How New Balance Attacked Nike

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👟 Once known as the ultimate dad shoe, New Balance is now the fastest-growing sneaker brand in the game. While Nike had Jordan and Adidas had Yeezy, New Balance was quietly building a comeback—one smart move at a time.

From Steve Jobs and arch support to Aimé Leon Dore collabs, Kawhi Leonard, and Bukayo Saka, this is the story of how New Balance went from “endorsed by no one” to being everywhere — in fashion, in sports, and in culture.

⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 The Business of New Balance
01:21 The Humble Beginnings
03:45 The Rise of Dad Shoes
06:22 The Man Behind the Strategy
08:52 Sponsor Time: Proton VPN
10:12 The Secret Formula & Sports
12:32 The Future

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Athletic Interest is a video essay series that investigates business stories from the world of sports.

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[atmavictu]

Nike idea of "lowering quality and increasing prices" is eventually killing them.

[jef]

NB is basically the Toyota of sneakers

[thMandalorian]

This felt like an ad for New Balance 😂

[icecoldDlaU]

The title doesn't make sense nonetheless good video

[C-Thunder]

Fun fact: here in DC, NB was always a popular shoe brand amongst younger demographics for decades and even in present day.

[khaagos]

I just want that anatomically correct shoes to be the norm. Screw that pointy end that brings your toes together and causes problem

[G-man]

Their skateboard line, New Balance Numeric, is also super popular. Really nice silhouettes, in stock at most skate shops and repped by a stacked team with riders like Tiago (who was actually in crossover promo with Kawhi), latest SOTY Jamie Foy, and ‘The Boss’ Andrew Reynolds.

[CiaranMoore]

Bruh you did Kawhi dirty with that clip hahaa… as usual though, awesome video !!

[choephak]

NB is making better shoes than other brands at the moment.

[prestonval]

When I lived in the DC area, New Balance was the shoe that the kids wore—or at least that’s what I remember. From what I understand, it was one of the first sneakers to break the hundred-dollar price point in the early '80s and became linked to drug dealers in the area, particularly the 990s or a similar model.

[CabbageBloke]

I do a lot of road running and I swear by New Balance running shoes.

Been wearing them for close to 20 years and the fact they do different width settings helps too as I have wide feet.

New Balance are god tier in my eyes.

[themrmarkprior]

From their individual marketing, in my mind each brand means to me: Nike is Fashion, Adidas is Music, New Balance is Performance, Puma is Racing, Sketchers is Old-People.

[Robusto]

Worn NB for years. Once you find your size, you can buy online, and rest assured they will fit the same way every time

[petestaley]

Ending the dad trainer video with a dad joke is a bold move😅

[halofive]

"There seems to be a New Balance in the battle of the

[mishmohd]

NB looks good. Quality of material and build is better than others, the prices while still high offer more than the competition

[johnwatkin]

Lol I remember my mother getting me New Balance sneakers as a kid because Nikes were too expensive (overpriced), NBs were not cool and some people did make fun of me for having them 😅But I could tell though that they weren't cheap knock offs, they were quality and comfy as could be, and personally I loved 'em.

Edit: I realise NBs were never cheap but my mother got them for two reasons, they were on sale and because of her perception that Nikes were frivolous and overpriced, can't say I disagree (although the kid version of myself very much did lol).

[Robert-vwod]

Love these types of videos that teach people a bit about the history of products.

[ZombieStrantz]

The yeezy 700 was the first big resurgence of the "dad shoe, " not the Triple S. The 700 sat on websites for a while, but as celebrities and other notable people in fashion circles began to wear them, the sneaker took off, and with it the "dad shoe" trend. It hit the sweet spot of 90s nostalgia with a modern twist that people were wanting at that time as you described in the video.

[bmoneyy]

New balance has always been super popular in the streets in certain cities in the states. People in the DMV have always rocked NBs . NBs was also one of the first to charge $200 for a pair of sneakers