Phil Knight - Revision history

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	\| nationality = {{USA}} American		\| nationality = {{USA}} American
	\| education = [[University of Oregon]] (BBA, 1959)<br>[[Stanford Graduate School of Business]] (MBA, 1962)		\| education = [[University of Oregon]] (BBA, 1959)<br>[[Stanford Graduate School of Business]] (MBA, 1962)
			\| alma_mater = [[University of Oregon]]<br>[[Stanford GSB]] (MBA)
	\| occupation = Businessman, philanthropist		\| occupation = Businessman, philanthropist
	\| years_active = 1964–present		\| years_active = 1964–present

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	\| caption = Phil Knight in 2015		\| caption = Phil Knight in 2015
	\| birth_name = Philip Hampson Knight		\| birth_name = Philip Hampson Knight
	\| birth_date = ~~{{Birth date and age\|~~1938~~\|2\|24}}~~		\| birth_date = February 24, 1938
	\| birth_place = [[Portland, Oregon]], United States		\| birth_place = [[Portland, Oregon]], United States
	\| nationality = {{USA}} American		\| nationality = {{USA}} American

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Created comprehensive article: Nike co-founder, wife Penny Parks, Blue Ribbon Sports, sweatshop controversy, son Matthew death, net worth, major philanthropist

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{{Infobox person
| name = Phil Knight
| image = Phil_Knight.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = Phil Knight in 2015
| birth_name = Philip Hampson Knight
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1938|2|24}}
| birth_place = [[Portland, Oregon]], United States
| nationality = {{USA}} American
| education = [[University of Oregon]] (BBA, 1959)<br>[[Stanford Graduate School of Business]] (MBA, 1962)
| occupation = Businessman, philanthropist
| years_active = 1964–present
| known_for = Co-founding [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]], Blue Ribbon Sports
| title = Chairman Emeritus
| organization = [[Nike, Inc.]]
| spouse = Penelope "Penny" Parks (m. 1968)
| children = 3 (Matthew, Travis, Christina)
| parents = William W. Knight (father)<br>Lota Cloy Hatfield (mother)
| net_worth = US$40.3 billion (2024)
| awards = [[Oregon Sports Hall of Fame]] (1991)<br>[[Automotive Hall of Fame]] honoree
}}

'''Philip Hampson Knight''' (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist who co-founded [[Nike, Inc.]] alongside his former track coach [[Bill Bowerman]]. As chairman and CEO of Nike from 1964 to 2004, and chairman until 2016, Knight built a small shoe distribution business into the world's largest athletic footwear and apparel company, with a market capitalization exceeding $200 billion.<ref name="wiki">{{cite web |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Knight |title=Phil Knight - Wikipedia |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

As of 2024, Knight's net worth was estimated at US$40.3 billion, making him one of the fifty wealthiest people in the world and Oregon's richest individual. He and his wife Penny have donated more than $7.8 billion to philanthropic causes over the past two decades, including the largest single donation ever made to a U.S. university—a $2 billion gift to the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute in 2024.<ref name="ceoworld">{{cite web |url=https://ceoworld.biz/2024/12/27/with-a-net-worth-of-36-8-billion-phil-knight-is-oregons-richest-individual/ |title=With a Net Worth of $36.8 Billion, Phil Knight is Oregon's Richest Individual |publisher=CEOWORLD Magazine |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

In 2016, Knight published his memoir ''[[Shoe Dog]]'', which became an international bestseller and offered a candid account of Nike's founding and early struggles.

== Early life and education ==

Knight was born on February 24, 1938, in [[Portland, Oregon]], to William W. Knight, a lawyer who later became a newspaper publisher, and his wife Lota Cloy (née Hatfield) Knight. His father was a domineering but caring person who encouraged his son to push his limits. Knight grew up in Portland and attended Cleveland High School.<ref name="britannica">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Phil-Knight |title=Phil Knight - Biography, Nike, Bill Bowerman, Book, & Facts |publisher=Britannica |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

Knight earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the [[University of Oregon]] in 1959, completing the program in just three years. During his time at Oregon, he was a member of the track team under legendary coach [[Bill Bowerman]], earning varsity letters in 1957, 1958, and 1959 as a middle-distance runner. Knight was also a "Distinguished Military Graduate" in 1959 and subsequently served one year on active duty in the Army and seven years in the Army Reserve.<ref name="wiki"/>

Knight then enrolled at [[Stanford Graduate School of Business]], where he wrote a seminal paper arguing that Japanese shoe production—which benefited from lower labor costs—could outpace German manufacturers, then the leading sneaker producers. His goal was to bring high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan to America. He earned his MBA in 1962.<ref name="britannica"/>

== Career ==

=== Early career ===

Prior to founding Nike, Knight worked as a certified public accountant at [[PricewaterhouseCoopers|Price Waterhouse]] and [[Coopers & Lybrand]]. He also served as an assistant professor of business administration at [[Portland State University]], where he taught accounting.<ref name="wiki"/>

=== Japan trip and Onitsuka Tiger ===

After graduating from Stanford in 1962, Knight traveled to Japan on what would prove to be a transformative journey. In Kobe, he visited the Onitsuka Company (now [[Asics]]), maker of Tiger brand running shoes. Impressed by the quality and affordability of the products, Knight negotiated a distribution deal to sell Onitsuka Tiger shoes in the United States.<ref name="sneakerjagers">{{cite web |url=https://www.sneakerjagers.com/en/n/how-phil-knight-made-history-60-years-ago-with-founding-blue-ribbon-sports/76181 |title=How Phil Knight made history 60 years ago |publisher=Sneakerjagers |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

The first Tiger samples took more than a year to arrive. When Knight finally received them, he mailed two pairs to his former coach Bill Bowerman, hoping to secure both a sale and an influential endorsement. To Knight's surprise, Bowerman not only ordered the shoes but offered to become his business partner and provide product design ideas.<ref name="britannica"/>

=== Founding Blue Ribbon Sports ===

On January 25, 1964, Knight and Bowerman shook hands on a deal that would change the athletic footwear industry. They founded Blue Ribbon Sports with a combined investment of just $1,200, each contributing $500. The company initially operated as a distributor for Onitsuka Tiger, with Knight selling shoes at track meets out of his automobile in Eugene, Oregon.<ref name="sneakerfreaker">{{cite web |url=https://www.sneakerfreaker.com/features/how-blue-ribbon-sports-turned-into-nike/ |title=How Blue Ribbon Sports Turned into Nike |publisher=Sneaker Freaker |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

In their first year, Blue Ribbon Sports sold 1,300 pairs of running shoes. By 1969, annual sales had reached $1 million, and Knight left his other jobs to focus on the business full-time.<ref name="wiki"/>

=== Birth of Nike ===

Following a contentious split with Onitsuka in 1971, Blue Ribbon Sports began designing and manufacturing its own shoes. The company was renamed Nike, after the Greek goddess of victory. The name was proposed by Jeff Johnson, Blue Ribbon's first full-time employee, who claimed it came to him in a dream.<ref name="about-nike">{{cite web |url=https://about.nike.com/en/magazine/bill-bowerman-nike-s-original-innovator |title=Bill Bowerman: Nike's Original Innovator |publisher=Nike, Inc. |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

That same year, Knight commissioned a graphic design student named Carolyn Davidson to create a logo. She designed the now-iconic "swoosh" for just $35. (Knight later gave Davidson company stock as well.)<ref name="wiki"/>

Also in 1971, Bowerman designed a revolutionary sneaker with waffle-pattern soles, allegedly creating the prototype using his wife's waffle iron. The waffle sole provided superior traction and became a signature Nike innovation. In 1980, Knight and Bowerman took Nike public, with Knight retaining a controlling stake.<ref name="sneakerfreaker"/>

=== Nike's growth ===

Under Knight's leadership, Nike grew from a small Oregon business into the world's largest athletic footwear and apparel company. Key milestones included:

* 1984: Signing [[Michael Jordan]] to an endorsement deal that created the Air Jordan brand
* 1988: Launching the "Just Do It" advertising campaign
* 1990s: Expanding into apparel, equipment, and global markets
* 2000s: Becoming sponsor to major sports leagues and Olympic athletes worldwide<ref name="wiki"/>

Knight served as Nike's CEO until 2004 and as chairman until 2016, when he became chairman emeritus. He and his family still own approximately 20% of Nike.<ref name="wiki"/>

== Controversies ==

=== Sweatshop and labor practices ===

Nike faced severe criticism in the 1990s for labor conditions in its overseas factories. Reports emerged of child labor, extremely low wages, poor health and safety conditions, and excessive working hours in factories producing Nike products in countries including Indonesia, Vietnam, and Pakistan.<ref name="stanford">{{cite web |url=https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/trade_environment/wheeling/hnike.html |title=The Nike Controversy |publisher=Stanford University |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

A 1996 ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine article featuring a photograph of a 12-year-old Pakistani boy sewing a Nike soccer ball became an iconic image of corporate exploitation. Reports detailed children working up to 16 hours a day, seven days a week, in Nike contract factories.<ref name="fashionlaw">{{cite web |url=https://www.thefashionlaw.com/visibility-is-central-to-a-successful-supply-chain-heres-what-brands-need-to-know/ |title=Sweatshops Almost Killed Nike in the 1990s |publisher=The Fashion Law |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

In May 1998, Knight delivered a landmark speech at the National Press Club in which he acknowledged Nike's failures. "The Nike product has become synonymous with slave wages, forced overtime, and arbitrary abuse," he admitted. Knight announced reforms including raising the minimum age for shoe factory workers to 18, implementing U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration air quality standards in all factories, and allowing independent monitoring of facilities.<ref name="auburn">{{cite web |url=https://harbert.auburn.edu/binaries/documents/center-for-ethical-organizational-cultures/cases/nike.pdf |title=Nike: Managing Ethical Missteps—Sweatshops to Leadership |publisher=Auburn University |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

Critics argued that Knight's promises represented an attempt to deflect demands for living wages and rigorous independent monitoring. Follow-up reports in subsequent years indicated that problems persisted in Nike's supply chain.<ref name="ssrn">{{cite web |url=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2496327 |title=Still Waiting for Nike To Do It |publisher=SSRN |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

=== University of Oregon donation withdrawal ===

In 2000, Knight pledged $30 million to his alma mater, the University of Oregon. When the university joined the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), a labor monitoring organization that Nike refused to cooperate with, Knight withdrew his donation. The incident highlighted tensions between Knight's philanthropic support for Oregon and ongoing criticism of Nike's labor practices.<ref name="wiki"/>

== Personal life ==

=== Marriage and family ===

Knight met Penelope "Penny" Parks when he was teaching Accounting 101 at Portland State University. A striking young woman with blond hair and blue eyes, Penny sat in the front row of his class. Knight learned her name during roll call. The couple married on September 13, 1968.<ref name="shortform">{{cite web |url=https://www.shortform.com/blog/penny-knight-phil-knight-nike/ |title=Penny Knight: Phil Knight's Wife and Partner |publisher=Shortform Books |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

The Knights have three children: Matthew, Travis, and Christina.

=== Son's death ===

On May 23, 2004, Knight's eldest son Matthew Hatfield Knight died in a scuba diving accident at Lake Ilopango in El Salvador. He was 34 years old. Matthew had been working with Christian Children of the World, a nonprofit organization, and was diving with friends when he drowned. He left behind his wife Angie and two young sons, Logan (age 3) and Dylan (6 months).<ref name="ticotimes">{{cite web |url=https://ticotimes.net/2004/06/04/nike-heir-drowns-in-el-salvador |title=Nike Heir Drowns In El Salvador |publisher=The Tico Times |date=June 4, 2004 |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

Knight later described the tragedy as something that "aged me much faster than anything you can imagine." In his memoir ''Shoe Dog'', he recalled that Tiger Woods was the first Nike athlete to call him after Matthew's death: "His call came in at 7:30 a.m. I will never, ever forget."<ref name="primetimer">{{cite web |url=https://www.primetimer.com/news/what-happened-to-phil-knights-son-matthew-knight-all-about-former-nike-chiefs-chikdren-amid-2b-pledge-to-oregon-cancer-center |title=What happened to Phil Knight's son Matthew Knight? |publisher=Primetimer |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

In Matthew's memory, Knight funded the construction of the Matthew Knight Arena, a $200 million basketball facility at the University of Oregon that opened in 2010.

=== Travis Knight and Laika ===

Knight's son Travis is the president and CEO of [[Laika (company)|Laika]], an Oregon-based stop-motion animation studio. Phil Knight acquired the struggling Will Vinton Studios in 2003 and transformed it into Laika, with himself as majority shareholder. Under Travis's creative leadership, Laika has produced critically acclaimed films including ''[[Coraline (film)|Coraline]]'', ''[[ParaNorman]]'', ''[[The Boxtrolls]]'', and ''[[Kubo and the Two Strings]]'', receiving multiple Academy Award nominations.<ref name="wiki"/>

== Philanthropy ==

Knight and his wife Penny have emerged as among America's most generous philanthropists. Through the Knight Foundation and personal giving, they have donated more than $7.8 billion over the past two decades.<ref name="philanthropy">{{cite web |url=https://www.philanthropy.com/news/and-2-billion-more-phil-and-penny-knight-strike-again-with-mega-gift/ |title=And $2 Billion More — Phil and Penny Knight Strike Again With Mega-Gift |publisher=The Chronicle of Philanthropy |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

Major donations include:

* '''Oregon Health & Science University''': $2.7 billion total, including a record-breaking $2 billion in 2024 for the Knight Cancer Institute
* '''University of Oregon''': At least $2.2 billion, including $500 million for the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact
* '''Stanford University''': At least $580 million, including $400 million for the Knight-Hennessy Scholars graduate program
* '''Portland's Albina neighborhood''': $400 million pledge in 2023 to revitalize the historically Black community<ref name="oncodaily">{{cite web |url=https://oncodaily.com/stories/celebrities/2-billion-donation-phil-knight |title=Phil Knight's Largest-Ever $2 Billion Donation to OHSU Advances Global Cancer Research |publisher=OncoDaily |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

In 2023, Knight was America's second-largest donor, with $1.2 billion in giving.<ref name="philanthropy"/>

== Publications ==

* ''[[Shoe Dog|Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike]]'' (2016) — Knight's bestselling autobiography chronicling Nike's founding and growth<ref name="wiki"/>

== See also ==

* [[Nike, Inc.]]
* [[Bill Bowerman]]
* [[Nike sweatshops]]
* [[Shoe Dog]]
* [[Laika (company)|Laika]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* [https://about.nike.com/en/company/people/philip-h-knight Phil Knight at Nike]
* [https://www.laika.com/ Laika official website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Phil}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American chief executive officers]]
[[Category:Chief executive officers]]
[[Category:American company founders]]
[[Category:Nike, Inc. people]]
[[Category:American billionaires]]
[[Category:American philanthropists]]
[[Category:University of Oregon alumni]]
[[Category:Stanford Graduate School of Business alumni]]
[[Category:Portland State University faculty]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:American accountants]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:21st-century American businesspeople]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:53, 22 December 2025
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	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
	\| name = Phil Knight		\| name = Phil Knight
	\| image = Phil_Knight.jpg		\| image = Phil_Knight.jpg
	\| image_size = 300px		\| image_size = 300px
	\| caption = Phil Knight in 2015		\| caption = Phil Knight in 2015
	\| birth_name = Philip Hampson Knight		\| birth_name = Philip Hampson Knight
	\| birth_date = February 24, 1938		\| birth_date = February 24, 1938
	\| birth_place = [[Portland, Oregon]], United States		\| birth_place = [[Portland, Oregon]], United States
	\| nationality = {{USA}} American		\| nationality = {{USA}} American
	\| education = [[University of Oregon]] (BBA, 1959)<br>[[Stanford Graduate School of Business]] (MBA, 1962)		\| education = [[University of Oregon]] (BBA, 1959)<br>[[Stanford Graduate School of Business]] (MBA, 1962)
	\| alma_mater = [[University of Oregon]]<br>[[Stanford GSB]] (MBA)		\| alma_mater = [[University of Oregon]]<br>[[Stanford GSB]] (MBA)
	\| occupation = Businessman, philanthropist		\| occupation = Businessman, philanthropist
	\| years_active = ~~1964–present~~		\| years_active = 1964-present
	\| known_for = Co-founding [[Nike, Inc.\|Nike]], Blue Ribbon Sports		\| known_for = Co-founding [[Nike, Inc.\|Nike]], Blue Ribbon Sports
	\| title = Chairman Emeritus		\| title = Chairman Emeritus
	\| organization = [[Nike, Inc.]]		\| organization = [[Nike, Inc.]]
	\| spouse = Penelope "Penny" Parks (m. 1968)		\| spouse = Penelope "Penny" Parks (m. 1968)
	\| children = 3 (Matthew, Travis, Christina)		\| children = 3 (Matthew, Travis, Christina)
	\| parents = William W. Knight (father)<br>Lota Cloy Hatfield (mother)		\| parents = William W. Knight (father)<br>Lota Cloy Hatfield (mother)
	\| net_worth = US$40.3 billion (2024)		\| net_worth = US$40.3 billion (2024)
	\| awards = [[Oregon Sports Hall of Fame]] (1991)<br>[[Automotive Hall of Fame]] honoree		\| awards = [[Oregon Sports Hall of Fame]] (1991)<br>[[Automotive Hall of Fame]] honoree
	}}		}}

	'''Philip Hampson Knight''' (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist who co-founded [[Nike, Inc.]] alongside his former track coach [[Bill Bowerman]]. As chairman and CEO of Nike from 1964 to 2004, and chairman until 2016, Knight built a small shoe distribution business into the world's largest athletic footwear and apparel company, with a market capitalization exceeding $200 billion.<ref name="wiki">{{cite web \|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Knight \|title=Phil Knight - Wikipedia \|access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>		'''Philip Hampson Knight''' (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist who co-founded [[Nike, Inc.]] alongside his former track coach [[Bill Bowerman]]. As chairman and CEO of Nike from 1964 to 2004, and chairman until 2016, Knight built a small shoe distribution business into the world's largest athletic footwear and apparel company, with a market capitalization exceeding $200 billion.<ref name="wiki">{{cite web \|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Knight \|title=Phil Knight - Wikipedia \|access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

	As of 2024, Knight's net worth was estimated at US$40.3 billion, making him one of the fifty wealthiest people in the world and Oregon's richest individual. He and his wife Penny have donated more than $7.8 billion to philanthropic causes over the past two decades, including the largest single donation ever made to a U.S. ~~university—a~~ $2 billion gift to the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute in 2024.<ref name="ceoworld">{{cite web \|url=https://ceoworld.biz/2024/12/27/with-a-net-worth-of-36-8-billion-phil-knight-is-oregons-richest-individual/ \|title=With a Net Worth of $36.8 Billion, Phil Knight is Oregon's Richest Individual \|publisher=CEOWORLD Magazine \|access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>		As of 2024, Knight's net worth was estimated at US$40.3 billion, making him one of the fifty wealthiest people in the world and Oregon's richest individual. He and his wife Penny have donated more than $7.8 billion to philanthropic causes over the past two decades, including the largest single donation ever made to a U.S. University - a $2 billion gift to the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute in 2024.<ref name="ceoworld">{{cite web \|url=https://ceoworld.biz/2024/12/27/with-a-net-worth-of-36-8-billion-phil-knight-is-oregons-richest-individual/ \|title=With a Net Worth of $36.8 Billion, Phil Knight is Oregon's Richest Individual \|publisher=CEOWORLD Magazine \|access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

	In 2016, Knight published his memoir ''[[Shoe Dog]]'', which became an international bestseller and offered a candid account of Nike's founding and early struggles.		In 2016, Knight published his memoir ''[[Shoe Dog]]'', which became an international bestseller and offered a candid account of Nike's founding and early struggles.
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	Knight earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the [[University of Oregon]] in 1959, completing the program in just three years. During his time at Oregon, he was a member of the track team under legendary coach [[Bill Bowerman]], earning varsity letters in 1957, 1958, and 1959 as a middle-distance runner. Knight was also a "Distinguished Military Graduate" in 1959 and subsequently served one year on active duty in the Army and seven years in the Army Reserve.<ref name="wiki"/>		Knight earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the [[University of Oregon]] in 1959, completing the program in just three years. During his time at Oregon, he was a member of the track team under legendary coach [[Bill Bowerman]], earning varsity letters in 1957, 1958, and 1959 as a middle-distance runner. Knight was also a "Distinguished Military Graduate" in 1959 and subsequently served one year on active duty in the Army and seven years in the Army Reserve.<ref name="wiki"/>

	Knight then enrolled at [[Stanford Graduate School of Business]], where he wrote a seminal paper arguing that Japanese shoe ~~production—which~~ benefited from lower labor ~~costs—could~~ outpace German manufacturers, then the leading sneaker producers. His goal was to bring high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan to America. He earned his MBA in 1962.<ref name="britannica"/>		Knight then enrolled at [[Stanford Graduate School of Business]], where he wrote a seminal paper arguing that Japanese shoe production - which benefited from lower labor costs - could outpace German manufacturers, then the leading sneaker producers. His goal was to bring high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan to America. He earned his MBA in 1962.<ref name="britannica"/>

	== Career ==		== Career ==
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	A 1996 ''[[Life (magazine)\|Life]]'' magazine article featuring a photograph of a 12-year-old Pakistani boy sewing a Nike soccer ball became an iconic image of corporate exploitation. Reports detailed children working up to 16 hours a day, seven days a week, in Nike contract factories.<ref name="fashionlaw">{{cite web \|url=https://www.thefashionlaw.com/visibility-is-central-to-a-successful-supply-chain-heres-what-brands-need-to-know/ \|title=Sweatshops Almost Killed Nike in the 1990s \|publisher=The Fashion Law \|access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>		A 1996 ''[[Life (magazine)\|Life]]'' magazine article featuring a photograph of a 12-year-old Pakistani boy sewing a Nike soccer ball became an iconic image of corporate exploitation. Reports detailed children working up to 16 hours a day, seven days a week, in Nike contract factories.<ref name="fashionlaw">{{cite web \|url=https://www.thefashionlaw.com/visibility-is-central-to-a-successful-supply-chain-heres-what-brands-need-to-know/ \|title=Sweatshops Almost Killed Nike in the 1990s \|publisher=The Fashion Law \|access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

	In May 1998, Knight delivered a landmark speech at the National Press Club in which he acknowledged Nike's failures. "The Nike product has become synonymous with slave wages, forced overtime, and arbitrary abuse," he admitted. Knight announced reforms including raising the minimum age for shoe factory workers to 18, implementing U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration air quality standards in all factories, and allowing independent monitoring of facilities.<ref name="auburn">{{cite web \|url=https://harbert.auburn.edu/binaries/documents/center-for-ethical-organizational-cultures/cases/nike.pdf \|title=Nike: Managing Ethical ~~Missteps—Sweatshops~~ to Leadership \|publisher=Auburn University \|access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>		In May 1998, Knight delivered a landmark speech at the National Press Club in which he acknowledged Nike's failures. "The Nike product has become synonymous with slave wages, forced overtime, and arbitrary abuse," he admitted. Knight announced reforms including raising the minimum age for shoe factory workers to 18, implementing U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration air quality standards in all factories, and allowing independent monitoring of facilities.<ref name="auburn">{{cite web \|url=https://harbert.auburn.edu/binaries/documents/center-for-ethical-organizational-cultures/cases/nike.pdf \|title=Nike: Managing Ethical Missteps - Sweatshops to Leadership \|publisher=Auburn University \|access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

	Critics argued that Knight's promises represented an attempt to deflect demands for living wages and rigorous independent monitoring. Follow-up reports in subsequent years indicated that problems persisted in Nike's supply chain.<ref name="ssrn">{{cite web \|url=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2496327 \|title=Still Waiting for Nike To Do It \|publisher=SSRN \|access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>		Critics argued that Knight's promises represented an attempt to deflect demands for living wages and rigorous independent monitoring. Follow-up reports in subsequent years indicated that problems persisted in Nike's supply chain.<ref name="ssrn">{{cite web \|url=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2496327 \|title=Still Waiting for Nike To Do It \|publisher=SSRN \|access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>
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	== Philanthropy ==		== Philanthropy ==

	Knight and his wife Penny have emerged as among America's most generous philanthropists. Through the Knight Foundation and personal giving, they have donated more than $7.8 billion over the past two decades.<ref name="philanthropy">{{cite web \|url=https://www.philanthropy.com/news/and-2-billion-more-phil-and-penny-knight-strike-again-with-mega-gift/ \|title=And $2 Billion More — Phil and Penny Knight Strike Again With Mega-Gift \|publisher=The Chronicle of Philanthropy \|access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>		Knight and his wife Penny have emerged as among America's most generous philanthropists. Through the Knight Foundation and personal giving, they have donated more than $7.8 billion over the past two decades.<ref name="philanthropy">{{cite web \|url=https://www.philanthropy.com/news/and-2-billion-more-phil-and-penny-knight-strike-again-with-mega-gift/ \|title=And $2 Billion More - Phil and Penny Knight Strike Again With Mega-Gift \|publisher=The Chronicle of Philanthropy \|access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

	Major donations include:		Major donations include:
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	== Publications ==		== Publications ==

	* ''[[Shoe Dog\|Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike]]'' (2016) — Knight's bestselling autobiography chronicling Nike's founding and growth<ref name="wiki"/>		* ''[[Shoe Dog\|Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike]]'' (2016) - Knight's bestselling autobiography chronicling Nike's founding and growth<ref name="wiki"/>

	== See also ==		== See also ==
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	[[Category:Chief executive officers]]		[[Category:Chief executive officers]]
	[[Category:American company founders]]		[[Category:American company founders]]
	[[Category:Nike, Inc. ~~people~~]]		[[Category:Nike, Inc. People]]
	[[Category:American billionaires]]		[[Category:American billionaires]]
	[[Category:American philanthropists]]		[[Category:American philanthropists]]