![]() They represent the literal molding of a Black man’s feet, with their vulcanized rubber, leather and laces encapsulating Black athletic greatness and cool.įinally figuring out how to sell Nike’s airbag technology was the other side of Air’s recipe for success. What “Air” does better than anything else is to unbox a provocative, sobering truth about Jordans’ meteoric rise: They are cast as literal extensions of Black bodies. In it, I argue that the Black body’s long history of objectification and commodification undergirds the branding, mass consumption and culture of sneakers. I’m writing a book that explores the intimate connections between sneakers and Blackness. Meanwhile, the Jordan brand, which was spun off into its own company in 1997, brings in billions of dollars per year, of which Jordan pockets 5%. Today, Nike is worth a staggering $200 billion. A year later, Nike sold US$100 million worth of Air Jordan shoes and apparel, boosting the company’s profits to $59 million from only $10 million the year before.Īfter 38 years and 37 iterations of their flagship line of basketball shoes, Jordans have become a transcendent cultural talisman memorializing Michael Jordan’s career and basketball’s influence on American life – but also, his labor. ![]() In 1985, Nike released the first Air Jordan sneaker. It involved infusing the midsoles of shoes with pockets of pressurized gas to absorb shock, but the company was having a difficult time marketing it.įalk then paused for dramatic effect, before uttering, “Air Jordan.” Nike had developed its air cushions in 1977. I want to marry Michael to your airbag technology.” In a scene authors Rodrigo Corral, Alex French and Howie Kahn detail in their 2017 book, “ Sneakers,” Falk, after exchanging pleasantries, looked to Strasser and said, “Rob, I’ve got an idea. Doug Pensinger/Allsport via Getty Imagesĭuring the summer of 1984, Nike shoe designer Peter Moore and Strasser gathered in the Washington, D.C., office of Jordan’s agent, David Falk. Sports agent David Falk represented Michael Jordan during the entirety of his career. Who would be that hero? The ailing shoe company sought a body brimming with transcendent talent, a superhuman athlete.Įnter the Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan, of whom Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird once said, “I think he’s God disguised as Michael Jordan.” In 1984, the company posted its first losing quarter and initiated a monthlong wave of layoffs employees called the “ St. The company had gone public in 1980 with a listless opening. ![]() This memo appeared during a turbulent period for Nike. In 1983, Nike’s marketing director, Rob Strasser, wrote an internal memo explaining the importance of using star athletes to sell their products: “Individual athletes, even more than teams, will be the heroes symbols more and more of what real people can’t do anymore – risk and win.” In this way, “Air” becomes the story of how a struggling company created one of the most successful brands in the world on the back of a Black body, a tale as old as the nation itself. The film’s true power is its ability to convey an unnerving truth about the sneakers’ mystique: Jordan’s athletic ability was crucial to the success of Nike and Air Jordan not so much his face – and definitely not his words. How could a film about one of the most famous Black men in the world obscure his presence?
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