ShareThisBy TRISHA EVANS
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Parents and players alike are calling foul on the inflated price of basketball shoes.
If you haven't been shoe shopping in a while, you're probably lucky. The latest athletic shoes average around $100, and the sneakers endorsed by pro players can cost $150 or more.
Aaron Ivy, salesman at Hibbet Sports in Quail Springs Mall in Oklahoma City, is not surprised to see parents' jaws drop when their kids reach for the most expensive shoe on the shelf.
"Pretty much the higher priced they are, the more people want them," Ivy said.
The namesake shoes of Michael Jordan have been top sellers and one of the highest priced shoes since their inception in 1985.
The Jordan Brand became a separate brand underneath Nike's umbrella in 1997. Jordan reportedly selects each endorser personally.
Theresa Tran, Jordan Brand's communications director, said the high-priced brand appeals to the young and urban, ages 16-21. They usually are athletes who value great performance and innovative technology as well as the latest styles and designs.
"It's certainly a statement on and off the court," Tran said. "Of course, it was designed in association with, and inspired by, the greatest player ever - Michael Jordan."
Marketers keep Jordan's legacy alive, even with kids who never saw Jordan play - at least in real life.
Seven-year-old Andrew Frazier thinks Jordan is the greatest "baller" who ever lived. He learned this by playing the NBA Street video game.
He spouted off lots of NBA players' names while he shopped with his dad at Footlocker.
"Michael Jordan was the best," Frazier told his dad, trying to persuade him to buy the shoes.
However, Nike doesn't have a corner on pro-endorsed shoes. Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson has a line of hot-selling Reebok tennis shoes.
The Iverson Collection features The Pump 2.0 with new custom-fit technology. The shoes have an automatic button on the side that players can switch on to inflate their insoles with air for a better fit. The shoes sell for $100 at Footlocker.
Cleveland Cavalier LeBron James' new shoes will be released Saturday. The shoes are marked by LeBron's logo and a larger Nike swoosh.
Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade's new Converse shoe went on sale last week and sells for $100 at Finish Line.
The store also sells the shoes endorsed by Houston Rockets player Tracy McGrady. The Adidas T-Mac 6 shoes cost $130.
However, one pro baller thinks the soaring price of basketball shoes is out of bounds.
NBA all-star Stephon Marbury launched his line of sneakers that sell for $14.98 or less. The Starbury One line of athletic shoes and apparel went on sale at Steve & Barry's stores in August.
The company hired design firm Rocketfish, known for providing shoe concepts to Nike, Reebok and Converse, to work closely with Marbury to create Starbury One, said Andy Todd, president of Steve & Barry's.
Todd said the shoes are constructed the same way as other high-performance shoes. He said Marbury even wears the shoes on the court.
"People need to understand that even the hottest threads and kicks don't cost a lot of money to make," Marbury said in a statement released by Steve & Barry's.
"It's the fancy commercials and other unnecessary expenses that kids and parents are paying for when they lay down that kind of money, not the actual sneakers and clothing."
Marbury understands the pressure to spend hundreds of dollars on athletic shoes and the effect it has on kids who don't have the money. He grew up in Brooklyn, and is the sixth of seven children born in a family that was always struggling to make ends meet.
Roger Smith, basketball head coach at Little Axe High School in Norman, Okla., said three players on his team already have the Starbury shoe.
"They liked the shoe - they thought it was cool," Smith said.
"I've never been a big Marbury fan, but I've got a lot of respect for him - anyone who would do that for the kids."
Smith said about 75 percent of the students at his school receive free or reduced lunches.
If the coaches and students had known about Marbury's shoes sooner, they would have gone with it as a team shoe, he said.
Instead, they chose the Nike Huarache shoes that cost each player $85.
