Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Stephon Marbury $14.99 Sneaker


^^This is what a $14.99 shoe looks like

So Stephon Marbury is launching a $14.99 sneaker (see images above and below). I was talking to an athletic footwear buyer today and I had to ask whether or not thoughts of putting a gun to his temple flashed through his head when he first spied this news story. We both laughed, but seriously, folks, while Jordans may indeed be overpriced, the Marbury shoe carries a lower pricepoint than Shaq's shoe! These shits would most definitely kill an industry that's already taken some serious body blows thanks to the explosion in popularity of flip-flops, aka a shoe with a less than $10 average pricepoint. (Not to mention that outside of Air Force One and Jordan, the baskteball footwear category specifically right now is bordering on stick-a-fork territory.)

And don't get me wrong, I appreciate what Stephon is trying to do. He wants to line his own pockets to provide working class and poor kids with good-looking shoes they can actually afford. The thing that makes me question his sincerity is that the shoes will only be sold on Steve & Barry's, which is an online store. So anyone who wants to buy a pair has to have both a computer and a credit card. And guess what? A lot of times working class and poor families do not have either one of those things. CORRECTION: Steve & Barry's is a 130-store chain and its merchandise can only be purchased in stores.


^^Featuring Knicks team colors

The other thing I'm wondering is, okay, so nobody's gonna try and jack you for these shoes, which is good, but is someone gonna beat your ass cause they're THAT unattractive? You be the judge.


^^The kids looking doubtful: "You got these with any other team colors? Like one that won more than 23 games last year?"

6 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Nit Ra Sit💋 said...

You are a hater!!!!!!!!!!!!!Straigh up STOP THE HATE.....

Anonymous said...

The shoes come in different colors. You can see them at http://www.starbury.com/

Anonymous said...

Actually, had you done your homework, you would know that Stephen Marbury is not "lining his pockets." Rather, he is not earning any money for his line of shoes, unlike Lebron or Kobe.

Lois said...

This is not a charity deal for Stephon. He's not making money up front, but he is making a percentage of sales. That's why he's done so much promotional work. Every interview he does talking about his noble cause leads to another sneaker sale. Which I have no issue with at all. I'm all for Stephon making dollars. I just wish the reporters who interview him and give him free air time would actually present a complete story rather than getting all weapy-eyed over how much of a humanitarian Stephon is. The truth is, you can be a good guy AND make money, but for the media, that's not feel-good enough for them so they sweep over the realities that don't jibe with their angle.


http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060930/news_lz1n30shoes.html

Dan Doerr said...

so stupid, you call yourself a researcher, do you not realize that Steve and Barry's is a national chain, and can be found in many malls