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It is Fall 1972.

In an office in Romania, a phone is ringing.

It's an office that belongs to the agent of a tennis player named L.A. Nostase, Nasty,

for short.

Starting in the 1960s, Nasty clawed his way to the top of Pro Tennis, beating out the

likes of the American Great Stan Smith, and doing it with his trademark arrogance.

Nasty is cocky and crude, but despite all that, he's also one of the most popular athletes

in the world.

Like a lot of European players, Nasty used to wear a peril made by Adidas, the German-based

sneaker giant.

But more recently, he's taken to sporting a pair of shoes called Match Points, which

are made by a young company out of Oregon in the USA.

Which, as it turns out, is the purpose of this particular call.

Hello?

The caller in his brisk American accent identifies himself as a one-time runner named Phil

Knight, founder of, along with his former track coach Bill Bowerman, a Portland company

called Nike.

Nike is only a few years old, but already by focusing on technical improvements, Nike

has made a big splash on the growing sneaker market, a market that includes, among others,

new balance, deodorant, converse, re-bock, and what Knight likes to call the biggest

...