It’s Not Enough To Be Casual

Not only are they seen running down the court, but also dashing along the track, tackling in the football field, cantering around the bases, pacing to the soccer goal, and shuffling in the ring. These are merely a few examples of what Air Jordans can do outside of the casual wear. In 1993, Michael Jordan retired from the basketball world to pursue a career as a major league baseball player. His late father, James R. Jordan, who was murdered earlier that year, always envisioned his son would be a professional baseball player, so Jordan tried to pursue his father’s dream. He shocked the world when he attended Spring Training for the Chicago White Sox, a minor league team, in March of 1994. He later appeared in the major leagues as No. 45 for the Birmingham Barons. In 1995, he stated in a press conference that he was returning to the NBA to play once again with the Chicago Bulls, but this time when he stepped on the court he would be showcasing his baseball number. Also in 1995, Jordan released a new sneaker. The Air Jordan XI (1I) heightened the new topic. Rather than sporting the 23 original, it featured Jordan’s new number, 45. The number also appeared on some other Jordan sneakers, but also a few headlined both numbers such as “2345″. The number was not the only change within the sneaker. Throughout the years, recognizing Jordan’s baseball history and football appearances he made at EA Laney High School in North Carolina, the Jordan line released an Air Jordan cleat. The craze then spread throughout other sports and the line got bigger, settling with soccer, track & field, boxing, and even Suzuki bike racing. Along with the expansion came major endorsement deals. Michael took on 17 basketball players, Carmelo Anthony being the most well known, 7 football players such as Terrell Owens, April Holmes from track & field, 2 baseball players like Derek Jeter, 2 boxers, one of which is Roy Jones Jr., and a few more from other sports. The endorsements also grew to a team wide span. Some of my favorite colleges, such as, University of Cincinnati and the University of North Carolina, have taken on the sneaker as well.

Tyler Hansbrough from UNC sports the Air Jordan Sneaker