🧪 The Science Behind Nike’s Rarest Product Ever

Sponsored by

On May 6, 1954, 25-year-old Robert Bannister did something that had never been accomplished in all of recorded human history: he ran a mile in under 4 minutes.

Then, just 46 days later, it happened again.

Since then, 1,755 athletes have accomplished this “impossible” feat. I feel like there’s a good lesson in there somewhere.

In today’s newsletter:

🗞 The Big Story: The Science Behind Nike’s Rarest Product Ever

📉 Biggest Loser: Robo-Umps Are Coming, But What Should We Expect?

🏆 Winner’s Circle: Meet the Scientist Who Cured Jet Lag (Seriously)

Looking for unbiased, fact-based news? Join 1440 today.

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Subscribe to 1440 today.

🗞 The Big Story

This suit is the rarest product Nike has ever made, but it could help one woman do something that no one thought was even possible.

Background: Back in February, a study out of London made headlines in the running community when it theorized that it was technically possible for a woman to run a mile in less than four minutes. This was a significant breakthrough, as the closest a woman had ever come to breaking the four-minute barrier was Faith Kipyegon’s record-setting 4 minutes, 7.64-second time in 2023.

Still, the study hypothesized that “by sufficiently reducing aerodynamic drag,” it would be physiologically possible for Faith to become the first female to run a sub-4-minute mile.

So, her sponsor, Nike, got to work developing what would become the most unique and technologically advanced suit in racing history, but how they did it was actually quite surprising.

Behind the Science: Now, when you think of what it would take to make a runner more aerodynamic, you’re mind probably first goes to making whatever they’re wearing as tight as possible to reduce wind resistance.

But for someone as fast as Faith, that’s not good enough.

That’s because while she attempts to run a sub-four-minute mile, she’ll be running at 15 miles per hour. At this speed, the air that hits her body will whip around her, creating large pockets behind her that will pull her back and slow her down.

To counteract this, scientists at Nike created a suit with hundreds of these small nodes, strategically placing them in various sizes all around her body, with some as small as the tip of a pencil.

At first glance, it might seem like this extra surface area would only serve to slow Faith down, but in fact, these “Nike Areonodes” actually split the air in front of Faith as she runs and create smaller pockets of air behind her to reduce drag.

Nike scientists describe the effect as keeping the wind “attached” or “streamlined” to her body, just like what happens in the middle of a rushing river when water flows around a rock, resulting in a calm pocket of water behind it called an eddy.

Fully Custom Suit: Now, while this full-body suit was modeled after similar pieces Nike has created for other record attempts, the company said that this version of the Fly Suit is a true one-of-a-kind, along with the custom 3D-printed sports bra and ultra-light spikes they made specifically for Faith’s record-breaking attempt.

And while she was unable to break the 4-minute barrier this time around, there’s no doubt that the technology like this now makes it more possible than ever.

📉 Biggest Loser

MLB is about to make one of the biggest changes in baseball’s history, but there’s an argument to be made that they’re not going far enough.

Robo-Ump Proposal: Commissioner Rob Manfred recently announced that he plans to propose an automated ball-strike system for next year’s regular season. If approved, MLB teams will utilize the same Hawk-Eye cameras already installed in each ballpark to power Statcast. However, instead of relying on the automated system to call every pitch, MLB will likely implement a system similar to the one currently being tested in Triple-A minor league baseball, which allows teams to challenge two pitches per game.

But what if they took things even further?

Well, thanks to another top baseball league, we already know what having robo-umps would be like, and the results have been pretty surprising.

KBO’s Robo-Umps: For the past two seasons, the KBO, Korea’s top baseball league, has used a fully automated system to call balls and strikes. The way it works is a human umpire will still stand behind the catcher, but now he has an earpiece that gives him the call based on data captured on cameras around the stadium.

The KBO’s automated strike zone uses the corners of the plate and adds 2 centimeters to each side as a starting point and then adjusts the zone vertically with a formula that accounts for the batter’s height.

In its first two seasons in use, ABS has resulted in:

• +0.3% walk rate (9.1% → 9.4%)

• +2.2% strikeout rate (17.7% → 19.9%)

And while some players have complained that the zone seems inconsistent from stadium to stadium, they do admit that at least now the zone is the same for both teams.

Buy-In: However, perhaps the most surprising impact of ABS in Korea has been the extent to which fans love it. For context, the KBO endured some bad headlines years ago with allegations of bribery, but now, fans (some of them gamblers) can be more confident than ever that the strike zone is both consistent and fair.

Still, regardless of what fans think, robo-umps will first have to win the favor of players if they ever want a shot at fully making it to Major League Baseball.

To read more about how baseball fans, players, and executives have been dealing with robo-umps in Korea and what it might mean for Major League Baseball, check out Joe Lemire’s piece in the Sports Business Journal.

🏆 Winner’s Circle

This scientist just solved the most common problem in sports that no one is talking about. Let’s break it down.

Background: This is Andrew Herr, a former scientist for the U.S. Military who spent over seven years studying biotechnology for elite units, including the Navy SEALs and fighter pilots.

Now, for these specialized military groups who are executing dangerous and complex missions all around the world, it’s vitally important that they arrive at their location feeling well-rested.

However, throughout his research, Andrew began to notice that the significant changes in air pressure that occurred as these military units regularly flew across the globe resulted in inflammation that impaired their cognitive, emotional, and physical functions.

And according to his research, this inflammation would make it “nearly impossible” to shift their circadian rhythms quickly enough to avoid extreme jet lag, a problem that already affects 93% of all travelers, much less Navy SEALs and fighter pilots who are traveling around the world.

That’s why, in 2016, Andrew left his job working for the military and began working with business executives and sports teams, such as the Miami Heat, Inter Miami, and the U.S. Men’s Soccer team, to study how they could better optimize their performance by eliminating jet lag.

And the solution he stumbled upon is actually genius.

Andrew’s Travel Kit: For the last 9 years, Andrew has been developing a custom travel kit that can take the information from someone’s trip, and send them everything they need to avoid jet lag, including:

• 99% effective light-filtering glasses

• Circadian reset drink mix

• 4 proprietary supplements

The way it works is your custom plan will tell you the optimal time to wake up and eat the morning of your trip, when to wear your glasses, when to sleep on the plane, and most importantly, when to take each round of supplements, which are designed to help you:

• Fall asleep on the plane

• Manage your inflammation

• Reset your circadian rhythm

• Give you energy for when you land

That way, when you arrive at your final destination, you feel well-rested and can get a full night of sleep the very first night you’re there.

The Impact: Now, while this might all sound crazy, according to Andrew’s research, his FlyKitts have reduced jet-lag for 93% of travelers, not to mention Inter Miami’s own research found that these kits reduced symptoms of jet lag for their players by 94% - which can help increase on field-performance and reduce the risk of injuries, especially as teams start traveling further and further for games.

And honestly, at $99 per kit, I don’t see why every sports team wouldn’t at least try this during a big international trip.

Maybe this is what will finally prompt the NFL to start a European Division.

⏱️ In Other News

• The Browns got $600M for their new stadium.

• Fernando Tatis Jr. is caught up in a shady deal.

• It pays to be Caitlin Clark’s enforcer.

🎁 Share the Bottom of the Ninth

When you refer new readers to the Bottom of the Ninth, you win exclusive prizes.

➡️ Here is your unique link to share: https://bottom-of-the-ninth.beehiiv.com/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER

You’re currently at 0. That’s only 1 away from receiving a Bottom of the Ninth Sticker!

*Please do not use fake email addresses — they will not qualify as referrals. Thank you!

👋🏻 Happy Friday!

Here’s Roger Bannister running the first ever sub-four-minute mile for your viewing pleasure: