Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, first conceived the idea of importing running shoes from Japan while he was a student at Stanford business school. After completing his studies, he bravely ventured to Japan to present his proposal to the shoe company, Onitsuka. Despite feeling out of his depth in a foreign culture, Knight managed to secure a deal to distribute their shoes in the US under the brand name, Blue Ribbon Sports.

After his successful negotiation in Japan, Knight embarked on a global journey, visiting places like Hong Kong, the Philippines, Vietnam, India, Kenya, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Italy, Germany, and more. His visit to the Acropolis in Greece left a profound impact on him. He felt a deep, almost mystical connection to the place, as if he had been there before. He was particularly moved by a carving of the goddess Athena adjusting her shoe strap on the Temple of Nike.

Upon returning home to Oregon on his 25th birthday, Knight was met with eager questions from his family about his travels. However, his first concern was whether the sample shoes from Onitsuka had arrived. Despite the eye-opening experiences of his trip, his primary focus remained on getting Blue Ribbon Sports up and running. The name Blue Ribbon was a tribute to his childhood bedroom, adorned with blue ribbons from his track achievements, one of the few things he took pride in.

Knight's travels opened his eyes to the vast and diverse world beyond Oregon, filled with breathtaking beauty, stark inequality, war, and the enigmatic mysteries of different cultures and religions. He was reminded of the fleeting nature of human life. Yet, he also found the confidence to believe in his ambitious idea. If humanity could construct pyramids, temples, and coliseums, he was convinced that he could build a successful shoe company. This trip marked Knight's transition into adulthood and laid the foundation for his lifelong mission to transform Nike into a global shoe empire.