Air Jordans For nearly two decades, nobody could sell products like Michael Jordan. While he’s not #1 seller anymore, he’s still in the top 10 as far as athletes go, which is pretty amazing considering he’s been retired for years. One of the most popular brands he helped sell was Air Jordans. There were two reasons these became so popular. The first is because of the black and red colors that stood out so much on the court. The second is because they were a uniform violation and cost him $5000 every time he wore them. What the NBA didn’t realize at the time was that by creating such a commotion, they were only feeding the machine. Michael Jordan ended up making a lot more than the $5000 he lost per game for wearing them.

Air Jordans have been around since 1985. The first model was designed a year earlier by Peter Moore. Each year, the sneakers are upgraded with better technology. Their popularity has been consistent. This has a lot to do with Nike being an expert marketing company. One brilliant move Nike made was to have the Jumpman as the logo. This logo conjures up images of Michael Jordan making his infamous dunk from the foul line, which had never been done before. Seeing that image and thinking about that moment cements Jordan’s legacy in people’s minds, which increases the value of the shoes. They have become so popular through the years that there are now thousands of collectors around the world. The only thing to watch out for with this is counterfeiting, which is most common online and in China. If you find you’re able to buy a pair of Air Jordans for around $20, there probably not the real thing.

The original Air Jordans were released again in 1994, but didn’t fare well. A second attempt was made in 2009. While not taking the world by storm, it seems to have been a worthwhile investment by Nike. The most recent Air Jordan model is the Air Jordan 2009, which were designed by Jason Mayden. They range from $190 to $230 and can be found in most sporting goods stores, as well as online. A strong marketing effort was made to sell these shoes at the 2009 All-Star break. Several athletes on Team Jordan went to a local mall to sign autographs, which turned out to be a success.

Models of Air Jordans might have their up and down years, but one thing is for sure, they’re here to stay.