Ok, in light of the current Nike v. Boris Berian legal battle, triggered by his decision to side with New Balance, I'd like to spark an honest debate about the relative merits of the two companies and their respective products.
New Balance, in my opinion, is the overall best brand on the market right now, and it continues to ascend onwards and upwards.
When I look at a Nike shoe, when I feel its materials, when I put it on my feet - my overwhelming impression is that this shoe is cheap. It's like someone cobbled together their vague idea of what a running shoe might be from cardboard, foam, and construction paper. The same goes for the majority of Nike apparel. I do concede, however, that Nike's racing shoes (spikes and flats) are of objectively high quality.
New Balance shoes, by contrast, look and feel like actual shoes. They're substantial, plush, responsive, quick, supportive, durable, and aesthetically attractive. Twenty years ago, New Balance was nowhere; ten years ago, they were barely on the radar; today, they're producing simply excellent product, worn by a stable of top notch runners. To top it off, NB has finally managed to produce a line of spikes that are almost as good - if not as good - as Nike's. This is a rare feat, as no other company's racing footwear comes anywhere near that mark.
Lastly, from an ethical angle, New Balance is never embroiled with the same sort of thuggery, labor violations, and scandals that seem to dog Nike. Instead, New Balance continues to support high school, college, and professional distance running in a responsible, uncontroversial fashion, whilst maintaining at least a small domestic manufacturing presence. Bottom line: buy New Balance, not Nike. Boris made the right choice siding with a truly American company.