Nike and adidas' share of the sports footwear market as of 2017

Nike and adidas are two of the most popular sports footwear brands in the United States, but it is Nike that dominates the market with a 46 percent share as of 2017.

Athletic footwear in the United States

The sports footwear market in the United States was valued at around 37.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2019 and forecast to reach nearly 70 billion U.S. dollars in 2025. Historically, Nike’s performance on its home turf of North America has been strong, with footwear sales accounting for around 63 percent of the company’s revenue in the region in 2019. However, sales have leveled off in recent years as rival brands such as adidas, Under Armour, and Vans threaten to take market share. For four consecutive years, adidas footwear has ranked higher than Nike in the American customer satisfaction index.

The rise of the resale market

The sneaker resale industry is booming thanks to footwear brands releasing exclusive collections in limited numbers. Individuals lucky enough to get their hands on a pair of rare sneakers must now decide whether to keep them or sell them. Two brands are helping to drive this secondhand market: Air Jordan and YEEZY. Air Jordan’s are produced by Nike and were originally created for former basketball star Michael Jordan; adidas has partnered with music artist Kanye West to design the YEEZY footwear. In 2017, the average resale price of the YEEZY Boost 350 with the Semi Frozen Yellow colorway was 747 U.S. dollars.