Adidas ends Reebok era with $2.5 bln sale to Authentic Brands

Imimpresssed wrote:

a true hero wrote:

They have done this before and it meant the closing of Reebok Enclave.

You also said contracts would not be renewed. What’s your source or are you guessing?

Jamie Salter is a family friend. I know how he views our sport.

This is great news for people like Knight and Norris who will get legitimate contracts from another company. Marginal guys like Bennie and Hehir (no upside given looming professional commitments) will land on their feet. Fox will get support via his athlete's contracts. I don't think the group as a whole is hurt much as they never really had much infrastructure so to speak - it was just a bunch of people training in Charlottesville.

Tinny 2 Shoes wrote:

Reebok is and has been a lifestyle brand, nothing else.

Not always.

Our HS XC team raced in Reeboks in the late 50s and early 60s.

Back in 1980 the NYC transit system went on strike. People had to walk or car pool to work. Because it was NYC most walked. Women discovered a super comfortable, all white aerobic shoes that was light, plush, and stylish. That shoe was the Reebok Princess. The Freestyle came out two years later and Reebok paved the way in the aerobic shoe market. Nike even had some aerobic shoes back in the 80s. I have serval pairs of a shoe called The Nike Air Rake. It had a gum bottom outersole, very soft leather in a mid cut. The inner sole was removable and underneath it there was a heel air unit.

I set my 5k pr in the Reebok CL1000 back in the days.

free shipping with purchases wrote:

This is great news for people like Knight and Norris who will get legitimate contracts from another company. Marginal guys like Bennie and Hehir (no upside given looming professional commitments) will land on their feet. Fox will get support via his athlete's contracts. I don't think the group as a whole is hurt much as they never really had much infrastructure so to speak - it was just a bunch of people training in Charlottesville.

In your opinion, who are the non-marginal US marathoners who aren’t Rupp or 44 years old? Has anybody run 2:08 or 2:09 and also placed top 10 in a national champs-type situation?

I raced and trained in Reeboks in the 90s; they had a shoe (I forget name now) thast was great design for stability and cushioning... and light. But I never saw it for sale in the 2000s....

Are you thinking of the Ventilator?

free shipping with purchases wrote:

This is great news for people like Knight and Norris who will get legitimate contracts from another company. Marginal guys like Bennie and Hehir (no upside given looming professional commitments) will land on their feet. Fox will get support via his athlete's contracts. I don't think the group as a whole is hurt much as they never really had much infrastructure so to speak - it was just a bunch of people training in Charlottesville.

Justyn will have no problem. He’s the only one. Funny how you mention Norris and not Hehir. Norris can only run well when it’s a low key meet. She has no international experience and sucked at the Trials. Plus it’s rumored she’s a doper. No one wants to touch that.

What does this mean for Fox and the staff

Imimpresssed wrote:

free shipping with purchases wrote:

This is great news for people like Knight and Norris who will get legitimate contracts from another company. Marginal guys like Bennie and Hehir (no upside given looming professional commitments) will land on their feet. Fox will get support via his athlete's contracts. I don't think the group as a whole is hurt much as they never really had much infrastructure so to speak - it was just a bunch of people training in Charlottesville.

In your opinion, who are the non-marginal US marathoners who aren’t Rupp or 44 years old? Has anybody run 2:08 or 2:09 and also placed top 10 in a national champs-type situation?

Molly Seidel

Track Fan 1979 wrote:

Back in 1980 the NYC transit system went on strike. People had to walk or car pool to work. Because it was NYC most walked. Women discovered a super comfortable, all white aerobic shoes that was light, plush, and stylish. That shoe was the Reebok Princess. The Freestyle came out two years later and Reebok paved the way in the aerobic shoe market. Nike even had some aerobic shoes back in the 80s. I have serval pairs of a shoe called The Nike Air Rake. It had a gum bottom outersole, very soft leather in a mid cut. The inner sole was removable and underneath it there was a heel air unit.

I loved the Rake! I worked at Athlete’s Foot when it came out (‘86 maybe?) and went through several pairs until it disappeared. About six months ago I found a brand new unused pair in my size on eBay. Imagine that! The insoles needed to be replaced, but otherwise the shoe feels great. Lacing them up is like going back in time!

Reebok was all the rage in the running scene in the late 90s to early 2000(2000-2004). My college teammate had the Reebok DMX(rip real DMX) and swore by them. Reebok Enclave was huge with tons of olympians and Reebok Aggies out on the west coast. All of a sudden Reebok just seemed to fade. Brooks came on strong, Nike was at a pinnacle of all running shoes and then other brands came into to the fold. Best of luck to AB with Reebok. I hope they maintain them in some fashion. Well it will be fashion.

I worked at a running store in south Jersey then - that Freestyle and Princess were impossible to keep in stock. That whole Reebok aerobic period knocked Nike back a bit in their overall sales.

In the late 70s early 80s the Reebok Aztec and gl5000(?) sold well, but the Aztec was imported from the UK and pricey. They assembled a good stable of runners for their team - including Steve Jones and Arturo Barrios (if memory serves).

JohnMD1022 wrote:

Tinny 2 Shoes wrote:

Reebok is and has been a lifestyle brand, nothing else.

Not always.

Our HS XC team raced in Reeboks in the late 50s and early 60s.

They were big in CrossFit, maybe still are. Not sure if people still do CrossFit though.

I'm hoping whoever gets Reebok will release classic basketball Pumps again. With the big oranges basketball on the tongue. And keep the retro Iverson line going.