ESPN has been dedicating a segment every day (until Sunday) in honor of Michael Jordan’s 50th birthday! And why not? He is (in my opinion) the greatest of all time. I thought this was so dope. Check out what they did yesterday, “It’s Gotta Be The Shoes.”
Long ago, a shoe endorsement was the pinnacle of an athlete’s commercial success. Then, Michael Jordan arrived and became the first athlete to be a “brand.” After the first pair of Nike “Air Jordan” basketball shoes rolled out, the former Chicago Bulls guard elevated his profile from superstar to transcendent, cross-over commercial icon. Now, almost 30 years since the first sneakers debuted and nearly a decade since Jordan retired as a pro athlete, his brand endures and continues to perpetuate his basketball legacy.
