You probably don't want to be around Phil Knight if you're not wearing the products that the Nike co-founder reps himself.
Before Nike, Knight co-founded Blue Ribbon Sports and was selling Onitsuka Tiger runners. In a letter from 1965, which recently just surfaced on the 'net, Knight attempted to pitch his sneakers to a cross country coach. The letter outlines the benefits of his products and includes testimonials—run-of-the-mill stuff for a sales pitch, right?
He even included a quote from an unnamed runner that took shots at a German company that we could safely assume is an indirect reference to adidas. Knight wrote, "As one runner said, ‘The only people who will be left wearing German shoes will be either uninformed or idiots.'"
Knight closed the letter in the most appropriate way for someone who co-founded a company built on sports and competition. "You are no longer uninformed."
That low key burn, though.
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[via Sole Collector, @darrenrovell, and @DatGreenblatt]
