Just Another Nike Blog

 October 30, 2020 - A clear-cut synergy exists between the Nike Phantom GT boot and the brand’s iconic 2002 advertisement, “Secret Tournament.” The style of football — filled with the era’s creative playmaking icons — set stage for the evolution of expressive, risk-taking footballers for whom the Phantom GT was designed.  Launched in March 2002, the campaign centered on a fictional 8-team, 3-a-side tournament, first goal wins. All matches took place in an enclosed “cage” on a ship. Its timing coincided with international play in South Korea and Japan, and with local 3-a-side tournaments staged around the world.  With the Phantom GT Scorpion, the generational link between “Secret Tournament” and boot materializes through a chrome upper and plate referencing the tournament’s ball, painted brush strokes mimicking the on-ship location and the yellow/black hazard stripes framing the goals. Additionally, a lateral scorpion graphic, featuring the phrases “Secret Tournament” and ...

Football boot design is unique. While all athletic shoes are designed to engage with the foot, football boots are also designed to engage directly with the object of play. For this reason, scientists in the Nike Sport Research Lab (NSRL) have spent countless hours analyzing the various angles and intensities with which the ball comes onto and off of a boot when playing football. The Phantom GT is designed for players who move the ball with a high degree of dexterity between and around opponents. By studying at a micro level how the ball connects with the boot, pressure maps and data points were formed to guide parameters for generative design. Another integral consideration are vector forces. Both of these areas of study support the goal of creating a new, useful, innovative texture for a boot. The design of the Phantom GT (Generative Texture) used these digital data sets to create a boot built to help perfect feel on the ball and unleash a player’s creative skills. During two yea...