By Arianna Smith Staff Writer
Picture this: a star basketball player, attractive, rich, seconds away from signing a million-dollar contract with the NBA surrounded by screaming fans.
Is he wearing Reeboks?
Is he wearing Sketchers?
Of course not, he’s wearing Jordans.
Each year, a new Air Jordan drops to the public, a celebrated and annual event since the shoe’s first premier in 1985. In the shoe business Jordan designers are celebrities and vintage customizations can have insane prices — up to $100,000.
Jordans aren’t just basketball shoes anymore. They’re a fashion accessory, a hip-hop symbol that can be seen on the feet of not just famous basketball players, but rappers, women and babies in strollers. They can start fights and elevate your status in your neighborhood.
But do Air Jordans still stand for the same thing they did originally? It seems like now the materialistic and commercial aspect of the shoes has outshined what they were intended to say. Instead of inspiring young African-American athletes, the shoes are valued only for their high prices and crazy designs.
“I mean, they’re a hot shoe,” freshman Demarcus Trailor said. “If you got the newest ones, it makes you more popular with your friends.”
High school students had varying opinions about what Jordan shoes mean to them.
“I know people go crazy over them,” sophomore Jermaine Wallace said. “They cost a lot because they make you a better athlete. Jordan was a beast, and the shoes make you beast.”
Jordans started off as a way to rebel against the NBA. The first shoes were a simple red and black when all the others were plain white. They were meant as a symbol to young black males to be themselves and stay original, and to have confidence in every aspect of themselves as they gained success.
“To me, Jordans say that black men can make it now, even with all this crazy stuff happening in America,” said sophomore Sean Jackson. “Jordan made it and his shoes make you feel like you can do the same thing.”
