entry#6 Its all About the Kicks

In the United States the sneaker culture has evolved into a profit organization. We all wear sneakers, but some of us care what we wear on our feet. As long as I can remember the brand Nike has always excelled in the industry, but is it because the styles they produce are eye catching or is it just the hype? There have been other brands before Nike has been introduced but it was not till the famous basketball player Michael Jordan wore Nikes and gave the audience a whole new outlook on sneakers. Since he was an amazing player everyone knew who he was and he was all over T.V. His career leads him into creating his signature shoe which we can refer to as “j’s” in other words Jordan’s.  These types of sneakers are a part of Nike and because of that so many people are aware of the value these hold. To get a better understanding the only Jordan’s people actually like are the “retro’s” which are shoes Michael Jordan wore during his peak of his career. They offer a sporty look while looking futuristic and sleek, but since they were introduced to the public every single pair was sold instantly. The company noticed how quickly they sold and realized what kind of money it can bring in. To make it more profitable these sneakers were only produced in certain numbers and release dates were announced. People were also aware there was a market for these and it brought in all types of “sneaker heads”. Sneaker heads are those people who have a passion for sneakers; they spend hundreds of dollars on limited sneakers and always keep them clean. Along with sneaker heads came resellers, which pretty much ruined the whole shoe game. The sneakers alone are already limited, but with resellers they have come up with a way to charge any price they want knowing people will buy the shoes.  Initially the sneaker range about $150-180 which is reasonable considering that they are in fact “fresh”. Personally I use to love them and owned a good amount, but the more people knew they could make a big profit the more prices sky rocket. People make it seem like these shoes are like diamonds, which can lead to trouble. The hype was so big on these sneakers that it ended up causing riots and even death! Don’t get me wrong they are nice, but not nice enough to rob someone or even hurt someone for them. As humans we should not create so much hype about these shoes, because that ends up bringing up prices. A lot of us want to just go into a sneaker shop and be able to purchase them with no trouble, but with all these resellers and sneaker heads it’s pretty much impossible.