We visited the flagship stores of Nike and Adidas in New York City - and the winner was obvious

Mark Matousek / Business Insider

The black, glossy background in the Nike store took attention away from the brand's shoes.

• I visited Nike and Adidas' flagship stores in New York City.
• Nike's displays were confusing, and the store didn't do enough to highlight the striking visuals that have always been one of the company's strengths.
• Adidas' design instincts were much better, and it found a number of smart ways to allow customers to interact with products.

The rivalry between Nike and Adidas has been one of the top stories in athletic apparel for decades. While Nike has often landed bigger athletes for sponsorships, Adidas has surged in recent years by anticipating and responding to customer demand with stylish, versatile products that make sense for exercise or everyday use.

Now, Nike is rethinking its retail approach in an attempt to keep Adidas from overtaking it as the top-selling athletic apparel company in the United States.

I visited the New York City flagship stores for Nike and Adidas on a Thursday afternoon, and I realized why Nike might be in trouble.

Here's what I saw.

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