Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Analyst Reports

Certain written and oral statements, other than purely historical information, including estimates, projections, statements relating to NIKE’s business plans, objectives and expected operating results, and the assumptions upon which those statements are based, made or incorporated by reference from time to time by NIKE or its representatives in this report, other reports, filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, press releases, conferences, or otherwise, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate, or imply future results, performance, or achievements, and may contain the words “believe”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “estimate”, “project”, “will be”, “will continue”, “will likely result”, or words or phrases of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in reports filed by NIKE with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Forms 8-K, 10-Q, and 10-K, and include, among others, the following: international, national and local general economic and market conditions; the size and growth of the overall athletic footwear, apparel, and equipment markets; intense competition among designers, marketers, distributors and sellers of athletic footwear, apparel, and equipment for consumers and endorsers; demographic changes; changes in consumer preferences; popularity of particular designs, categories of products, and sports; seasonal and geographic demand for NIKE products; difficulties in anticipating or forecasting changes in consumer preferences, consumer demand for NIKE products, and the various market factors described above; difficulties in implementing, operating, and maintaining NIKE’s increasingly complex information systems and controls, including, without limitation, the systems related to demand and supply planning, and inventory control; interruptions in data and information technology systems; data security; fluctuations and difficulty in forecasting operating results, including, without limitation, the fact that advance “futures” orders may not be indicative of future revenues due to changes in shipment timing, and the changing mix of futures and at-once orders and order cancellations; the ability of NIKE to sustain, manage or forecast its growth and inventories; the size, timing and mix of purchases of NIKE’s products; increases in the cost of materials and energy used to manufacture products, new product development and introduction; the ability to secure and protect trademarks, patents, and other intellectual property; performance and reliability of products; customer service; adverse publicity; the loss of significant customers or suppliers; dependence on distributors and licensees; business disruptions; increased costs of freight and transportation to meet delivery deadlines; increases in borrowing costs due to any decline in our debt ratings; changes in business strategy or development plans; general risks associated with doing business outside the United States, including, without limitation, exchange rate fluctuations, import duties, tariffs, quotas, political and economic instability, and terrorism; changes in government regulations; the impact of, including business and legal developments relating to, climate change; liability and other claims asserted against NIKE; the ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; the effects of our decision to divest of the Cole Haan and Umbro businesses; and other factors referenced or incorporated by reference in this report and other reports.

The risks included here are not exhaustive. Other sections of this report may include additional factors which could adversely affect NIKE’s business and financial performance. Moreover, NIKE operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors, nor can it assess the impact of all such risk factors on NIKE’s business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.

Investors should also be aware that while NIKE does, from time to time, communicate with securities analysts, it is against NIKE’s policy to disclose to them any material non-public information or other confidential commercial information. Accordingly, shareholders should not assume that NIKE agrees with any statement or report issued by any analyst irrespective of the content of the statement or report. Furthermore, NIKE has a policy against issuing or confirming financial forecasts or projections issued by others. Thus, to the extent that reports issued by securities analysts contain any projections, forecasts or opinions, such reports are not the responsibility of NIKE.

Our products face intense competition.

NIKE is a consumer products company and the relative popularity of various sports and fitness activities and changing design trends affect the demand for our products. The athletic footwear, apparel, and equipment industry is keenly competitive in the United States and on a worldwide basis. We compete internationally with a significant number of athletic and leisure shoe companies, athletic and leisure apparel companies, sports equipment companies, and large companies having diversified lines of athletic and leisure shoes, apparel, and equipment. We also compete with other companies for the production capacity of independent manufacturers that produce our products and for import quota capacity.

Our competitors’ product offerings, technologies, marketing expenditures (including expenditures for advertising and endorsements), pricing, costs of production, and customer service are areas of intense competition. This, in addition to rapid changes in technology and consumer preferences in the markets for athletic and leisure footwear and apparel, and athletic equipment, constitute significant risk factors in our operations. If we do not adequately and timely anticipate and respond to our competitors, our costs may increase or the consumer demand for our products may decline significantly.

Failure to maintain our reputation and brand image could negatively impact our business.

Our iconic brands have worldwide recognition, and our success depends on our ability to maintain and enhance our brand image and reputation. Maintaining, promoting and growing our brands will depend on our design and marketing efforts, including advertising and consumer campaigns, as well as product innovation. We could be adversely impacted if we fail to achieve any of these objectives or if the reputation or image of any of our brands is tarnished or receives negative publicity. In addition, adverse publicity about regulatory or legal action against us could damage our reputation and brand image, undermine our customers’ confidence in us and reduce long-term demand for our products, even if the regulatory or legal action is unfounded or not material to our operations.

In addition, our success in maintaining, extending and expanding our brand image depends on our ability to adapt to a rapidly changing media environment, including our increasing reliance on social media and online dissemination of advertising campaigns. Negative posts or comments about us on social networking web sites could seriously damage our reputation and brand image. If we do not maintain, extend and expand our brand image, then our product sales, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

If we are unable to anticipate consumer preferences and develop new products, we may not be able to maintain or increase our net revenues and profits.

Our success depends on our ability to identify, originate and define product trends as well as to anticipate, gauge and react to changing consumer demands in a timely manner. All of our products are subject to changing consumer preferences that cannot be predicted with certainty. Our new products may not receive consumer acceptance as consumer preferences could shift rapidly to different types of performance or other sports apparel or away from these types of products altogether, and our future success depends in part on our ability to anticipate and respond to these changes. If

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we fail to anticipate accurately and respond to trends and shifts in consumer preferences by adjusting the mix of existing product offerings, developing new products, designs, styles and categories, and influencing sports and fitness preferences through aggressive marketing, we could experience lower sales, excess inventories and lower profit margins, any of which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, we market our products globally through a diverse spectrum of advertising and promotional programs and campaigns, including social media and online advertising. If we do not successfully market our products or if advertising and promotional costs increase, these factors could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

We rely on technical innovation and high quality products to compete in the market for our products.

Technical innovation and quality control in the design and manufacturing process of footwear, apparel, and athletic equipment is essential to the commercial success of our products. Research and development plays a key role in technical innovation. We rely upon specialists in the fields of biomechanics, exercise physiology, engineering, industrial design and related fields, as well as research committees and advisory boards made up of athletes, coaches, trainers, equipment managers, orthopedists, podiatrists, and other experts to develop and test cutting edge performance products. While we strive to produce products that help to reduce injury, enhance athletic performance and maximize comfort, if we fail to introduce technical innovation in our products, consumer demand for our products could decline, and if we experience problems with the quality of our products, we may incur substantial expense to remedy the problems.

Failure to continue to obtain high quality endorsers of our products could harm our business.

We establish relationships with professional athletes, sports teams and leagues to evaluate, promote, and establish product authenticity with consumers. If certain endorsers were to stop using our products contrary to their endorsement agreements, our business could be adversely affected. In addition, actions taken by athletes, teams or leagues associated with our products that harm the reputations of those athletes, teams or leagues could also harm our brand image with consumers and, as a result, could have an adverse effect on our sales and financial condition. In addition, poor performance by our endorsers, a failure to continue to correctly identify promising athletes to use and endorse our products, or a failure to enter into cost effective endorsement arrangements with prominent athletes and sports organizations could adversely affect our brand and result in decreased sales of our products.

Failure of our contractors or our licensees’ contractors to comply with our code of conduct, local laws, and other standards could harm our business.

We work with hundreds of contractors outside of the United States to manufacture our products, and we also have license agreements that permit unaffiliated parties to manufacture or contract to manufacture products using our trademarks. We impose, and require our licensees to impose, on those contractors a code of conduct and other environmental, health, and safety standards for the benefit of workers. We also require these contractors to comply with applicable standards for product safety. However, from time to time contractors may not comply with such standards or applicable local law or our licensees may not require their contractors to comply with such standards or applicable local law. Significant or continuing noncompliance with such standards and laws by one or more contractors could harm our reputation or result in a product recall and, as a result, could have an adverse effect on our sales and financial condition.

Global capital and credit market conditions, and resulting declines in consumer confidence and spending, could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

The uncertain state of the global economy continues to impact businesses around the world. The current political and economic global environment has resulted in continued economic unpredictability, particularly in Europe where there are concerns regarding the increased debt levels of certain countries and their ability to meet future financial obligations, as well as the overall stability of the Euro currency. Continuing volatility and disruption in the global capital and credit markets have led to a tightening of business credit and liquidity, a contraction of consumer credit, business failures, higher unemployment, and declines in consumer confidence and spending in many parts of the world. If global economic and financial market conditions deteriorate or remain weak for an extended period of time, the following factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition:

Our business is affected by seasonality, which could result in fluctuations in our operating results and stock price.

We experience moderate fluctuations in aggregate sales volume during the year. Historically, revenues in the first and fourth fiscal quarters have slightly exceeded those in the second and third fiscal quarters. However, the mix of product sales may vary considerably from time to time as a result of changes in seasonal and geographic demand for particular types of footwear, apparel and equipment. In addition, our customers may cancel orders, change delivery schedules or change the mix of products ordered with minimal notice. As a result, we may not be able to accurately predict our quarterly sales. Accordingly, our results of operations are likely to fluctuate significantly from period to period. This seasonality, along with other factors that are beyond our control, including general economic conditions, changes in consumer

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preferences, weather conditions, availability of import quotas and currency exchange rate fluctuations, could adversely affect our business and cause our results of operations to fluctuate. Our operating margins are also sensitive to a number of factors that are beyond our control, including manufacturing and transportation costs, shifts in product sales mix, geographic sales trends, and currency exchange rate fluctuations, all of which we expect to continue. Results of operations in any period should not be considered indicative of the results to be expected for any future period.

“Futures” orders may not be an accurate indication of our future revenues.

We make substantial use of our “futures” ordering program, which allows retailers to order five to six months in advance of delivery with the commitment that their orders will be delivered within a set period of time at a fixed price. Our futures ordering program allows us to minimize the amount of products we hold in inventory, purchasing costs, the time necessary to fill customer orders, and the risk of non-delivery. We report changes in futures orders in our periodic financial reports. Although we believe futures orders are an important indicator of our future revenues, reported futures orders are not necessarily indicative of our expectation of changes in revenues for any future period. This is because the mix of orders can shift between futures and at-once orders. In addition, foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, order cancellations, shipping timing, returns, and discounts can cause differences in the comparisons between futures orders and actual revenues. Moreover, a significant portion of our revenue is not derived from futures orders, including at-once and close-out sales of NIKE Brand footwear and apparel, sales of NIKE brand equipment, sales from our Direct to Consumer operations, and sales from our Other Businesses.

Our “futures” ordering program does not prevent excess inventories or inventory shortages, which could result in decreased operating margins and harm to our business.

We purchase products from manufacturers outside of our futures ordering program and in advance of customer orders, which we hold in inventory and resell to customers. There is a risk we may be unable to sell excess products ordered from manufacturers. Inventory levels in excess of customer demand may result in inventory write-downs, and the sale of excess inventory at discounted prices could significantly impair our brand image and have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. Conversely, if we underestimate consumer demand for our products or if our manufacturers fail to supply products we require at the time we need them, we may experience inventory shortages. Inventory shortages might delay shipments to customers, negatively impact retailer and distributor relationships, and diminish brand loyalty.

The difficulty in forecasting demand also makes it difficult to estimate our future results of operations and financial condition from period to period. A failure to accurately predict the level of demand for our products could adversely affect our net revenues and net income, and we are unlikely to forecast such effects with any certainty in advance.

We may be adversely affected by the financial health of our retailers.

We extend credit to our customers based on an assessment of a customer’s financial condition, generally without requiring collateral. To assist in the scheduling of production and the shipping of seasonal products, we offer customers the ability to place orders five to six months ahead of delivery under our “futures” ordering program. These advance orders may be cancelled, and the risk of cancellation may increase when dealing with financially ailing retailers or retailers struggling with economic uncertainty. In the past, some customers have experienced financial difficulties, which have had an adverse effect on our business. As a result, retailers may be more cautious than usual with orders as a result of weakness in the retail economy. A slowing economy in our key markets could have an adverse effect on the financial health of our customers, which in turn could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, product sales are dependent in part on high quality merchandising and an appealing store environment to attract consumers, which requires continuing investments by retailers. Retailers who experience financial difficulties may fail to make such investments or delay them, resulting in lower sales and orders for our products.

Consolidation of retailers or concentration of retail market share among a few retailers may increase and concentrate our credit risk, and impair our ability to sell our products.

The athletic footwear, apparel, and equipment retail markets in some countries are dominated by a few large athletic footwear, apparel, and equipment retailers with many stores. These retailers have in the past increased their market share and may continue to do so in the future by expanding through acquisitions and construction of additional stores. These situations concentrate our credit risk with a relatively small number of retailers, and, if any of these retailers were to experience a shortage of liquidity, it would increase the risk that their outstanding payables to us may not be paid. In addition, increasing market share concentration among one or a few retailers in a particular country or region increases the risk that if any one of them substantially reduces their purchases of our products, we may be unable to find a sufficient number of other retail outlets for our products to sustain the same level of sales and revenues.

Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property rights could adversely affect our business.

We utilize trademarks on nearly all of our products and believe that having distinctive marks that are readily identifiable is an important factor in creating a market for our goods, in identifying us, and in distinguishing our goods from the goods of others. We consider our NIKE ^® and Swoosh Design ^® trademarks to be among our most valuable assets and we have registered these trademarks in almost 150 jurisdictions. In addition, we own many other trademarks that we utilize in marketing our products. We believe that our trademarks, patents, and other intellectual property rights are important to our brand, our success, and our competitive position. We periodically discover products that are counterfeit reproductions of our products or that otherwise infringe on our intellectual property rights. If we are unsuccessful in challenging a party’s products on the basis of trademark or design or utility patent infringement, continued sales of these products could adversely affect our sales and our brand and result in the shift of consumer preference away from our products.

The actions we take to establish and protect trademarks, patents, and other intellectual property rights may not be adequate to prevent imitation of our products by others or to prevent others from seeking to block sales of our products as violations of proprietary rights. We may be subject to liability if third parties successfully claim that we infringe their trademarks, patents, or other intellectual property rights. Defending infringement claims could be expensive and time-consuming and might result in our entering into costly license agreements. We also may be subject to significant damages or injunctions against development and sale of certain products.

In addition, the laws of certain foreign countries may not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. We may face significant expenses and liability in connection with the protection of our intellectual property rights outside the United States, and if we are unable to successfully protect our rights or resolve intellectual property conflicts with others, our business or financial condition may be adversely affected.

We are subject to periodic litigation and other regulatory proceedings, which could result in unexpected expense of time and resources.

From time to time we are called upon to defend ourselves against lawsuits and regulatory actions relating to our business. Due to the inherent uncertainties of litigation and regulatory proceedings, we cannot accurately

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predict the ultimate outcome of any such proceedings. An unfavorable outcome could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, any significant litigation in the future, regardless of its merits, could divert management’s attention from our operations and result in substantial legal fees.

Our international operations involve inherent risks which could result in harm to our business.

Virtually all of our athletic footwear and apparel is manufactured outside of the United States, and the majority of our products are sold outside of the United States. Accordingly, we are subject to the risks generally associated with global trade and doing business abroad, which include foreign laws and regulations, varying consumer preferences across geographic regions, political unrest, disruptions or delays in cross-border shipments, and changes in economic conditions in countries in which we manufacture or sell products. In addition, disease outbreaks, terrorist acts and military conflict have increased the risks of doing business abroad. These factors, among others, could affect our ability to manufacture products or procure materials, our ability to import products, our ability to sell products in international markets, and our cost of doing business. If any of these or other factors make the conduct of business in a particular country undesirable or impractical, our business could be adversely affected. In addition, many of our imported products are subject to duties, tariffs, or quotas that affect the cost and quantity of various types of goods imported into the United States and other countries. Any country in which our products are produced or sold may eliminate, adjust or impose new quotas, duties, tariffs, safeguard measures, anti-dumping duties, cargo restrictions to prevent terrorism, restrictions on the transfer of currency, climate change legislation, product safety regulations or other charges or restrictions, any of which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Changes in tax laws and unanticipated tax liabilities could adversely affect our effective income tax rate and profitability.

We are subject to income taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Our effective income tax rate in the future could be adversely affected by a number of factors, including: changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in tax laws, the outcome of income tax audits in various jurisdictions around the world, and any repatriation of non-US earnings for which we have not previously provided for U.S. taxes. We regularly assess all of these matters to determine the adequacy of our tax provision, which is subject to significant discretion.

Currency exchange rate fluctuations could result in lower revenues, higher costs and decreased margins and earnings.

A majority of our products are sold outside of the United States. As a result, we conduct transactions in various currencies, which increase our exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates relative to the U.S. Dollar. Our international revenues and expenses generally are derived from sales and operations in foreign currencies, and these revenues and expenses could be affected by currency fluctuations, including amounts recorded in foreign currencies and translated into U.S. Dollars for consolidated financial reporting. Currency exchange rate fluctuations could also disrupt the business of the independent manufacturers that produce our products by making their purchases of raw materials more expensive and more difficult to finance. Foreign currency fluctuations could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Our hedging activities (see Note 16 — Risk Management and Derivatives in the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements ), which are designed to minimize and delay, but not to completely eliminate, the effects of foreign currency fluctuations may not sufficiently mitigate the impact of foreign currencies on our financial results. Factors that could affect the effectiveness of our hedging activities include accuracy of sales forecasts, volatility of currency markets, and the availability of hedging instruments. Since the hedging activities are designed to minimize volatility, they not only reduce the negative impact of a stronger U.S. Dollar, but they also reduce the positive impact of a weaker U.S. Dollar. Our future financial results could be significantly affected by the value of the U.S. Dollar in relation to the foreign currencies in which we conduct business. The degree to which our financial results are affected for any given time period will depend in part upon our hedging activities.

Our products are subject to risks associated with overseas sourcing, manufacturing, and financing.

The principal materials used in our apparel products — natural and synthetic fabrics and threads, plastic and metal hardware, and specialized performance fabrics designed to repel rain, retain heat, or efficiently transport body moisture — are available in countries where our manufacturing takes place. The principal materials used in our footwear products — natural and synthetic rubber, plastic compounds, foam cushioning materials, nylon, leather, canvas and polyurethane films — are also locally available to manufacturers. NIKE contractors and suppliers buy raw materials in bulk.

There could be a significant disruption in the supply of fabrics or raw materials from current sources or, in the event of a disruption, we might not be able to locate alternative suppliers of materials of comparable quality at an acceptable price, or at all. In addition, we cannot be certain that our unaffiliated manufacturers will be able to fill our orders in a timely manner. If we experience significant increases in demand, or reductions in the availability of materials, or need to replace an existing manufacturer, there can be no assurance that additional supplies of fabrics or raw materials or additional manufacturing capacity will be available when required on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, or that any supplier or manufacturer would allocate sufficient capacity to us in order to meet our requirements. In addition, even if we are able to expand existing or find new manufacturing or sources of materials, we may encounter delays in production and added costs as a result of the time it takes to train suppliers and manufacturers in our methods, products, quality control standards, and labor, health and safety standards. Any delays, interruption or increased costs in the supply of materials or manufacture of our products could have an adverse effect on our ability to meet retail customer and consumer demand for our products and result in lower revenues and net income both in the short and long-term.

Because independent manufacturers manufacture a majority of our products outside of our principal sales markets, our products must be transported by third parties over large geographic distances. Delays in the shipment or delivery of our products due to the availability of transportation, work stoppages, port strikes, infrastructure congestion, or other factors, and costs and delays associated with consolidating or transitioning between manufacturers, could adversely impact our financial performance. In addition, manufacturing delays or unexpected demand for our products may require us to use faster, but more expensive, transportation methods such as aircraft, which could adversely affect our profit margins. The cost of fuel is a significant component in manufacturing and transportation costs, so increases in the price of petroleum products can adversely affect our profit margins.

In addition, Sojitz America performs significant import-export financing services for most of the NIKE Brand products sold outside of the United States, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Japan, excluding products produced and sold in the same country. Any failure of Sojitz America to provide these services or any failure of Sojitz America’s banks could disrupt our ability to acquire products from our suppliers and to deliver products to our customers outside of the United States, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Japan. Such a disruption could result in cancelled orders that would adversely affect sales and profitability.

Natural disasters could negatively impact our operating results and financial condition.

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis or other adverse weather and climate conditions, whether occurring in the U.S. or abroad, and the consequences and effects thereof, including energy shortages and public health issues, could disrupt our operations, or the operations of our vendors and other suppliers, or result in economic instability that may negatively impact our operating results and financial condition.

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Our success depends on our global distribution facilities.

We distribute our products to customers directly from the factory and through distribution centers located throughout the world. Our ability to meet customer expectations, manage inventory, complete sales and achieve objectives for operating efficiencies depends on the proper operation of our distribution facilities, the development or expansion of additional distribution capabilities, and the timely performance of services by third parties (including those involved in shipping product to and from our distribution facilities). Our distribution facilities could be interrupted by information technology problems and disasters such as earthquakes or fires. Any significant failure in our distribution facilities could result in an adverse affect on our business. We maintain business interruption insurance, but it may not adequately protect us from adverse effects that could be caused by significant disruptions in our distribution facilities.

We rely significantly on information technology to operate our business, including our supply chain and retail operations, and any failure, inadequacy, breach, interruption or security failure of that technology or any misappropriation of any data could harm our reputation or our ability to effectively operate our business.

We are heavily dependent on information technology systems and networks, including the Internet and third-party hosted services (“information technology systems”), across our supply chain, including product design, production, forecasting, ordering, manufacturing, transportation, sales, and distribution, as well as for processing financial information for external and internal reporting purposes and other business activities. Our ability to effectively manage and maintain our inventory and to ship products to customers on a timely basis depends significantly on the reliability of these information technology systems. Over the last several years, as part of the ongoing initiative to upgrade our worldwide supply chain, we have implemented new information technology systems in all of the geographical regions in which we operate. Over the next few years, we will work to continue to enhance these systems and related processes in our global operations. The failure of these systems to operate effectively, problems with transitioning to upgraded or replacement systems, or a breach in security of these systems could cause delays in product fulfillment and reduced efficiency of our operations, could require significant capital investments to remediate the problem, and may have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

We also use information technology systems to process financial information and results of operations for internal reporting purposes and to comply with regulatory financial reporting, legal and tax requirements. If our information technology systems suffer severe damage, disruption or shutdown and our business continuity plans do not effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner, we could experience delays in reporting our financial results, which could result in lost revenues and profits, as well as reputational damage.

In addition, hackers and data thieves are increasingly sophisticated and operate large scale and complex automated attacks. Any breach of our network may result in the loss of valuable business data, our customers’ or employees’ personal information or a disruption of our business, which could give rise to unwanted media attention, damage our customer relationships and reputation and result in lost sales, fines or lawsuits. In addition, we must comply with increasingly complex regulatory standards enacted to protect this business and personal data. An inability to maintain compliance with these regulatory standards could subject us to legal risks.

Furthermore, we depend on information technology systems for digital marketing campaigns and activities and electronic communications throughout the world between and among our employees as well as with other third parties, such as other customers, suppliers and consumers. Our information technology systems are critical to many of our operating activities and our business processes may be negatively impacted by any service interruption or shutdown. Misuse, leakage or falsification of information could result in a violation of data privacy laws and regulations and damage our reputation and credibility and have a negative impact on revenues and profits.

Our financial results may be adversely affected if substantial investments in businesses and operations fail to produce expected returns.

From time to time, we may invest in business infrastructure, acquisitions of new businesses, product offering and manufacturing innovation, and expansion of existing businesses, such as our retail operations, which require substantial cash investments and management attention. We believe cost effective investments are essential to business growth and profitability. However, significant investments are subject to typical risks and uncertainties inherent in acquiring or expanding a business. The failure of any significant investment to provide the returns or profitability we expect could have a material adverse effect on our financial results and divert management attention from more profitable business operations.

We depend on key personnel, the loss of whom would harm our business.

Our future success will depend in part on the continued service of key executive officers and personnel. The loss of the services of any key individual could harm us. Our future success also depends on our ability to identify, attract and retain additional qualified personnel. Competition for employees in our industry is intense and we may not be successful in attracting and retaining such personnel.

The sale of a large number of shares held by our Chairman could depress the market price of our common stock.

Philip H. Knight, Co-founder and Chairman of our Board of Directors, beneficially owns over 74.8% of our Class A Common Stock. If all of his Class A Common Stock were converted into Class B Common Stock, Mr. Knight would own over 15.5% of our Class B Common Stock. These shares are available for resale, subject to the requirements of the U.S. securities laws. The sale or prospect of the sale of a substantial number of these shares could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

Anti-takeover provisions may impair an acquisition of the Company or reduce the price of our common stock.

There are provisions of our articles of incorporation and Oregon law that are intended to protect shareholder interests by providing the Board of Directors a means to attempt to deny coercive takeover attempts or to negotiate with a potential acquirer in order to obtain more favorable terms. Such provisions include a control share acquisition statute, a freeze-out statute, two classes of stock that vote separately on certain issues, and the fact that holders of Class A Common Stock elect three-fourths of the Board of Directors rounded down to the next whole number. However, such provisions could discourage, delay or prevent an unsolicited merger, acquisition or other change in control of our company that some shareholders might believe to be in their best interests or in which shareholders might receive a premium for their common stock over the prevailing market price. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests for control of the Company.

We may fail to meet analyst expectations, which could cause the price of our stock to decline.

Our Class B Common Stock is traded publicly, and at any given time various securities analysts follow our financial results and issue reports on us. These reports include information about our historical financial results as well as the analysts’ estimates of our future performance. The analysts’ estimates are based upon their own opinions and are often different from our estimates or expectations. If our operating results are below the estimates or expectations of public market analysts and investors, our stock price could decline. In the past, securities class action litigation has been brought against NIKE and other companies following a decline in the market price of their securities. If our stock price is volatile, we may become involved in this type of litigation in the future. Any litigation could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources that are needed to successfully run our business.

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