BANNED!

According to Wikipedia, media democracy is a “Production and distribution model which promotes a mass media system that informs and empowers all members of society and enhances democratic values.” PurpleGorrilla is a blog that is about sneakers, mainly Nike sneakers. Some may think that shoes and media democracy have nothing in common, but I beg to differ. One shoe in particular comes to mind in terms of enhancing democratic values. The shoe that I am referring to is Nike’s most important shoe of all time. It is essentially the shoe that put them on the map. This shoe is the very first Air Jordan, worn by the great Michael Jordan.

The Air Jordan I first came out in 1985 during Michael Jordan’s rookie year in the NBA. One thing that many people may not know is the fact that the NBA banned this shoe when Nike first made it. The shoe was predominantly black with red accents, to match Michael’s Chicago Bulls uniform. Most if not all sneakers that were worn in the NBA back then were usually all white. The NBA felt that all of its players should have uniformity with white sneakers, so they decided to ban the shoe from being worn on the court. Michael wore his sneakers anyway, and the NBA fined him $5,000 for every game that he wore them in. Due to Michael’s great play during his rookie season, his popularity grew and so did the demand for the shoe. Realizing how dumb it was to ban a shoe because of certain colors, the NBA lifted the ban and the rest is now history. The Air Jordan line has now grown into 23 separate models.

In my opinion, the NBA was running a dictatorship with their policy of white basketball shoes on the courts at all times. When Nike and Michael Jordan introduced the Air Jordan I, it was immediately turned away. In a democracy, people are all equal, and are entitled to their own thoughts and opinions, regardless of any outside variables. By bringing a little bit of “color” onto a pair of basketball shoes, I feel that Nike and Michael Jordan indirectly promoted democracy. Though they may have not intended to start a “shoe revolution”, Nike and Jordan did. Instead of the basketball shoe market remaining boring and bland with all white basketball shoes, Nike and Michael Jordan gave the market a breath of fresh air. Players in the NBA can now wear whatever shoe, with whatever color that they may want to wear. This is all attributed to Nike and Michael Jordan. In my opinion, the multi-million dollar basketball shoe industry began when Michael Jordan stepped onto the courts with the Air Jordan I’s. Basketball shoes were once in a dictatorship, but are now in a democracy.