Charlamagne to Stephon Marbury: Your Sneakers Are Not Fly

[Lehigh]

You use the TJ Maxx discount to get em Demarco?

No I'm gonna put my horse's saddle on your mother and ride on her back. I'm gonna make her go buy about six pair just to support. No we gonna use your wife's walmart discount her being assistant manager and all.

You another dummy stop calling me your middle name.

 

[Mr. Met]

Support black business.

Even if it's $15, especially if it is.......buy it.

I know this bastard fucked up the Knicks for a decade, but it's the principal that counts.

 

[unknownsoldier]

There's no justifiable reason for the "72-10" shoe to be priced at $220. That said, it's good to see alternatives in the market place. Sad that a dude with as much of a following as Charlamagne out here taking shots instead of encouraging

 

[KingTaharqa]

Support black business.

Even if it's $15, especially if it is.......buy it.

I know this bastard fucked up the Knicks for a decade, but it's the principal that counts.

To a lot of young black males who look at Mike as the father figure they never had, buying Jordans is "supporting black business".

And Charlamagne is given a voice by and works for a major media corporation, he will ALWAYS back corporate interests over self reliance. We already seen Dame son him on that back in April.

 

[kefta]

Context of racism/white supremacy!

 

[J.E.T.S]

I'd go to payless and buy some of those beach slippers before I rock Starbury's

 

[Soul On Ice]

Had to Google these..
I'm good. Not my style

 

[2 ONE 3]

The hype machine behind Js is crazy...

Mikes grandkids kids' won't ever have to work at the rate cats buy his kicks.


Watch in Feb they release some "valentines day" edition joints...

The same shit every fuckin year

 

[respiration]

We are not holding corporations to the same standard that we are applying to Michael Jordan because Jordan is an individual - in particular, a Black man. He is rich and famous, but he is one of us. He is and has always been a role model, whether or not he wants to accept the personal responsibility of being one. We should always hold our celebrities accountable for their public words and actions. We should not be afraid or hesitant to question those actions – especially as it regards the effect they have upon the culture of our young.

 

[evolution81]

Who cares what it costs to just manufacture a product ct...youre paying for what went to designing and making sure the shoe performance matches what it was designed for...if it only cost 8 bucks to make then why don't you design your own shoe?....oh I forgot it takes millions upon millions of dollars of investment into large scale manufacturing/engineering/development/research/salaries ...that's what you're also paying for...some of y'all jsut give yourselves away with your one dimensional opinions

 

[ballscout1]

So what's the cutoff for an acceptable markup bruh??? Tell me that and we'll go from there??? Because if there's blood on Nike hands there's blood on everyone elses. You're trying to justify why it's OK for some and not Nike/Jordan. A Charger(the hood classic) gets sold for around 30 k... You telling me it cost more than 15k to make that shit??? I don't know their venders, but I do know how wholesale works. And I can just about guarantee you Dodge ain't paying retail for the shit they buy from outside venders. Dont wanna do Dodge, lets do GM. Niggas love Lacs... An Escalade aint shit but a rebadged Tahoe/Avalanche with slightly upgraded materials. They sell that shit WELL above cost. Why not go at them??? Again, tell me what an acceptable cutoff for markup is...

I can tell you what an unacceptable markup is. If you want a comparison stop trying to use cars and use dude that marked up the HIV drug. Funny how everybody is outraged over that but we have some thinking Jordans is fine.

You got your heels dug in with a stupid comparison. So compare the auto industry workforce with the Asian sweatshops. Compare the overhead of an auto plant with that same sweatshop. Dude let it go there is quite a lot more cost than the different vendors and materials that are used to make cars.

Not only are we talking markups with Jordans we also talking marketing and where it's directed. There is a reason Marbury is critical and decided to make an affordable shoe for the demographic that is targeted.

We are also talking about every other shoe that took the Jordan business plan and ran with it. We are talking about the plan to sell over priced NAMEBRANDS to consumers that neither need them nor can afford them.

Niggas love Lacs ? did you really type that ? and if they do why ? is it because it's a better car ? is it rated higher, is it safer ? does it get better fuel efficiency ? better price ?

 

[ballscout1]

Who cares what it costs to just manufacture a product ct...youre paying for what went to designing and making sure the shoe performance matches what it was designed for...if it only cost 8 bucks to make then why don't you design your own shoe?....oh I forgot it takes millions upon millions of dollars of investment into large scale manufacturing/engineering/development/research/salaries ...that's what you're also paying for...some of y'all jsut give yourselves away with your one dimensional opinions

Which is exactly what Marbury did and Nike spent millions to stop that shoe from ever seeing a wide release.

The SWOOSH logo is a graphic design created by Caroline Davidson in 1971. It represents the wing of the Greek Goddess NIKE. Caroline Davidson was a student at Portland State University in advertising. She met Phil Knight while he was teaching accounting classes and she started doing some freelance work for his company. Phil Knight asked Caroline to design a logo that could be placed on the side of a shoe. She handed him the SWOOSH, he handed her $35.00.

The Nike athletic machine began as a small distributing outfit located in the trunk of Phil Knight's car. From these rather inauspicious beginnings, Knight's brainchild grew to become the shoe and athletic company that would come to define many aspects of popular culture and myriad varieties of 'cool.'

The story goes like this: while getting his MBA at Stanford in the early '60s, Knight took a class with Frank Shallenberger. The semester-long project was to devise a small business, including a marketing plan. Synthesizing Bowerman's attention to quality running shoes and the burgeoning opinion that high-quality/low cost products could be produced in Japan and shipped to the U.S. for distribution, Knight found his market niche. Shallenberger thought the idea interesting, but certainly no business jackpot. Nothing more became of Knight's project.

It didn't take millions and millions to start Nike. Isn't it funny how some like to pretend they know what they are talking about with their dimensional opinions and totally disregard the context of the discussion.

Cut to 1963. Phil Knight traveled to Japan on a world-tour, filled with the wanderlust of young men seeking a way to delay the inevitable call of professional life. Seemingly on a whim, Knight scheduled an interview with a Japanese running shoe manufacturer, Tiger--a subsidiary of the Onitsuka Company. Presenting himself as the representative of an American distributor interested in selling Tiger shoes to American runners, Knight told the businessmen of his interest in their product. Blue Ribbon Sports--the name Knight thought of moments after being asked who he represented--was born. The Tiger executives liked what they heard and Knight placed his first order for Tigers soon thereafter.

By 1964, Knight had sold $8,000 worth of Tigers and placed an order for more. Coach Bowerman and Knight worked together, but ended up hiring a full-time salesman, Jeff Johnson. After cresting $1 million in sales and riding the wave of the success, Knight et. al. devised the Nike name and trademark Swoosh in 1971.

By the late '70s, Blue Ribbon Sports officially became Nike and went from $10 million to $270 million in sales. Katz (1994) describes the success via Nike's placement within the matrix of the fitness revolution: 'the idea of exercise and game-playing ceased to be something the average American did for fun,' instead Americans turned to working out as a cultural signifier of status. Clearly, the circumstances surrounding the shift are not this simple; it is one of the aims of this project to discover other generators of popular attention to health.

 

[Mt. Yukon]

We are not holding corporations to the same standard that we are applying to Michael Jordan because Jordan is an individual - in particular, a Black man. He is rich and famous, but he is one of us. He is and has always been a role model, whether or not he wants to accept the personal responsibility of being one. We should always hold our celebrities accountable for their public words and actions. We should not be afraid or hesitant to question those actions – especially as it regards the effect they have upon the culture of our young.

But Kobe, Bron, and Durants kicks cost 200 plus now too... Not a peep about them though. Like I said Mike is an easy target and has been for over 20 years now. It's the same wack argument from people who want to hold Mikes feet to the fire, but don't actually want to go at the corporations behind them. They don't actually want to stop being "exploited." They just don't want Jordans face on it. Its a very old, and lazy point to bring up. As I said before what premium product doesn't have a high markup???

Also what is the line where it stops being acceptable??? When does it stop being Mikes fault and stop being the consumers??? I haven't bought a pair of Js in well over 7 years. I won't even pay full price for sneakers anymore. That's something anyone can decide to do at any point. But people chose not to. What's the beef, and why is Mike responsible for everything Nike does??? Like he's not just a well paid/compensated employee...

 

[BrownTurd]

Jordans cost less than 15 dollars from factory to shelf and you talking about material and specs....You just been brainwashed if you think they are a superior shoe and worth the 100 x markup. And charlamagne is a clown talking about fly. His dumb ass feeds right into the hype that Marbury was trying to cancel so that kids from families without means could still have quality shoes.

So what exactly is fly about spending a a couple hundred dollars for a shoe that costs 8 dollars to make ?

Millions are spent on engineering, testing and marking along with designing. Endorsement cost to the portfolio of athletes who where the shoe is factored in the cost also.

Selling certain shoes for under 100 would lose money for Nike

 

[BrownTurd]

while I find charla maynes frankness entertaining,

he is still one of them cats who need to wear name brands to feel some sort

of self worth....

chicks play on that insecurity.......

its acceptable when you are young and impressionable, but kind of sad

when you are adult, and still dont realize, you are supposed to make the clothes

look good, not the other way around...

I think it could be a napolean complex too...

Just because we are grown men don't mean we have to walk around in some bullshit either. Having style and taste is not just for the young.

 

[Mt. Yukon]

I can tell you what an unacceptable markup is. If you want a comparison stop trying to use cars and use dude that marked up the HIV drug. Funny how everybody is outraged over that but we have some thinking Jordans is fine.

You got your heels dug in with a stupid comparison. So compare the auto industry workforce with the Asian sweatshops. Compare the overhead of an auto plant with that same sweatshop. Dude let it go there is quite a lot more cost than the different vendors and materials that are used to make cars.

Not only are we talking markups with Jordans we also talking marketing and where it's directed. There is a reason Marbury is critical and decided to make an affordable shoe for the demographic that is targeted.

We are also talking about every other shoe that took the Jordan business plan and ran with it. We are talking about the plan to sell over priced NAMEBRANDS to consumers that neither need them nor can afford them.

Niggas love Lacs ? did you really type that ? and if they do why ? is it because it's a better car ? is it rated higher, is it safer ? does it get better fuel efficiency ? better price ?

Are you really holding Mike accountable for Nike??? He doesn't own Nike, he doesn't make decisions in how they go about business. Why is Mike your target??? Also you're so busy trying to make a point and call people stupid that you missed the part where I said Nike had a high markup... Much like any other premium product. That's capitalism/greed. That's not an issue that needs to be laid at Mikes feet because all top Nike shoes are 200 plus now. Why not go at... Bron, or Kobe, or Durrant??? Because you don't like Mike, and it gives you tunnel vision that's why.

The point of the comparison is that the cost it sells for is well above what it costs GM from start to finish to make. Period. Again you won't tell me what an acceptable markup up is to you. So you'll use that to side step the imminent point you know is coming. You have alot of products in your home that probably exceed what it is, but you won't say it because you'd then be a hypocrite...

......... So???... You, I or anyone else doesn't have to buy them... Adults are responsible for buying them. You have a problem with capitalism when it suits you. Again, Id like to give other examples, but you won't tell me where the line is so there's that. But people choose what they want to buy, not up to companies to "do the moral thing" and kill their profits because "the people that buy them can't afford them.......

Like Cadillacs!!! See how I tied that in??? GM ain't slick, nor have they ever been. They're built on the same frame, with 80 percent of the same components, that includes safety equipment, with some upgraded materials through in there when it count to give it that premium feel. But in its heart of hearts... It's very much that SAME as the vehicle it share components with that's priced 30-40 percent lower... So while yes, they are "better." But not 30-40 percent better, yet they're marked up... Why class??? Because they're a premium product??? That's right a premium product. The illusion that it's better, and the name is what people pay for... No different than Nike. Why is Nike held to a different standard than any other premium product??? Why not Adidas??? Luis Vuitton??? Polo??? Wait for it???... You'll use the "acceptable markup" loophole to wiggle out of that one won't you???

 

[ballscout1]

But Kobe, Bron, and Durants kicks cost 200 plus now too... Not a peep about them though. Like I said Mike is an easy target and has been for over 20 years now. It's the same wack argument from people who want to hold Mikes feet to the fire, but don't actually want to go at the corporations behind them. They don't actually want to stop being "exploited." They just don't want Jordans face on it. Its a very old, and lazy point to bring up. As I said before what premium product doesn't have a high markup???

Also what is the line where it stops being acceptable??? When does it stop being Mikes fault and stop being the consumers??? I haven't bought a pair of Js in well over 7 years. I won't even pay full price for sneakers anymore. That's something anyone can decide to do at any point. But people chose not to. What's the beef, and why is Mike responsible for everything Nike does??? Like he's not just a well paid/compensated employee...

Reading is fundamental..

We are also talking about every other shoe that took the Jordan business plan and ran with it. We are talking about the plan to sell over priced NAMEBRANDS to consumers that neither need them nor can afford them.

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”

 

[Mt. Yukon]

Reading is fundamental..



“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”

So you're saying it's just shoe companies that need to change their business model then??? As if they're the problem with poor people and nothing else??? Gotcha... Because poor people have money for Madden, 2k, and other games every year... how much do you think they cost to make??? How high is that markup??? Why you cherry picking???

I also could've sworn in the first post you quoted I said Nike had a high markup. So why you're trying to stress something I've already conceded is beyond me. My entire side of the argument is why is bad for Nike/Jordan, and OK for others??? That's the point you can't intelligently argue because they I'd pull your hypocrite card and it would be over.

 

[ballscout1]

So you're saying it's just shoe companies that need to change their business model then??? As if they're the problem with poor people and nothing else??? Gotcha...

I also could've sworn in the first post you quoted I said Nike had a high markup. So why you're trying to stress something I've already conceded is beyond me. My entire side of the argument is why is bad for Nike/Jordan, and OK for others??? That's the point you can't intelligently argue because they I'd pull your hypocrite card and it would be over.

you can't possibly use intelligent in the same conversation that you compare a sneaker markup to a car....markups are part of business since it is the ratio of the markup that is being questioned..

and who said it was ok for others who are guilty on similar markups ?

it isn't okay for a hospital to markup and aspirin to 15 dollars

but this conversation started about and is about sneakers

so please don't use intelligence when you can't even stay on topic.

stop acting like you have ADHD.....This conversation is strictly about what Marbury said in relation to over priced sneakers marketed to a certain demographic and you on planes trains and automobiles.

 

[4 Dimensional]

Fuck Jordan and his shoes.

 

[Mt. Yukon]

you can't possibly use intelligent in the same conversation that you compare a sneaker markup to a car....markups are part of business since it is the ratio of the markup that is being questioned..

and who said it was ok for others who are guilty on similar markups ?

it isn't okay for a hospital to markup and aspirin to 15 dollars

but this conversation started about and is about sneakers

so please don't use intelligence when you can't even stay on topic.

stop acting like you have ADHD.....This conversation is strictly about what Marbury said in relation to over priced sneakers marketed to a certain demographic and you on planes trains and automobiles.

My entire point is why are you going at Jordan for shit that's been a part of business for as long as modern civilization haso existed... It devolved into other shit bevause theyre examples of how everyone does that same shit. But why is it Jordans fault specifically??? He's just an employee...

 

[jack walsh13]

"You need to go to that factory and fuck some muthafuckas up."

 

[jack walsh13]

I believe many ppl would...finding a pair you like is the hard part tho

Yup. You will never buy a pair cause you will never see a pair you like.

 

[Mrfreddygoodbud]

Just because we are grown men don't mean we have to walk around in some bullshit either. Having style and taste is not just for the young.

real men know how to look good in anything, just because its a name brand dont mean it

looks good on you, having style and taste have nothing to do with name brands and everything to

do with knowing of what looks good on you and what doesnt.

I aint saying I dont purchase or wear name brand clothing, what Im saying if you NEED name brand clothes

to look good and feel good about yourself, there is a problem somewhere...

I notice certain people NEED name brand clothing...

confident, secure people....not so much...

 

[Gods_Debris]

Charlamagne is a fucking weirdo lispy raccoon looking mug. That niggas opinion has absolutely no bearing on how I feel about anything.

 

[RunawaySlave]

thank goodness I give not a single fuck about being "fly"

 

[BronxBomber]

This dude is what we should be calling a coon. Even if you don't like the sneak, agree with concept etc etc the way he is talking is reckless and childish... He is knocking a man who is saying he is doing this for low income and the hood etc etc. You may not agree but why talk with that much reverence against something meant to be a noble gesture and ultimately could spark the next great movement for black folk

Talking bout whats fly.....

Too many brothers in here to quote, but our culture can be insanely immature.

I haven't seen a pair of Jordans worth $250 in my life time. And ALL the new ones look like bobos.

Oh and the number 1s are like wearing laceable tupperware bins so dont give me high quality slick talk....

 

[ballscout1]

My entire point is why are you going at Jordan for shit that's been a part of business for as long as modern civilization haso existed... It devolved into other shit bevause theyre examples of how everyone does that same shit. But why is it Jordans fault specifically??? He's just an employee...

the out of control markups on speakers started with Jordan. There were celebrity endorsed sneakers before Jordan. Walt Frazier had shoes, DrJ had shoes Wilt Chamberlain had shoes and none of them . Baseball cleats, boxing gloves ,hockey skates have all used endorsements before Jordan.

Now we have shoes that are being remade 20 years later that cost more than the originals. Damn sure isn't any design costs for those is there ?

Yes others have followed that plan and are guilty of the same thing in their pricing

Jordan also marketed his shoes to a community he has never supported or done anything for.

So yes Jordan is singled out because it started with him.

And to say Jordan is just an employee is naive at best and consciously ignorant at worst. Jordan controls every aspect of how and when his name and likeness are used. You only have to go to his recent lawsuit against the bankrupt grocery store that attached a coupon to a commemorative ad they placed.

 

[Gods_Debris]

the out of control markups on speakers started with Jordan. There were celebrity endorsed sneakers before Jordan. Walt Frazier had shoes, DrJ had shoes Wilt Chamberlain had shoes and none of them . Baseball cleats, boxing gloves ,hockey skates have all used endorsements before Jordan.

Now we have shoes that are being remade 20 years later that cost more than the originals. Damn sure isn't any design costs for those is there ?

Yes others have followed that plan and are guilty of the same thing in their pricing

Jordan also marketed his shoes to a community he has never supported or done anything for.

So yes Jordan is singled out because it started with him.

And to say Jordan is just an employee is naive at best and consciously ignorant at worst. Jordan controls every aspect of how and when his name and likeness are used. You only have to go to his recent lawsuit against the bankrupt grocery store that attached a coupon to a commemorative ad they placed.

Not to mention... Micheal Jordan is scum.

 

[KingTaharqa]

When Jordan or his groupies gives an "in my prime" war story comment or uses a player from this era to prop his brand up he and they dont use Tobias Harris or Eric Bledsoe. He goes at the best, LeBron. No one concerns themselves with "low hanging fruit" or "easy targets" then. But when you put the microscope to MJ or talk openly about his faults and losses his followers cry foul and say we shouldnt hold it against him.

 

[Mt. Yukon]

the out of control markups on speakers started with Jordan. There were celebrity endorsed sneakers before Jordan. Walt Frazier had shoes, DrJ had shoes Wilt Chamberlain had shoes and none of them . Baseball cleats, boxing gloves ,hockey skates have all used endorsements before Jordan.

Now we have shoes that are being remade 20 years later that cost more than the originals. Damn sure isn't any design costs for those is there ?

Yes others have followed that plan and are guilty of the same thing in their pricing

Jordan also marketed his shoes to a community he has never supported or done anything for.

So yes Jordan is singled out because it started with him.

And to say Jordan is just an employee is naive at best and consciously ignorant at worst. Jordan controls every aspect of how and when his name and likeness are used. You only have to go to his recent lawsuit against the bankrupt grocery store that attached a coupon to a commemorative ad they placed.

I honestly cant disagree with most of this. Although Id cite Foamposites around 97 as the tipping point when prices started to skyrocket. Those Pennys, and Pippens dropped for 170 and it was a wrap after that. To me though. Im not going to hold a person accountable for a price, or the fact that broke people want them and spend money they dont have to cop them. Thats not on Nike. The price is the price. I dont believe theyre worth what they sell for, and I dont buy them. If people stopped being sheep, the prce would start to come down. So Nike just pimps those who line up to be pimped.

 

[Mt. Yukon]

When Jordan or his groupies gives an "in my prime" war story comment or uses a player from this era to prop his brand up he and they dont use Tobias Harris or Eric Bledsoe. He goes at the best, LeBron. No one concerns themselves with "low hanging fruit" or "easy targets" then. But when you put the microscope to MJ or talk openly about his faults and losses his followers cry foul and say we shouldnt hold it against him.

Jordan is a shit human being, all about himself, and at this point in time, the player as good as he was is overrated.(yes Im a Bulls fan) That has nothing to do with my opinion that holding Mike accountable for the prices of Nikes nowadays is asinine. Its a sign of the times. Expensive shit sells now. Premium products are coveted at a higher rate. You can blame 2000s hip hop more than Mike for that if you HAVE to assign blame. Ultimately you speak with your wallet. Dont like something dont support it. Just place blame where it really belongs though. Ninjas copping 240.00$ pair of shoes that cant really afford them. I dont care what deep seeded, or surface layer reason they feel the need to have them. Consumers drive the bus, and if Nike sales of the higher priced shoes fell off a cliff... I bet theyde come down some...

 

[Complex]

I always notice the corny muthafuckas always run in these threads in an effort to convince themselves and others they're really corny out of principal.

I don't concern myself with what others wear or spend their money on.

 

[evolution81]

the funniest thing is...just because you cant afford it you automatically dont like it with some of yalll...thats the reason why you have the haves and have nots...if everyone could afford a premium product it would not be a PREMIUM product

 

[Mt. Yukon]

thats the reason why you have the haves and have nots...if everyone could afford a premium product it would not be a PREMIUM product

Mt point exactly. The price is the price. You can afford it/justify it or you cant. Going at someone for their product being premium is unfair, and irresponsible.