Proposal: Nike Air Jordan 1

Description:

The Nike Air Jordan was released in 1985 and sprung a legacy in sneaker history. With this sneaker, Nike helped turn Michael Jordan into one of the largest commodities in America. The Air Jordan 1, has a classic Nike style consisted of three different colors. You often see this design today in Hip Hop and Urban fashion as well the massive skateboard and urban culture. This design is internationally known as the "dunk" style sneaker. The Air Jordan was the originator. It is a high top basketball sneaker which comes up the high ankle, or lower shin. The sneaker has 6 layers of leather which are creatively weaved to create an alternating patter of black, white, and red which are the colors of the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan's first NBA team. The under most layer is white, with red black layers of leather weaved and wrapped strategically under and over one another. Both the inner and outer sides of the upper panels and marked with that patented Nike Swoosh in black which stands out over the white leather beneath it. There is a 2 inch white sole and complete with all red bottoms. On the outer side of each ankle there is an embroidered logo of a basketball with wings. Just above the red lacing lies the famous Jumpman icon which would eventually not only change the sporting and fashion industry, but also American culture as well.

Central Questions:

What does the Nike Air Jordan 1 mean to hip hop/urban culture?

How was the young 22 year old basketball player, Michael Jordan, transformed into one of America's icons and commodities worldwide?

What do shoes mean to American Culture?

How did the Nike Air Jordan 1 revolutionize a culture within hip hop culture known as "sneaker culture, or sneaker heads"

Research:

Complex Magazine
Published by Rich Antoniello
November 2007 issue
NYC

A hip hop culture and urban fashion magazine for men.

Kicks Magazine
Published by Dennis Page
New York, New York
No. 27
Oct. 2007 issue

This issue the the 10th anniversary issue devoted to basketball sneakers and the coverstory is "Jordans Rule...How Mike changed the game forever"

nicekicks.com
A website totally devoted to sneaker culture. Been following Jordans sneaker legacy since 85.

www.nahright.com
Hip hop lifestyle, culture, and news.

sneakerfiles.com
Another website totally devoted to sneaker culture with great descriptions and backgrounds of sneakers and the culture.

www.hypebeast.com

Interactive blogs and website for all sneaker culture around the world.



Argument: The Nike Air Jordan 1 revolutionized a new way Americans view sneakers and changed the sneaker/urban/hip hop industry forever.

Why are your sunglasses so damn big? Global warming perhaps?

Why are we wearing such large sunglasses? Is it a natural reaction to the earth's changing atmosphere? We only have our selves to blame for that. Is it for style or status? Either way, sunglasses are designed to lessen the amount of sunlight shined in ones eye, for better vision in very bright situations. A persons forehead, and the rest of the face for that matter, have nothing to do with vision. So there is much more to sunglasses that meet the eye, you could say.
What is wrong with our society? We drive over sized cars, wasting massive amounts of the earth's resources. We live in over sized houses while there are still homeless people walking around our cities. We eat over sized processed cheeseburgers, which deteriorate our health. We watch our over sized televisions while consuming our over priced medications for our under sized problems. And now it has come to this. We are wearing over sized sunglasses.
I have seen just as many girls wearing these massive glasses in doors as I do outside. If we keep this behavior up, I've concluded that the human race will go blind in about 200 years through the theory of evolution.
In America, you will hear many criticisms of Islamic nations covering there women's faces, but we should not be hypocritical, because I can't see your face either with those big ass sunglasses your wearing.
Are these genetically enhanced sunglasses a status symbol or just a soon to die fashion trend? Lets hope its a soon to die fashion trend, because if America keeps breeding these spoiled, money hungry, teenagers like you see on MTV, the sunglasses could start becoming dangerously large.

The Football

The hand sticthed, thirty-two panel, leather sphere, filled with air until firm and strong. The bundle of stocks mangled and interweaved, artistic, and brilliant. The abandoned plastic bottle, once litter, now sport, lying on the ground. Whether an expensive adidas ball, purchased by the wealthy or an old filthy tee shirt, tied in knots by a underprivaledged boy, these objects all share the same unique social phenomenon, which is the football.

It is difficult to capture all o fwhat the football represents. For some, football is a sport, or a game. An activity or an exercise. Fore more, the fooball represents a way of life, which is deeply engrained in cultures around the world. it represents human interaction, free of stereotypes, politics, and racism.

Some people live for the football and some people die for it. In some places, it is used as a release. A release from the hardships surrounding them. Something to look foward to in a time a desperation and struggle. Something to hold as pride when all else has vanished. The football brings unity back into mankind, just like the panels on the ball which are stictched together, tight and solid.

Football is worldly known for being the poor mans sport. This is said because the poor play with the most passion and joy for the game. Just like America's basketball story of struggle and triumph, football is the same throughout the world.

The power of the football is unmatched. Where governments failed, the football has succeeded. Football has the influence that politicians, media, cocaine, and even the crack that is McDonalds could not obtain. Just recently, it had the power and influence to stop a civil war. The Iraqi national team brought hope and joy back to its country, after winning an Asain trophy. A hope and joy that has not been felt by the Iraqi people in a long time of struggle and war with the Americans.

I share a similiar story to millions of people across the world. As a youngin', I held the ball close, showing it love, passion and care. As I grew older, the ball never left my side. The same love that I showed the football, was given right back in return, giving me opportunities that only a footbal could.

You could say that the football is a Godly phenomenom. Its sperhic nature resembles that of the sun, moon, stars, and the mother earth in which we inhabit. Its 32 panels, sticthed together and its roundness represent the unity, togetherness, passion, and joy, which is the football.

The Football

An artifact that represents my identity the most would have to be the football. Soccer in many ways has saved my life. It has given me opportunities a young minority in America could never dream of. I never thought I would be going to college because mostly college is meant for people with cake, but ever since I was five I kept the football close. I didn't just play the game, I cared for the football, I showed the ball love, and in return, the ball gave love right back.
In most parts of the world soccer is known as the poor mans sport. When you don't have much to look foward to you can always grasp the football. It is "world" culture. It is one thing that most humans have in common, no matter what race, religion, age, or class you are. That is an aspect of my personality which me and soccer have in common. I am very open to all cultures and people. Being half black and half white, I already had two completely different American cultures mixed in my household growing up. Out of all the places I've been in the world, Ive noticed that America is unique. It really is one of the more "racial" or "racist" places out there. Racism lurks in the American air and we breathe it everyday, through media and deep rooted living styles. Where I grew up is a very segregated area, like a lot of the U.S. for that matter. I noticed at a very young age when I was playing soccer with my teammates, race was never an issue. The football brought us all together and all the sudden it seemed like we all came from the same place.
The football has a power that is difficult to explain. For instance, just a year and a half ago a civil war was put on hold while Ivory Coast was participating in the world cup.
The football is the story of the "have not" who skipped school to score goals, and never asked for anything back, because the football itself was just enough.




Brazil national team in Haiti

My name is Daniel Bulls and I am currently a junior here at UMBC. I am majoring in media and communication studies and I am also a captain on the men's soccer team. I am very interested in studying culture and society and this is one of the reasons I chose to take this class. I have traveled to many places such as England, Sweden, Holland, Italy, and Belgium playing soccer before coming to UMBC, and I have also lived in Brazil and Senegal playing soccer as well. These experiences opened my eyes to the importance of education and after school I would like to continue playing soccer professionally and eventually become a teacher and would also like to coach youth soccer at a high level. I would also like to start youth soccer academies in West Africa and parts of the United States. Aside from soccer and AMST 344, I enjoy music and reading books.