Most people know who Michael Jordan, also known as Air Jordan, is and what he has down for the game of basketball. If you don't know Michael Jordan, is a world renown basketball all-star. He changed the game with his gravity defying dunks and clutch shooting. He led the Chicago Bulls to six national championships and has one most valuable player in the NBA five times. If Michael Jordan was playing in the NBA right now, there would be no talk about LeBron James. Michael Jordan's fame brought along endorsements and advertising. The most notable endorsement was the Nike Air Jordan shoe brand. It was the first shoe to be created that was sponsored specifically by an Athlete. As popularity started to grow increasingly with Michael Jordan as the best basketball player in the world, the shoe popularity grew as well. Even after Jordan's basketball retirement the Air Jordan brand still remains as one of the most popular athletic sneaker on the market. Michael Jordan has not only changed the game of basketball, but he has also changed the game of merchandising and consumerism .
Evolution of the Shoe
In 1984, after winning a national title at the University of North Carolina and a Gold Medal at the Olympic games in Los Angeles, Michael Jordan was selected 3rd overall by the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Draft. That year Nike also signed Michael to a five-year endorsement contract worth a reported $2.5 million. There was initially some skepticism over the hefty contract being given to an unproven marketing commodity, but MJ was quick to prove the critics wrong.
The Air Jordan 1 paved the way for colorful basketball sneakers. It transformed the way people looked at athletic shoes. During the 1985 NBA season, Michael wore the Air Jordan 1, which retailed for $65 - at the time, the most expensive basketball shoe on the market. The AJ I Black/Red colorway was banned by the NBA because of rules regarding shoe colors; Jordan was fined $5,000 for every game he wore them. Nike gladly footed the bill, as the fines created even more buzz around the Air Jordan 1. MJ's rookie campaign resulted in an All-Star appearance, Rookie of the Year honors and leading the Bulls to the playoffs after a four-year absence. Michael wore the Air Jordan I Red/White/Black as he scored 63 points against the Boston Celtics in the 1986 playoffs. Although the Bulls ended up losing to the Larry Bird-led Celtics, Michael showed that he was one of the bright young stars in the NBA. The Air Jordan II paved the way for quality basketball footwear and set the stage for the madness that would follow with the Air Jordan III. Although the Air Jordan II didn't see the court much, it still has its place in sneaker culture as the first "luxury basketball sneaker." During this time Michael won his first NBA slam dunk title while wearing the Air Jordan II. During the 1985-1986 NBA season, Michael only wore the Air Jordan II for 18 games due to a broken foot. When Jordan returned to the court for the playoffs, he wore the Air Jordan I as he lit up the Celtics in his legendary 63-point game. The Air Jordan III came popular with the assistance of a revolutionary Air Jordan commercial - took the basketball world by storm. Nike linked up with writer/actor/director Spike Lee for a spot starring Michael Jordan and Spike's character Mars Blackmon. MJ and Mars collaborated on several more Air Jordan commercials in the coming years. At this time Michael averaged 35 points per game on his way to being voted to his fourth straight All-Star game where he won the MVP award and second straight Slam Dunk title. He was also voted the Defensive Player of the Year, won the league scoring title and took home the league MVP trophy - all while wearing the Air Jordan III.The AJ III is one of the most popular, in-demand Air Jordans in the series and continues to sell out every re-release. To market the shoe, a new batch of Michael Jordan/Mars Blackmon commercials aired.The Air Jordan IV is one of the most collected shoes in the series. Ten years after its original release, Nike retroed the AJ IV in 1999; it sold out immediately. Wearing Air Jordan IV, MJ was voted to his fifth consecutive All-Star game and won the league scoring title for the third consecutive year. One of the most memorable Air Jordan IV moments was when Michael hit the series-clinching, hanging jumper over Craig Ehlo in the first round of the playoffs against Cleveland - better known as "The Shot." The V continued the great success of the Air Jordan line and came at a good time as Michael Jordan was hitting his stride in the NBA. Jordan Brand has re-released the Air Jordan V in multiple colorways, including the original Grape, Fire Red and Black/Silver colorways as well as the White/Royal/Maze color. While rocking the Air Jordan V in 1990, Michael Jordan made his sixth straight All-Star game appearance, won his fourth straight league scoring title and was named to the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team. Although the Bulls lost to the Pistons in the 1990 Conference Finals, Jordan was on the verge of one of the NBA's greatest dynasties - and driving the footwear industry to new heights. The Air Jordan VI is one of the most loved shoes in the Air Jordan line. Originally released in 1991, the White/September blue version was seen on the feet of Jerry Seinfeld in the second season of his hit TV series.Tinker Hatfield designed the Air Jordan VI-inspired Batman boots worn by Michael Keaton in the 1992 film Batman Returns. On the court, Ray Allen and Vin Baker wore White/Navy/Red editions of the Air Jordan VI at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. In 1991 while wearing the AJ VI, Michael averaged 31.5 points per game to win his fifth straight NBA scoring title. That year MJ was voted first team All-NBA, first team All-Defense and notched his seventh straight All-Star appearance while being named the 1991 league MVP. Most importantly Michael Jordan's skills and dedication culminated in the Bulls' first NBA Championship and was Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP. The Air Jordan VII marked several changes in the Air Jordan series: There was minimal Nike branding both on the shoe and in the marketing campaigns. Ads shifted from MJ's team up with Mars Blackmon to Michael and Bugs Bunny. One commercial featured the duo both wearing the AJ VII beating another team in a game of hoops. Michael Jordan wore the Olympic-inspired version of the VII as he led the "Dream Team" to a Gold Medal at the 1992 summer games in Barcelona. That pair featured the number 9 on the heel, reflecting MJ's jersey number on Team USA. MJ won his sixth straight scoring title while wearing the MJ VII and was again named first team All-NBA, first team All-Defense and an All-Star for the seventh consecutive time. He was voted league MVP for the second straight year and won his second NBA Championship ring and Finals MVP with the Bulls. Foot Locker Article: History of Air Jordan |
The Society That Formed
Michael Jordan’s partnership with Nike started a new wave of merchandising athletes with products. Michael Jordan’s fame helped Nike to become one of the most famous known athletic brand in the world. Air Jordan shoes became very popular with kids who wanted to play basketball. Reason for this popularity was due to Jordan. Nike released a new pair of shoes called the “Air Jordan I” for Michael Jordan to wear during one of the NBA regular season games. When Jordan wore them, the shoes did not meet NBA regulation. Jordan was fined $5,000 dollars for each game he wore them. Michael Jordan continued to wear them because he liked the Nike Brand and also Nike payed for the hefty fine. Finally the commissioner of the NBA banned the shoes from the NBA. This allowed Nike to make an ad that showed “ the camera run slowly down Michael Jordans body, from his head to his feet, and once they hit his shoes, "a big "X" was stamped on the screen. The announcer thereafter said "banned" (Bleacher Report). This caused the merchandising of Nike Air Jordans to explode due to its rarity. The ban was later lifted once Nike came out with a new pair of Air Jordans. The Mix between player and big corporation was never the same after that day. Thereafter the Air Jordans were a must have shoe because of Michael Jordan's fame and also because Nike's campaign adds. Basketball players, sneaker heads and people who just liked the culture wanted these shoes badly.
Over the years the Air Jordan sneakers have changed and various ways. Like any other shoe brand the look and style of the sneaker always changes, which should be expected when trying to sell a product to a consumer. This variety of Air Jordan sneakers have caused a new type of hobby to start, where people collect and trade sneakers. These people are known as "Sneaker Heads". This type of hobby took off when the NBA and Nike had an incident with banning the Air Jordan I. As Michael Jordans popularity as a basketball player rose Nike began to start selling more versions of the Air Jordan’s making more and more revenue off the shoes (Forbes). Years later after Michael Jordan retired, Nike has been re-releasing old Air Jordans to the public, where collectors and serious buyers gobble them up. Famous athletes, actors and musicians buy collect these shoes, for example, San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, collects Air Jordans and has over a hundred pairs. Since these shoes have become a collectors items for most people, the prices of the shoes have risen, where only wealthy people can afford to maintain this hobby. Nike still sells these shoes at retail stores, but the prices range from $100 dollars to $300 dollars.
Over the years the Air Jordan sneakers have changed and various ways. Like any other shoe brand the look and style of the sneaker always changes, which should be expected when trying to sell a product to a consumer. This variety of Air Jordan sneakers have caused a new type of hobby to start, where people collect and trade sneakers. These people are known as "Sneaker Heads". This type of hobby took off when the NBA and Nike had an incident with banning the Air Jordan I. As Michael Jordans popularity as a basketball player rose Nike began to start selling more versions of the Air Jordan’s making more and more revenue off the shoes (Forbes). Years later after Michael Jordan retired, Nike has been re-releasing old Air Jordans to the public, where collectors and serious buyers gobble them up. Famous athletes, actors and musicians buy collect these shoes, for example, San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, collects Air Jordans and has over a hundred pairs. Since these shoes have become a collectors items for most people, the prices of the shoes have risen, where only wealthy people can afford to maintain this hobby. Nike still sells these shoes at retail stores, but the prices range from $100 dollars to $300 dollars.
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Air Jordans are still very popular with people all around the world. The problem is that these high prices causes people who do not have enough income to do stupid things to get a pair. The majority of the demographic are inner city kids who want to buy them. Wearing Air Jordans are still very popular even after Michael Jordan has retired from basketball. The culture of wearing them has grown even larger. Most of these kids can not afford the expensive shoes, which causes kids to buy a pair in other means. The other means of possessing Air Jordans are by stealing sneakers or Killing people for sneakers. These unlawful actions have caused many issues. Another way for kids to buy these ridiculously priced sneakers, is by selling drugs in order to make enough money. A writer for the online web site “Complex Sneakers”, Joe Sherman, stated that….
“Michael Jordan is not a political activist. It’s not his job to police what happens after a sneaker is released. But what will it take for him to realize that his products are becoming not only detrimental to the sneaker community as a whole, but more specifically to the African American community? I am not Michael Jordan, so I cannot say what he should do. But as a consumer who has been collecting sneakers for over a decade, I can say that it’s disappointing that he hasn’t, at the very least, addressed the issue. Standing in line for Jordans used to serve as a time to connect with people who shared that same passion for the culture. Now I can’t tell if the guy behind me places a higher value on his sneakers than my life” (Complex Sneakers).
The Air Jordan shoes have taken a life of their own and has been hurting inner city communities. Kids are not wearing them because they are associated with Michael Jordan anymore, they are wearing them because it is the cool thing to own. Nike releases Air Jordans only once a year and sells only a limited supply. The fan base for these shoes are enormous, which causes people to fight and kill over them. Since Nike is making billions of dollars off these shoes, they are not doing anything about the problem (ESPN). The Air Jordan shoes used to represent greatness that a young basketball player could aspire too. Now the shoe represent a persons financial wealth. The Air Jordan shoe has become the equivalent to seeing someone wearing a Rolodex watch, it has become a statement of financial wealth in a community. Michael Jordan did not mean for this to happen to inner city communities. If he really wanted to stop violence from happening to kids in the inner city then he should either stop making the shoes, sell the shoes at a lower price or even sell a greater quantity of them . Nike will never do this because the fan basis is too strong. So the only other option is for the sneaker head community to stop buying the shoes all together.
The popularity of Nike sneakers would not be at the popularity level it is at today without Michael Jordan. If Jordan did not sign up with Nike at an early age we would not have seen Air Jordans, sneaker heads, or violence over shoes. If Michael Jordan signed up with Adidas or Reebok, they would have been the king athletic shoe for basketball. Jordan started promoted a merchandising strategy that may never change. Other athletic companies are now trying to endorse players at a young age, because they want the next big star athlete to promote their product. Kids envy sports stars and they want to imitate them in any way possible. Nike was smart enough to be the first athletic brand to realize this and took their chances on the young rising star, Michael Jordan. With out Michael Jordan there would be no Nike. With out Nike there would still be a Michael Jordan.
“Michael Jordan is not a political activist. It’s not his job to police what happens after a sneaker is released. But what will it take for him to realize that his products are becoming not only detrimental to the sneaker community as a whole, but more specifically to the African American community? I am not Michael Jordan, so I cannot say what he should do. But as a consumer who has been collecting sneakers for over a decade, I can say that it’s disappointing that he hasn’t, at the very least, addressed the issue. Standing in line for Jordans used to serve as a time to connect with people who shared that same passion for the culture. Now I can’t tell if the guy behind me places a higher value on his sneakers than my life” (Complex Sneakers).
The Air Jordan shoes have taken a life of their own and has been hurting inner city communities. Kids are not wearing them because they are associated with Michael Jordan anymore, they are wearing them because it is the cool thing to own. Nike releases Air Jordans only once a year and sells only a limited supply. The fan base for these shoes are enormous, which causes people to fight and kill over them. Since Nike is making billions of dollars off these shoes, they are not doing anything about the problem (ESPN). The Air Jordan shoes used to represent greatness that a young basketball player could aspire too. Now the shoe represent a persons financial wealth. The Air Jordan shoe has become the equivalent to seeing someone wearing a Rolodex watch, it has become a statement of financial wealth in a community. Michael Jordan did not mean for this to happen to inner city communities. If he really wanted to stop violence from happening to kids in the inner city then he should either stop making the shoes, sell the shoes at a lower price or even sell a greater quantity of them . Nike will never do this because the fan basis is too strong. So the only other option is for the sneaker head community to stop buying the shoes all together.
The popularity of Nike sneakers would not be at the popularity level it is at today without Michael Jordan. If Jordan did not sign up with Nike at an early age we would not have seen Air Jordans, sneaker heads, or violence over shoes. If Michael Jordan signed up with Adidas or Reebok, they would have been the king athletic shoe for basketball. Jordan started promoted a merchandising strategy that may never change. Other athletic companies are now trying to endorse players at a young age, because they want the next big star athlete to promote their product. Kids envy sports stars and they want to imitate them in any way possible. Nike was smart enough to be the first athletic brand to realize this and took their chances on the young rising star, Michael Jordan. With out Michael Jordan there would be no Nike. With out Nike there would still be a Michael Jordan.