Basketball Star Starts Budget Footwear Revolution

Business of sport: New York Knicks basketballer Stephon Marbury is threatening to transform the sportswear market with a low cost training shoe, reports Andrew Culf.
Comments on article "Basketball Star Starts Budget Footwear Revolution "
Name Views and CommentsDate
logayna i agree with the author because its true these sneakers are very expensive these days. 3/26/2007
TOM FOOTBALL MATCH LIVE 3/1/2007
Doug. Well, I have worked in the Athletic Footwear industry for many years, Managed a few Footlocker stores, as well as other aspects of the industry. I find this a breath of fresh air, but see a lot of smoke yet to clear.
In my years of experience one thing is clear to me.....most kids by based on the pressure they feel to fit in and this pressure is created by the media and marketing of products as well as societies idea that if it costs more it's better.
I have seen MANY OVERPRICED, ugly-as-sin shoes sell out in hours on release day, while superior designed shoes sit on the shelf for months to be discounted, because they weren't promoted as much. This is based on all the hype and advertising a company does before release dates (shoes sitting in a store for weeks until a company says they can be sold, what next?)
Overall, shoes have used the same technologies since EVA foam and Polyurethane were the only choices for cushioning, and continue to base most of today's technology on these basic systems, although renaming them and altering them to suit the marketablility of the product. The top footwear companies do not make the best shoes, they have the best marketing teams, that's all.
So to end this rant, I believe it will take as many years to de-program our kids as it did to brainwash us from the mid 80's into thinking that higher price and esthetics make a superior shoe, when it all comes down to it, we lasted with EVA and polyurethane up until the tech age and these basic products will still give us the best bang for the buck...............but will our kids accept this or still want the mega expensive shoes (ie) T-Macs, with step in, cable tightening technology (they should have learned from other failures Reebok Pump, Puma Disc, Nike Kukani, nothing beats good old fashioned laces). Footwear companies struggle to re-invent the wheel and we consumers are footing the bill. Expensive shoes do not make you a better athlete, they just make you spend more money.........		 9/10/2006
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