Air Jordan Basketball Shoes
Air Jordan is a brand of basketball shoes designed and created by Michael Jordan, a former professional player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Over the duration of his career, Jordan broke numerous records, many of which still hold to this day. The Air Jordan line was first introduced to the world in 1985, a year after Jordan signed a hefty contract with Nike despite being a rookie in the league. The first shoe to debut was the Air Jordan I, which quickly transformed the realm of basketball shoes. The sneaker was outfitted with the traditional Nike swoosh and even carried a design similar to earlier Nike models, such as the Air Force I. Despite not being technologically advance perse, the Air Jordan I paved the way for colorful
…show more content…
Nike, the parent company of Jordan, releases the new editions of the shoes on rare occasions, which thus makes new releases a competitive and limited outing. Nike has implemented a raffle system, which allows prospective customers to enter an online lottery. If entered in the raffle and selected, the customer can then be able to purchase a pair of Air Jordans on its release date. The retail prices of buying a new pair of Air Jordans ranges from anywhere between $150 to $400; however, the resale of the iconic sneakers go for more. Because of this exclusiveness, Air Jordans have become less like basketball shoes and more like fashion statements, a product that consumers seem to believe will inherently improve their status amongst peers. With Michael Jordan’s fame as a six-time NBA champion, it is only fitting that the brand uses his celebrity power to suade prospective buyers, as seen in the company’s advertising campaigns. As a result of this exclusivity and celebrity power, people have begun to see obtaining Jordan sneakers as a necessity, as a matter of life or death. In 2012, Joshua Wood, a young man from Houston, was murdered over a pair of Air Jordan XIs. Wood and a friend purchased many pairs of the highly coveted sneakers, only to be confronted by shooters when exiting the mall. Suffice to say, the case of Joshua Wood is not the only crime committed over a pair of Jordan sneakers - there have been more, and may continue to be if the Jordan brand continues to advertise its exclusiveness and ability to be a status
Nike, the parent company of Jordan, releases the new editions of the shoes on rare occasions, which thus makes new releases a competitive and limited outing. Nike has implemented a raffle system, which allows prospective customers to enter an online lottery. If entered in the raffle and selected, the customer can then be able to purchase a pair of Air Jordans on its release date. The retail prices of buying a new pair of Air Jordans ranges from anywhere between $150 to $400; however, the resale of the iconic sneakers go for more. Because of this exclusiveness, Air Jordans have become less like basketball shoes and more like fashion statements, a product that consumers seem to believe will inherently improve their status amongst peers. With Michael Jordan’s fame as a six-time NBA champion, it is only fitting that the brand uses his celebrity power to suade prospective buyers, as seen in the company’s advertising campaigns. As a result of this exclusivity and celebrity power, people have begun to see obtaining Jordan sneakers as a necessity, as a matter of life or death. In 2012, Joshua Wood, a young man from Houston, was murdered over a pair of Air Jordan XIs. Wood and a friend purchased many pairs of the highly coveted sneakers, only to be confronted by shooters when exiting the mall. Suffice to say, the case of Joshua Wood is not the only crime committed over a pair of Jordan sneakers - there have been more, and may continue to be if the Jordan brand continues to advertise its exclusiveness and ability to be a status