NEW YORK, NY – What is Nike? It/She is the Greek Goddess of Victory. How is Nike mentioned in the Bible? It’s represented as the Goddess of Victory stone carving, depicting Nike at the ancient ruins Ephesus. And with that, the old saying of, “Don’t mess with the Bible” is in effect.
The movie Air starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon shows how the Air Jordan brand all started. How they snagged the player to represent the sneaker, how they designed the sneaker, how they bowed to the player’s mother’s demands. The movie had an interesting view, but in all reality a sequel needs to be filmed. The sequel that tells the truth of how Nike plays its buyers. It manipulates them to the point that makes these buyers suckers, as Nike laughs all the way to the bank.
A question on Google is, “How long do Jordans last?” The answer was, “They can last around 7-10 years in storage, occasionally wearing them can increase this time period. Conversely wearing them daily can accelerate their deterioration.” Reading that answer disgusted me. The definition was worded like a “Who’s on first?” explanation from the classic Abbott & Costello bit… Being one of those suckers who owns a few pairs, I’ve watched my sneakers crumble to the ground after a couple of wears… or while in storage for a couple of years.
The bottom of the shoe opened up in a lip-flapping form as the glue wore out. When I took them to the shoe repair shop, the cobbler (Google it, folks) sat me down and solemnly informed me there was nothing he could do. Not even Gorilla Glue could fix them.
That’s when it hit me!
These sneakers, which urban youth actually get murdered for, ARE MADE IN VIETNAM! The glue used to put them together is probably Elmer’s Glue. On top of that, the wage being paid to those workers is a little over what the inmates of Rikers Island get for their menial jobs. That’s approximately $1.80 per hour [allegedly].
When the Air Jordan 1s first landed back in 1985, they sold for $65. Almost forty years later, $220 is the norm for Jordan footwear. Those workers in ‘Nam are getting paid Chump Change compared to their 1985 Peasant Pay for putting these sneakers together.
The phenomenon of these releases has the youth across the nation waiting on lines behind barricades for hours hoping to score a pair. During the waiting fistfights are common, and after the purchase muggings are a norm. Further, Nike ignores these suckers once they purchase the goods, as they watch their stocks grow.
To be fair, it’s not only the Air Jordans that become unglued. My Air Griffeys fell apart after six wears. My Deion Sanders crumbled from being in storage.
Wake up sneaker-heads – including me – the shoe with the swoosh that looks sexy is MADE IN VIETNAM. It even broke apart on the collegiate stage, when Duke’s Zion Williamson wore the Blue Devils signature line during a game. That led to his ankle injury.
That’s the sequel I wanna see before I wanna be like Mike. Start the movie with the Zion clip.
