reebok has cut their running program, letting about 300 employees go. its a tough break in a tough economy. i am not totally sure what will happen to the athletes but i think they are part of it as well. maybe adidas will pick up some of the more accomplished athletes (kluft is the first that comes to mind) since they are the parent company. hopefully this does not foreshadow anything from other smaller brands: saucony, brooks, mizuno, etc.
Reebok never had a place in running. I hope the employees find (decent) jobs, but Reebok should have never been in the running business.
Runners Run wrote:
Reebok should have never been in the running business.
Even when Arthur Lydiard was making their shoes?
jean wrote:
Runners Run wrote:Reebok should have never been in the running business.
Even when Arthur Lydiard was making their shoes?
arthur was connected to converse and eb brutting(?). i have no recollection of him ever working with reebok and as a "lydiard guy" i am old enough to remember.
best to the people who were let go.
too bad. some of the shoe product was just starting to get good.
[quote]Runners Run wrote:
Reebok never had a place in running. [quote]
Reebok was started in 1895 (as J.W. Foster & Sons) making some of the first track spikes. They were almost exclusively a running shoe company until the '80's. I've worn many pairs of Reeboks because they've made some fantastic shoes. It's only been in the last 10 years that they've lost their way.
adidas did not cut Reebok running. They cut a lot of Golf positions at TaylorMade and some Reebok jobs, for a 3.4% cut in jobs.
What does that mean for BIG? Which is not far away
NICK WILLIS IS NOW A FREE AGENT!!!
NIKE? ADIDAS?
GR wrote:
adidas did not cut Reebok running. They cut a lot of Golf positions at TaylorMade and some Reebok jobs, for a 3.4% cut in jobs.
Adidas cut Reebok specialty running. They let go all their reps(read on Keith Kellys blog) and after commitments to events for 2009 are done they will let go events too. Adidas will be making cuts to their own brand soon enough. The running world was eventually going to see the downturn backfire. The smaller brands should be ok but I heard Brooks let go about 25 employees this week too.
It appears that Reebok sponsors more top US female distance runners than any shoe company -- except for Nike.
Reebok:
Kim Smith, Blake Russell, Katie McGreggor, Jenelle Deatherage, Marie Davenport, Mary Cullen, Missy Buttry, Julia Lucas, Samia Akbar, Sarah Jamieson (Australia) and Monique Henderson (200m/400m sprinter). Only Reebok top male runner I know of Martin Fagan.
Nike:
Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher, Laura Fleshman, Shannon Rowbury, Ari Lambie, Amy Yoder-Begley, Shayne Culpepper, Anna Willard, Erin Donohue, Renee Metivier Baillie.
Adidas:
Jen Rhines, Tiffany McWilliams, Amy Rudolph, Carrie Tollefson, Malindi Elmore, Amy Hastings.
Asics:
Deena Kastor, Sara Hall.
New Balance:
Roisin McGettigan, Marina Muncan.
Saucony:
Molly Huddle, Magdalena Lewy-Boulet.
Puma:
Delilah DeCrescenzo.
Best hope for these Reebok women is Reebok’s parent company Adidas or to go with Nike. Other shoe companies sponsor at most two top female distance runners. This is also going to be very tough on top collegiate runners graduating this year.
I welcome replies with additions to the above lists.
rail trail runner wrote:
jean wrote:Even when Arthur Lydiard was making their shoes?
arthur was connected to converse and eb brutting(?). i have no recollection of him ever working with reebok and as a "lydiard guy" i am old enough to remember.
best to the people who were let go.
I'm also not aware of Arthur working with Reebok, but he might have. I remember EB Bruting (ugliest running shoes ever made!), Converse (OK, but even Arthur couldn't help this BB shoe company). I think also he had a connection with Brooks, possibly helping him with his U.S. tour. I'll ask my friend Nobby who knows just about everything pertaining to Arthur Lydiard.
I owned a running shoe store for about 30 years, and can honestly say Reebok was never a big factor in our business. Only when they dominated the aerobics market were they marginally important to us; we sold their "Farah Fawcett" shoe in decent numbers (they came in about 10 different colors). Looking back, I'm almost embarrassed to admit this! Also, their high point as far as I'm concerned was when the great British marathoner Ron Hill raced in "World 10s", a super light racing flat with holes on the upper to "let the blood out". Also, Steve Jones raced in Reeboks, I believe. So they did have some credibility historically.
From a local interest, Katie McGregor from Team USA Minnesota runs for Reebok, and I hope she can get picked up by Adidas or some other shoe company. She's a tough runner who would be a great asset to a shoe company, IMHO.
Where is Keith Kelleys blog located? I did a search and cannot find it. Would love to see what he is up to these days and also cant believe these reebok cuts!
So did Reebok ever have great running products in the last 15 years? Don't remember too many great shoes.
Don't Nick Willis, Nate Brannen and Kevin Sullivan all run for Reebok?
By the way, the listed athletes are not all US athletes, they may be US based but
Kim Smith (NZL)
Roisin Mcgettin (IRL)
Martin Fagan (isn't he from Irl?)
Does anyone have a link to information verifying this move by Reebok?
Kelly's blog is here: http://kelrock.blogspot.com/
When Reebok was UK company they were a running company and one of the oldest and most respected at that, when the yanks took over they went across to several areas, most notably aerobics and that move both made and destroyed the company, finance wise it was a great move, credibility wise it was a death sentence.
the torres brothers are reebok, so is fernando cabada (same training group). i wonder what will happen to that group, i think reebok might be their main sponsor. zap fitness was also sponsored by reebok, its going to be tough for them to keep going.
So they did just stop sponsoring runners or did they pull a Fila and completely stop making running shoes?
What about Lukezic!?!?