Reebok

  Reebok

  Reebok International Limited is an Anglo-American subsidiary of Adidas AG, and producer of athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories. The name is the Afikaans spelling of the word rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle. The company, founded in 1895, was originally called Mercury Sports, but was renamed as Reebok in 1960. The company's founders Joe and Jeff Foster found the name in a dictionary won in a race by Joe Foster as a boy. The dictionary was a South African edition, hence the spelling.

Reebok is now owned by the German footwear giant Adidas, which completed acquisition in early 2006.

Reebok Early History

Reebok was founded in 1895, in Bolton, Lancashire by Joseph William Foster under a company called J.W. Foster and Sons Limited. The family-owned business proudly made the running shoes worn in the 1924 Summer Olympics by the athletes, Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell celebrated in the film Chariots of Fire.

In 1958, two of the founder's grandsons Jeffrey and Joseph left the family business and started a rival company that came to be known as Reebok. In 1979, Paul Fireman, a partner in an outdoor sporting goods distributorship, spotted Reebok shoes at an international trade show. He negotiated for the North American distribution license and introduced three running shoes in the United States that year. At $60, they were the most expensive running shoes on the market.

The firm was sold to a group of investors in 1984, led by R. Stephen Rubin of Pentland Industries and Paul Fireman, who established a holding company based in the UK, Limelight Limited, renamed Reebok International Limited after the completion of the sale by Joseph Foster. This company subsequently bought the J.W. Foster limited company from Mr. Foster, to allow it to use the Foster Family history (after 1939). Joe Foster was retained by Rubin and Fireman to run expand the companies operations outside the USA, which he did until 1990.

Reebok Endorsements

The company holds exclusive rights to manufacture and market both authentic and replica uniform jerseys and sideline apparel of the teams of the National Football League since 2002, the National Basketball Association from 2004 through 2006, the Canadian Football League since 2004, and is the official shoe supplier to the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball. In addition Reebok acquired offical National Hockey League sponsor CCM (The Hockey Company) in 2004, and is now manufacturing ice hockey equipment under the CCM and Rbk brands, and has signed popular young star Sidney Crosby to an endorsement deal. Reebok is also endorsed by Venus Williams, Amelie Mauresmo, Nicole Vaidisova and was endorsed by Andy Roddick until 2005, when he departed for Lacoste.

It maintains its relationship with its origins in England through a long-term sponsorship deal with Bolton Wanderers, a Premiership football club. When the team moved to a brand new ground in the late-1990s, their new home was named the Reebok Stadium. In 2003, Reebok secured a deal with English Premiership clubs West Ham United and Manchester City. The deal with Manchester City alone was worth almost £5m over four years. Then in 2005, another Premiership team Liverpool won the UEFA Champions League, their fifth, whilst wearing Reebok kit. Liverpool moved to adidas in 2006. In 2005, Reebok also signed an exclusive agreement to design and supply all 8 team strips for the new Australian A-League competition.

In rugby union, Reebok sponsors the Wales national team, the last team to date to win a Grand Slam in the Six Nations Championship, and the Tasman Makos in New Zealand's domestic competition, the Air New Zealand Cup. Reebok also sponsors two teams in the Australian Football League, the Kangaroos Football Club and the Fremantle Football Club. From 2005, Reebok has supplied the Melbourne Storm rugby league club's kits and other merchandise for the team.

On April 12, 2006, Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry signed a deal to join the "I Am What I Am" campaign on August 1, 2006. Ryan Giggs has also done "I Am What I Am" commercials. Also, on August 1 2006, Andriy Shevchenko started his endorsement deal with the company.

The company also holds sponsorship with Chivas de Guadalajara, a famous Mexican football club.