The Top 10 Most Popular Brands of Sports Shoes

TOP SHOES BRAND

Their logos adorn the shoes worn by the most famous athletes in the world. They actually bid for the right to provide an athlete the footwear he would use for his competitions. In return, the said athlete would provide his endorsement and, hopefully, the millions of adoring fans around the world would heed his advice and follow his example by buying sneakers from the same brand.
How many of us have bought our sports idol’s shoes hoping that we could replicate his moves, jump a little higher, run a little faster and control the ball a little better by gearing up with the same footwear brand? Here is a list of the top 10 most popular brands of sports shoes in the world.

1. Nike

Nike is an American company founded in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports. It changed its name in 1978 to Nike, who is the Greek goddess of victory. Its “Just Do It” slogan and swoosh logo are some of the most recognizable marketing items in the world today. It is considered to be the leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel.  Its first endorser was Ilie Nastase, a tennis star back in the 1970s from Romania. It also had legendary track athletes in its roster, including Steve Prefontaine, Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Sebastian Coe. The company’s signing of Michael Jordan, however, proved to be its biggest coup.

2. Adidas

Adolf Dassler established Adidas in 1948 in Germany. It can trace its roots, however, to 1924 when the Gebruder Dassler Schuhfabrik was founded by Adolf and his brother, Rudolf. The two split up in 1949, however, with Rudolf establishing Puma. The basic design of Adidas is the three parallel bars, which is also incorporated in the company’s logo. Its endorsers include legendary basketball players like Pete Maravich, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, James Worthy, John Havlicek and Elgin Baylor. Current athletes on its roster include Lionel Messi, Kaka, Lucas Moura, David Beckham, Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard.

3. Reebok

The company was founded in 1895 as J.W. Foster and Sons in England. It came from a desire by the founder to create a spiked running shoe for his sons. In 1958, his grandsons, Joe and Jeff, renamed the company as Reebok, which is the Afrikaan spelling of rhebok, a type of antelope or gazelle native to the continent. Paul Fireman brought it to the United States in 1979 after seeing a pair in an international trade show. Endorsers include Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, Peyton Manning, Tim Lincecum and Justin Verlander. Reebok has been a subsidiary of Adidas since 2005.

4. Puma

Following the disagreement between Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, Adolf formed Adidas in 1948 while Rudolf countered with Ruda. He later changed it to Puma.
The brothers had hit a goldmine before the split when they convinced Jesse Owens to wear their shoes in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Afterwards, the brothers started to grow apart. Both became members of the Nazi party, but Rudolf blamed his brother for his arrest by American soldiers. The two brands became bitter rivals and divided their town. Even their sons got involved after Puma violated an agreement not to outdo each other in trying to get Pele’s endorsement in the 1970 World Cup. Its other endorsers included Eusebio, Johan Cruyff, Joe Namath and Walt Frazier.

5. Converse

Marquis Mills Converse established the company in 1908 as the Converse Rubber Shoe Company. In 1915, it began making tennis shoes. A company milestone occurred in 1917 when a basketball player named Charles H. Taylor walked into its office because of sore feet. He designed a high-top sneaker that became the classic we know today as “Chuck Taylor.” It was the shoe worn by Wilt Chamberlain when he scored 100 points in an NBA game in 1962. Michael Jordan was also wearing a Converse when he converted the winning basket in the 1982 NCAA finals. It was the official shoes of the NBA for a long time, with legends like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Julius Erving all wearing it. Sadly, it has now disappeared from the league. The last player to wear a Converse on the court was Udonis Haslem, but he switched to Li-Ning in November 2012. Nike has owned Converse since 2003 after a $305 million buyout.

6. New Balance

New Balance was established in 1906 as the New Balance Arch Support Company. It seldom goes on expensive advertising campaigns. Its shoes are also typically more expensive than its rivals because it maintains manufacturing plants in the U.S. and the U.K. Its shoes are known by its model numbers as the company prefer not to give it names that would distract from the emphasis on the New Balance name.

7. Fila

Fila Ltd. was established in 1911 in Italy. It is known for its logo that features its name in snakelike letters. It used to be endorsed by Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg. It collapsed in 2003, however, forcing it to sell to a hedge fund company. Fila Korea, however, was a distinct company and it bought all the rights to the company in 2007.

8. K-Swiss

The brothers Art and Ernie Brunner of Switzerland founded k-Swiss in Los Angeles in 1966.  It was the first company to create leather tennis shoes. The white stripe on white leather design was considered a classic, so much so that Steven Nichols bought out the company in 1986. Popularity further increased with their “Put Your Spin on It” campaign that allowed users to customize the stripes’ color.

9. Asics

It is an abbreviation for “anima sana in corpore sano,” which is Latin for a healthy soul in a healthy body. It was established in Japan in 1949 as Panmure Co. Ltd. Endorsers include Newcastle, Sunderland, Leeds and Aston Villa football teams.

10. Li-Ning

Li-Ning is a Chinese company established in 1990. It created ripples in the NBA when it signed Shaquille O’Neal to a contract in 2006. In 2012, it made its biggest score when Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat agreed to endorse its product. His teammate Udonis Haslem has since followed suit.

WORLDS TOP 10 EXPENSIVE CARS

1. Bugatti Veyron $1,700,000

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is the most powerful, most expensive, and fastest street-legal production car in the world, with a proven top speed of over 400 km/h (407 km/h or 253 mph). It reached full production in September 2005. The car is built by Volkswagen AG subsidiary Bugatti Automobiles SAS and is sold under the legendary Bugatti marque. It is named after racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti firm. The Veyron features a W16 engine—16 cylinders in 4 banks of 4 cylinders.



2. Ferrari Enzo $1,000,000

The Enzo Ferrari, sometimes referred to as the the Ferrari Enzo and also F60 is a 12-cylinder Ferrari supercar named after the company's founder, Enzo Ferrari. It was built in 2003 using Formula One technology, such as a carbon-fiber body, F1-style sequential shift transmission, and carbon-ceramic brake discs. Also used are technologies not allowed in F1 such as active aerodynamics. After a maximum downforce of 1709 pounds (775 kg) is reached at 186 mph (301 km/h) the rear spoiler is actuated by computer to maintain that downforce.


3.Pagani Zonda C12 F $741,000

The Zonda C12 F debuted at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. It is the most extensive reengineering of the Pagani car yet, though it shares much with its predecessors including the 7.3 L V12. Power is increased to 602 PS (443 kW/594 hp) with a special clubsport model producing 650 PS (478 kW/641 hp). The company promises a 3.2 second sprint to 60 mph (97 km/h, a top speed over 374 km/h (225 mph) and it will be the queen in braking from 300 km/h to 0 (186 mph to 0). The Zonda F clubsport has a power to weight ratio of 521 bhp/ton (384 W/kg) . Compare, for example, the Enzo Ferrari which has a power to weight ratio of 483 bhp/ton (356 W/kg).



4. Koenigsegg CCX $600,910



The Koenigsegg CCX is the latest supercar from Koenigsegg. CCX is an abbreviation for Competition Coupe X. The X commemorates the 10th anniversary of the completion and test drive of the first CC vehicle in 1996. The CCX is intended to be more suitable for the U.S. market and thus engineered to comply with US regulations. The CCX is powered by a Koenigsegg designed and assembled, all aluminium, 4700 cm³ DOHC 32-valve V8 based on the Ford Modular engine architecture enhanced with twin Rotrex centrifugal superchargers with response system, 1.2 bar boost pressure and an 8.2:1 compression ratio. The engine produces 806 hp (601 kW) and 678 lbf.ft (920 Nm) on 91 octane (U.S. rating) gasoline, 850 hp (634 kW) on 96 octane (Euro rating) gasoline and 900 hp (671 kW) on biofuel


 

5.Porsche Carrera GT $484,000

The Porsche Carrera GT is a supercar, manufactured by Porsche of Germany. The Carrera GT is powered by an all-new 5.7 litre V10 engine producing 612 SAE horsepower (450 kW). Porsche claims it will accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62.5 mph) in 3.9 seconds and has a maximum speed of 330 km/h (206 mph), although road tests indicated that in actuality the car could accelerate from 0-60 in under 3.5 seconds and to 0-100 in 6.8 seconds and has a top speed of 335-340km/h (209-212.5mph).
 

 

6.Mercedes SLR McLaren $455,500

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is a sports car and supercar automobile co-developed by DaimlerChrysler and McLaren Cars. It is assembled at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. Most people presume "SLR" to stand for "Sportlich, Leicht, Rennsport" (German for "Sport; Light; Racing"). The car's base price is £300,000 or $455,500. The SLR has a supercharged 5.5 (5439cc) litre dry sumped 90 degree V8. It produces 466.8 kW at 6500rpm (626 hp) and 780 N·m (575 ft·lbf) torque at 3250 - 5000 rpm.
 

 

7.Maybach 62 $385,250

The Maybach 57 and 62 were the first automobile models of the Maybach brand since the brand's revival by DaimlerChrysler. They are derived from the Mercedes-Benz Maybach concept car presented at the 1997 Tokyo Motorshow (which was based on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan). DaimlerChrysler attempted to buy the Rolls-Royce/Bentley marque when Vickers offered the company up for sale. When this attempt failed (they were outbid by BMW and Volkswagen respectively) they introduced the Maybach as a direct challenger in 2002. Both models are variants of the same ultra-luxurious automobile. The model numbers reflect the respective lengths of the automobiles in decimetres; the 57 is more likely to be owner-driven while the longer 62 is designed with a chauffeur in mind. The engine is a Mercedes-sourced 5.5-liter twin-turbo V12, generating 550 hp.

 

8.Rolls-Royce Phantom $320,000

The Rolls-Royce Phantom is a luxury saloon automobile made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, a BMW subsidiary. It was launched in 2003 and is the first Rolls-Royce model made under the ownership of BMW. It has a 6.8 L, 48-valve, V12 engine that produces 453 hp (338 kW) and 531 ft·lbf (720 N·m) of torque. The engine is derived from BMW's existing V12 powerplant. It is 1.63 m (63 in) tall, 1.99 m (74.8 in) wide, 5.83 m (228 in) long, and weighs 2485 kg (5478 lb). The body of the car is built on an aluminium spaceframe and the Phantom can accelerate to 60 mph (100 km/h) in 5.7 s

 

9.Lamborghini Murcielago $279,900

 The Lamborghini Murciélago is a GT and supercar automobile made by Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. and designed by Luc Donckerwolke. It was introduced in 2002 as the successor to the Diablo. The body style is a two door, two seat coupé. The LP640 version was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March of 2006. It features a 6.5 L engine, now producing 640 bhp, improving performance substantially. There were also a few minor external changes, primarily to the low air intakes.

 

 

 10.Aston Martin Vanquish $255,000

The Aston Martin V12 Vanquish is a supercar manufactured by Aston Martin since 2001. It rose to fame after being featured as the official James Bond car in Die Another Day, the twentieth James Bond film. In the film, the Vanquish has the usual Bond film embellishments, including active camouflage which rendered the vehicle virtually invisible. The Vanquish is powered by a 5.9 L (5935 cc) 48-valve 60° V12 engine, which produces 343 kW (460 hp) and 542 N·m (400 ft·lbf) of torque. It is controlled by a fly-by-wire throttle and a 6 speed 'paddle shift' or semi-automatic transmission. A special V12 Vanquish S debuted at the 2004 Paris Auto Show with the power upped to 388 kW (520 hp) and 577 N·m (426 ft·lbf).  

TOP 10 MOST BEAUTIFUL COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD

1 | ITALY

The world's most beautiful city, the most inspiring cultural treasures, and magnificent scenery: Nowhere else in the world will you find a bigger concentration of beauty. There'sVenice, Florence and Rome with their varied architecture, the natural masterpiece that is Tuscany with its rolling hills, vineyards and snow-peaked mountains. Then there's the perfect naturalist painting that is the Amalfi Coast or Lake Maggiore and the Alps and you get the sense that no country on Earth offers as much beauty anywhere you turn as Italy. 

 

2 | SPAIN The most common image of Spain is of the dreadful overdevelopment of the Costa del Sol or of the coastline of some of the Balearic Islands, but Spain is so much more than that. It's perhaps the most diverse country in the world, with everything from white Mediterranean villages to sophisticated urban centers. You won't find a city with a greater sense of individuality than Barcelona, and from the Pyrenees to Andalusia, Spain could serve as the backdrop for any kind of film, book or painting. It's also the world's most seductive country, passionate about living the good life reflected on grand plazas in even the smaller cities, in well-preserved historic centers, and in the smallest of villages perched on hilltops. To top it all off, there are some of the world's grandest, most powerful and incomparable architectural treasures, from the Alhambra to the Great Mosque of Cordoba.  3 | FRANCE Paris exudes the most perfect atmosphere of cultural grandeur but although the capital gets all the attention, France offers so much more. Villages with abundant Old World charm are all over the country, from around the magnificent Loire Valley to verdant Provence. Then there's the glamorous Riviera and if you want to see the world's greatest palace (Versailles) and museum (the Louvre), here they are. But France is also a country of world-class living in outdoor cafes, in perfectly-preserved towns and in wine-producing regions such as Bordeaux and Champagne. If that's not enough, see the majesty of Mont St. Michel, the numerous chateaux all over the country and the spectacular panorama of the Chamonix valley.    4 | AUSTRALIA Australia is more than a country, it's a continent and still more than that. It's its own world, from the Outback and the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park with its world-renowned stone monolith to the Kakadu National Park. It's in fact wild parks and a wide range of landscapes that make Australia so extraordinary, from the Mornington Peninsula National Park facing the open sea to the Great Barrier Reef that's one of the natural wonders of the world, to the unspoiled tropical Whitsunday Islands, but then there's Sydney and its harbor, one of the most beautiful and iconic urban areas. Australia has it all, to be admired before or after a ride down the Great Ocean Road.    OPERA HOUSE, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 5 | GREECE The Greek Islands on the blue waters of the Aegean Sea are home to some of the world's most beautiful beaches. They're the first images of the country but then there's the majestic Mt. Olympus, extraordinary Meteora, and ancient ruins around the country. WhileAthens disappoints those looking for aesthetic inspiration, Greece is a country that truly satisfies all the senses and it's understandable how the idea of so many gods originated here.    SANTORINI, GREECE 6 | PORTUGAL For the pristine natural wonders of the volcanic Azores alone, Portugal would be on this list. Then there's the "floating garden" that is Madeira, the dramatic coastline and mystical capes of the mainland, the serene plains of the Alentejo with the stunningly-sited white medieval vilages of Marvão and Monsaraz, the Peneda-Gerês National Park, or the perfect collaboration of man and nature in the magic fantasy of Sintra and verdant Douro Valley. And while the old centers of Lisbon and Porto are inexplicably rundown and stubbornly neglected, it's hard to match their scenic beauty with their grand riverside settings. Everything is in a small scale but when all combined it's impressive how so much diverse beauty somehow fits in such a tiny country that seems to be a favorite of the sun.    ALGARVE, PORTUGAL

7 | USA

It has the ugliest cities in the developed world linked by shopping mall roads of fast food joints, car lots, billboards, cheap hotels and soulless suburbs (with populations obliviously living the American nightmare), but when it comes to nature, America really is the beautiful. There are the Hawaiian islands, the epic scale of the Grand Canyon, the extraordinarily clear waters of Lake Tahoe, California's Big Sur, the wildlife in Alaska, the breathtaking scenery of Monument Valley or of Yellowstone, Yosemite and the other great national parks, the forestland of the Great Smoky Mountains... The list of natural wonders seems to go on forever and then there's San Francisco to save the country on the offer of beauty in an urban setting. 

NIAGARA FALL, USA

8 | BRAZIL

It has one of the world's most beautiful cities (Rio de Janeiro) and one of the ugliest(São Paulo) but Brazil really is blessed by nature. The Amazon is incomparable, impossible to begin to imagine its magnitude, and the horseshoe-shaped falls of Iguaçu regularly watched by a rainbow is one of the world's most breathtaking sights. The colonial baroque architecture of the northeast with their golden interiors mixed with singular traditions give it one of the world's most soulful atmospheres, and if the country's other major cities weren't so bland (Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, etc.), Brazil would actually rank higher on this list. 

 
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

9 | SOUTH AFRICA

Cape Town is one of the world's most beautiful cities (let's just say it's number 11 on our top 10 list), and the Kruger National Park is one of the most memorable experiences on the planet for anyone who visits. South Africa offers epic diversity of landscapes, from the Blyde River Canyon to the Drakensberg Mountains. With all of that it's almost easy to forget that it's also a country full of problems with a capital city that is best avoided, but escape to the Cape and grab your camera to photograph all in between and you'll be savoring one of the most awe-inspiring territories on the planet. 

 
Gert Louw – from Cape Town, South Africa 

10 | GERMANY

Yes, Germany. Perhaps the world's most underrated country, Germany is a place of fairytales and architectural jewels. They're not necessarily found in the largest cities (Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, or Cologne which are more vibrant than beautiful) but Munich has its charms and smaller cities such as Dresden, Leipzig and Potsdam have been preserved or restored to fairytale eye candy. But the real storybook Germany is found all along Bavaria's Romantic Road with its wealth of unbelievable castles, in the Alps' gorgeous lakes and mountains, in the magical land of the Rhine with its vineyards or in the enchanting Black Forest. Begin to tour the country and you'll discover a land of constant surprises, from the university city of Heidelberg, to old Bremen or Bamberg, to the wonderfully preserved medieval towns of Regensburg and Rothenburg.

 
BAVARIA, GERMANY

 

COUNTRIES WITH MOST BEAUTIFULL GIRLS

1. Beautiful boys and girls are found in every part of the world, but it is true that some countries and nations are lucky enough to have prettier and hot girls as compared to the other places. But it doesn’t mean the beauty is restricted to these lands only. What I mean to say it here you can find plenty of gorgeous, hot and beautiful women and men in a much higher proportion. So let’s check out the list of top 10 countries with the most beautiful girls in the world.
   1. United States:
   
   United States is not only a land of natural beauties but also a place where the people are charming and beautiful. The women and girls of USA possess remarkable beauties. They love to style their hairs as per the current fashion trends, which is a plus point to enhance their beauty and appeal.
   
   
   2. Venezuela:
   
   Venezuela is a beauty gifted land. Here not only the natural beauty is highly admirable but also the hot and gorgeous females are every eye loving. Venezuela has won various Miss World, Miss Universe and other awards which make us believe that the girls of this land are really hot and appeal to make the outside world’s people crazier.
   
   
   
   
   3. Argentina:
   
   The Argentina females are always beauty conscious. These ladies especially the young girls pay much attention on their skin and hair care and do their best to look hot and bold. This is why the overall girls of Argentina are charming enough.
   4. India:
   
   India is a mulch-cultured land where the women of every age group and every culture can be found easily. Overall the young girls of India are beautiful, no matter they are fat or slim; long heighted or short heighted. What makes these girls amazing and beautiful is their personalities and black-shiny hairs which you cannot find anywhere else to this much extent.
   
   
   5. Russia:
   
   
   The Russian girls are not only bold but also usually long-heighted, which means here more than average number of females have fairly long heights and gorgeous figures. The rate of obese women in Russia is close to none.
   6. Denmark:
   
   Denmark is gifted with numerous beauty pageants and fashion models. This small yet beautiful land is full of hot and sexy looking girls. Basically the females here take good care of their health and do everything to make them attractive and cool looking
   7. Ukraine:
   
   Ukraine’s women are among the most bold and beautiful women in the world. These ladies have so far won a lot of Miss World and Miss Universe awards and you can see a lot of beauties of Brazil participating in different contests around the globe.
   8. Brazil:
   
   
   
   
   
   Brazil is a land of beauties. No matter you name its natural beauty of the beauty of human beings, always there is some spark to enjoy with in this country. The school and college going girls of Brazil truly look beautiful and stunning because of the highest level of innocence which is being reflected from their faces. In addition to this the adult females have bold and attractive bodies which are enough to make us crazy.
   9. South Korea:
   
   The South Korean beauties possess innocent and appealing personalities. The girls of this country look really attractive due to their innocent and cute looking face. This is always well reflected in the South Korean movies that how much beautiful and charming these females are.
   10. Singapore:
   
   The women and young girls of Singapore have fair skins and medium heights. Their appeal is reflected in the unique and distinctive way they walk. More than this these ladies’ long and shiny hairs are enough attractive to grasp our attention.