Sneakerheads in the news
Through the past decade and a half the sneaker culture has grown to all different types of markets. The popularity of basketball sneakers emerged with Michael Jordan, and with his popularity the demand for his product grew. As a result some people turned to violence in order to get Michael's newest shoes. In the past year five people lost their lives due to sneaker related crimes. I believe that this is the result of people wanting to "fit" in. Most of the people who commit these crimes are in their early twenties or late teens.
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From my research, the trend that started the increase in sneaker related crimes is that the price has dramatically increased since the inception of the first Air Jordan. From a business perspective, Nike is simply capitalizing on the demand for their shoes to maximize profits. Furthermore, Nike is also increasing the price of their other athletes shoes, like LeBron James. Sneaker companies have been able to make a culture that many teens and young adults feel that they need to be apart of. If you are not part of this culture, then you are somewhat ostracized. If the person feels left out, then they turn to crime in order to obtain something that they want. Personally, I feel that Nike has a responsibility to it's customers to help prevent this violence by making more pairs of shoes or lowering the prices. The average cost to make one of these shoes is around $25-$40.