By: Erin Irish
Reebok was founded in 1958 in Bolton, England by J.W. Foster and Sons. Joe Foster won a South African dictionary in a running race and discovered the name the company would be called. In the dictionary, he found the Afrikaans word for the grey rhebok, which is a type of African antelope. In 2005, the global athletic apparel and footwear company became a subsidiary of Adidas. In 2016, their global headquarters moved to Boston, Massachusetts. The company is the official footwear and clothing sponsor for UFC, Crossfit, Spartan Race, and Les Mills.
The company has produced clothing, uniforms, gear, and footwear for many sports. They have supplied the NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, CFL, various soccer leagues and clubs around the world, including but not limited to Brazil, Europe, India, and Mexico. They also supply apparel and footwear for boxing, ice hockey, lacrosse, MMA, and track and field. Some famous athletes Reebok has sponsored are Eli Manning, Floyd Mayweather, Allen Iverson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Conor McGregor. A few non-athletic endorsements have included the rapper Jay-Z, actress Scarlett Johansson, and Emporio Armani.