cubfanindy
Major Leagues
Joined: 29 Jul 2006
Posts: 174
Location: Indianapolis, IN
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 Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2006 8:59 pm Post subject: Stephon Marbury - $15 Shoes |
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So I admit, I'm not much of an NBA fan these days. It's a tough game to root for when the papers are loaded with bad news and arrests. Granted, every sport has it's share of black-eyes... tramadol and percacet "prescription" addictions, players pimping out cialis (although those commercials are pretty amusing, and it gives you something to taunt that player about at the ballpark... heck... cialis commercials are more fun than Fred McGriff's giant Tom Emansky hat!), but the NBA seems to go a little more hardcore, beyond the relatively tame by comparison tramadol addictions... you know what I'm talking about. Brawls with fans, shootouts in the parking lots of local gentlemen's clubs, rape trials, drug arrests... it just seems that the percentages of these stories are higher in the NBA. Whatever happened to the role models?
That being said, I applaud Stephon Marbury's efforts. If you haven't heard or seen this, Stephon Marbury is endorsing a Converse shoe called the "Starbury One" which sells for (get this) $14.98 a pair! Not only that, but Marbury insists that it is comparable to other high-end basketball shoe, claiming that "It's the same shoe."
While the verdict may be out on the quality of the shoe, I love the fact that an NBA star like Marbury is promoting these and is completely behind them. He even says he'll be wearing them on the court this season. There's no reason athletic shoes should be as expensive as they are. In the 80s, Nike turned a shoe into a status symbol, despite the fact that the kids these shoes were marketed towards couldn't possibly afford them.
The following is a quote from Marbury printed in the Charlotte Observer:
"I knew it'd be a phenomenon, because I remember how it was when I was a kid," says Marbury, who grew up one of seven children on Coney Island. "Walking into a store and wanting a $100 pair of sneakers and my mother just looking at me like, `Don't even think about it.' For me, this was easy."
I don't know if this is going to be a phenomenon or not. I think it's a great idea, and I hope it is. However, kids can be mean, and will likely make fun of other kids wearing their "$15 shoes." Hopefully that won't be the case. Either way, I applaud Marbury and Converse for at least making the effort.
...and hey! At $15 a pair, there's still plenty of money left to buy products your other favorite athletes are endorsing, like tramadol and cialis! |
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