By Michael Amado 

Branding is a capitalistic idea that was long established before 1984. At this time, Air Jordan is making its way into the American market of shoes behind an image that would be recognized by millions. The image of a dark figure flying to the hoop, legs open and ball near the head, and a dunk that is slammed from the free throw line, almost impossible to do. Michael Jordan’s image is placed on every product created for Air Jordan and it stayed with millions of people as they would be devoured by the greatness of Jordan himself. 

Let’s review some accolades of Jordan’s career: In his 6 championships, he earned the MVP in 5 of them, a 14-time All Star for the league and 10-time All-NBA First Team. The guy was a monster and a hit in a Looney Toons movie as his role in Space Jam only made him more likeable as a person.  

The Jordan shoe line is widely popular and dynamic. There are products in the line-up that range from popular to rare. With products becoming so popular from Jordan and his performance, he created more “sneakerheads” that any shoe company ever could. Every time a new Jordan is to make an appearance to the public, shoe stores prepare for Black Friday. The demand of the shoes makes individuals wait hours in a line outside the store just to be the first to own a pair. It is common to see pop culture artists who are financially successful, have a closet full of Jordan’s. Just this summer, I met a man who has asked to be anonymous, with a walk-in closet filled with unopened Jordans. His collection ranged from every type of Air Jordan released with different options in colors. A popular shoe is the Air Jordan Retro 11’s, and my friend happened to have those in four different colors. This is just a small example of the level of commitment collectors possess. Their customers can easily be compared to the teeny-boppers of the Beatles Era, or the Beliebers of Justin Beiber. A recent search on Ebay shows a pair of Retro 11’s Kobe Bryant Edition, sold for nearly $40,000.

 The success of Jordan and design of the shoes has created a fan base like no other. 

Michael Amado is a senior at University of Saint seeking a Digital Communications degree.