Of Waffles and Storybook Tropes
Each culture begets its own storybook tropes. They’re rough outlines of plots that dictate the development of fables and stories. During much of the Middle Ages, princes had to undergo tests of courage and strength to win the hand of a fair princess. In the modern age, marketing geniuses (usually the villain) exploit mad scientists to create successful business ventures.
The stories we tell about ourselves say something about our cultures precisely because they’re usually based on reality. For instance, Nike is the perfect example of the perfect modern storybook trope. (READ MORE: Betting on Sports: The Super Bowl of Cronyism)
Phil Knight may not have been the villain of Nike’s story — but he certainly had a mad scientist to work with in Bill Bowerman, a track-and-field coach in Oregon with a problem.
Bowerman’s problem was that his track was getting an upgrade. It was being resurfaced with a brand-new, modern artificial surface. That was great, except Bowerman’s athletes could no longer use their spikes on the track, which didn’t leave them with many great footwear options.
Because he was a mad scientist, Bowerman resolved to fix the issue — and he did so while sticking his fork into a stack of waffles in 1971. (READ MORE: The Most Influential Dissidents in Sports During the Biden Regime)
Inspired by the shape of the indentations in the waffles, Bowerman rushed off to the garage to mix up some urethane and poured it directly into the waffle maker. The waffle maker was promptly destroyed (it was a wedding present), but the first, early prototype of the waffle trainer was created.
Three years later, on Feb. 26, 1974, a tiny footwear business in Oregon — owned by Bowerman and Knight — patented the shoe. When it hit stores and tracks later that year, the shoe took off, quickly turning Nike into one of the most successful business ventures of the 20th century. (READ MORE from Aubrey Gulick: Exploiters Closer to Home)
Today, Nike is synonymous with running. It’s the biggest company in the athletic-wear industry — and it’s not even particularly close. Do you need shoes? Headbands? Jackets? A training plan? Nike has it all. And it all began at the breakfast table.
This article originally appeared on Aubrey’s Substack, Pilgrim’s Way, on Feb. 26, 2024.
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