a demotion, which several former colleagues have told me was presented to them as an option. The fact that Nike has recovered from past stumbles and gone on to accomplish amazing things does not insure this will happen again. There are dozens of smaller, rising companies in the industry ready to seize market share. And a lot of talented people are, or will soon be, leaving the company and with them their collective institutional knowledge … which is devastating. If this round of layoffs follows form, many will find excellent roles with other companies, including competitors. The question becomes what lies ahead for those NOT laid off? I know from personal experience that survival guilt is real. So is the daunting challenge of getting the same amount of work done despite the loss of hundreds of colleagues. But this I know: Nike has risen to the occasion after every previous reduction in force. Time will tell if these turbulent days/weeks/months ahead will usher in a new era of growth. As a student of history, and of Nike, I would be hesitant to bet against the Swoosh. For those who are impacted please join 6453 ALUMNI, a growing network of former Nike employees who support each other and provide helpful resources. And to all my Nike friends, please reach out if I can help. Together we created one of the world’s most amazing brands and cultures. I value every friendship I made over my three decades ‘inside the berm.’

Taking a break from the Masters to muse about the AT&T ad with LPGA star Rose Zhang. For some reason it reminds me of an ad that Nike Golf did many years ago. I was going to post a link to that ad, but then I stumbled upon this! https://lnkd.in/gR8HzgBn