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Frank's Reviews > Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
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Picked this up hoping it would be a fascinating and inspirational book about leadership and passion. Well... it was an interesting book, at least. It follows Phil Knight's professional career starting from a small running shoe importer up until Nike becoming a publicly traded company. Other reviewers have said they were disappointed that it doesn't cover the birth of Air Jordan, and I would have to agree that it feels like part of the story is missing because of that. My biggest complaint, however, is that the book largely just revealed to me that I just don't like Phil Knight very much. He basically brags throughout the book that he never told his children or employees "I love you" or "I'm proud of you," even though one of his main partners ended each of his letters (of which there were thousands sent) with "Please send words of encouragement," in times of doubt and unsure footing. He speaks of his oldest son as if he's not much more than a nuisance, and as a result sounds completely insincere talking about how paralyzed he felt in response to his death. In fact, it seemed like he only wrote about it in his book so he could name drop all of the A-List athletes that shared condolences with him. Maybe other people won't interpret his stories the same way as I did, but I came away with a pretty poor impression of Phil Knight.
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Reading Progress
May 7, 2016
– Shelved
May 8, 2016
–
Started Reading
May 8, 2016
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Finished Reading
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Definitely think you missed it, Frank. This book is honest, which is the point. It's not so much about Nike as it is about perserverance, which is why speaking about the Jordan brand wouldn't be important. He also didn't need to "name drop." Everyone knows pretty damn well who Nike sponsors.
thank you! I'm almost done with this book now and it's just... I mean even in his own words its clear that Phil Knight was a tool of a human being. Whether it was ignoring his children and being disappointed because they don't love sports like him, or abandoning his family time and again to put his business first 100% of the time, or completely ignoring his own employees and never ever giving thanks or credit, he's a tool, plain and simple.Worst part? From a business perspective, Nike was completely and utterly typical. Bowerman was the reason the company did so well since he basically was the only one to create something (the actual shoes and innovations) and Knight was the one doing the completely typical skeezy business practices that everyone else was doing.
I'm leaving this like I leave most business/memoirs/biographies: disillusioned to the subject.
Had the same feelings whilst reading.
I'm glad I wasn't the only one to see it this way. I have way more respect for Nike and the other early employees, but a very low opinion of Phil.
Memoirs are a tough genre and the protagonist does not necessarily come across as a likeable person. But, then, that's not the goal. A memoir is also not necessarily a tell all about their darkest moments or their innermost thoughts. Those they may still choose to keep to themselves.It's simply a story of their (often) exceptional lives.
Yes! While I was reading that book, I was afraid I'm the only one who seems not to like Phil Knight's persona at at ll, otherwise it wouldn't have been the book #8 in my to-read list, according to the ratings from other people. Glad to see someone also saw what I saw in that piece.
I spent 38 years in the athletic shoe industry. I knew many of these players from the early days at Nike. I enjoyed reading Knights view and experience and found him to be spot on and humbled by the experience.
There have been other books of course, "Swoosh" is one that paints a bit different pictured, although perhaps painted with a vindictive brush.
Knights uncharacteristic opening up was fresh and unexpected. Understanding where this is coming from, made it a very enjoyable read for me.