Starbury Shoes: NBA star sells $15 sneakers

[philosophie_en_rose]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17962620/



(snip)

Marbury has been razzed by other players for wearing $15 sneakers, and there’s been some jibes traded between Cleveland Cavalier megastar LeBron James, the current king of the high-priced shoe market, and Wallace over the shoe’s quality.

The big companies say it’s not built as well as their shoes. But one of the shoe’s designers, T.J. Gray, told a newspaper reporter, "We're building them with the same construction, we're using similar materials.”

And consumer advocate Ralph Nader, who has been challenging James over conditions in the Chinese factories where his shoes are made, singled out Marbury for praise in an open letter posted online at LeagueOfFans.org.

Addressed to James, the post said that Marbury "challenged the entire basketball sneaker industry, in part, to present inner-city kids with an affordable (yet still stylish and well-made) alternative to the $150 shoes that you and others endorse."

Has anyone seen or bought these shoes? I haven't seen them in stores, but I like the idea.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

1. Good for Marbury.

A non-greedy athlete -- go figure.

[Rob H.]

2. I saw a report on these on TV a while back

They took a pair of Starburys and a pair of much more expensive shoes to a lab and basically split each down the middle with a bandsaw to check out the construction. The tech who examined them said they were constructed in basically the same way and that the Starbury's weren't "cheap" by comparison. People who were in stores buying the shoes came up to Marbury to thank him for what he was doing and he got choked up. It was a great story. :)

[philosophie_en_rose]

4. "Why put your name on shoes no one can afford?"

:thumbsup:

The nearest store that sells Starburys is at least 90 minutes away from me in Auburn, but I think I'll take my nieces and nephews there when they visit. I can buy 6 pairs of Starburys for the price of one Air Jordan.

[bigwillq]

3. I think that is great!

Props to Marbury...a classy guy.

[realisticphish]

5. this is the greatest idea ever

with the added bonus of making all the other sports endorsers feel like shit :evilgrin:

[WeRQ4U]

6. I see one problem with this...

Will this really do anything to help the problem, or will it just be another target for the spoiled bastards in school to make fun of the kids wearing them? There have always been cheap, decent shoes. Kids still want the expensive ones, however, due to the fact that they are a status symbol. If you don't have them, there is a chance you'll get made fun of. It's just the way it is.

I hope I'm wrong. Props to Marbury for trying.

[philosophie_en_rose]

7. I think that's the point.

Marbury sometimes gets teased because he wears his own shoes, but he doesn't care and would rather support something everyone could afford. I can definitely see kids being teased, but Marbury is a good example of not caring about that. No one should wear Nikes to appease bullies.

And if it's not the shoes, it will be something else. A kid wearing Nikes is just as likely to be bullied for another reason.

[jakefrep]

8. This reminds me of something I was once told about buying motorcycle helmets..

..."If you've got a $5 head, buy a $5 helmet."

If the shoes are of the same quality as the other merchandise sold at Steve & Barry's, I'll pass. I've not had very good luck with items I've bought there.

Having had some foot problems growing up, I don't mind spending more money for shoes that are comfortable and fit properly.

[realisticphish]

9. the thing is

I've found that cost and quality in sports shoes are only correlated to around 60-80 bucks. Higher than that, it's just markup, imho. These shoes are for kids who really want basketball shoes, but can't afford the expensive ones.

ps- Steve and Barry's has good coats, but there shirts are cheap shit.

[Little Wing]

11. That's my question about basketball shoes

I've never had anything that gives 'ankle' support expect for full leather lace up boots. Or ski boots. What makes basketball shoes special, you'll still sprain the hell out of your ankle if you land wrong. So, other than offering no ankle support, the only thing they do is weigh you down.

Just don't get it.

[ForrestGump]

16. Yeah....I go for New Balance running shoes that cost in the neighborhood of $100

(if you get a good deal), but I do so only because they're the best built and fitted shoe for me, and help my feet out. A lot of the Nikes of similar or greater cost, in particular, are not well constructed but are examples of style (and hype) over substance...it's no coincidence that some of the ugliest 'athletic' shoes out there, in my opinion, are Nike. It's been that way quite a while. In fact, it was a pair of Nike AirMax running shoes that may well have in part made my permanent switch to high-end New balance running shoes necessary for my feet's sake.

Genuinely superior shoes like the near-top-of-the-line New Balance runners (by the way, I strongly recommend good running shoes even if for people who do not run much or at all because running shoes are usually the best for feet, in general, and especially for people with various foot or more widespread skeletal problems) are arguably overpriced, but many or most of these 'celebrity' shoes and the other 'hot' models of shoe (usually Nikes) are not only overpriced but underengineered and in no way worth the asking price.

[grace0418]

10. I agree about paying more for quality, but I would be willing to bet those $150

shoes are not 10x better quality than the Starbury shoes. They are expensive because people are willing to pay that to "be like Mike" or LeBron or whomever. It's not about quality, it's about a name. And anyway, most of the kids buying Air Jordans aren't buying them so they can wear them for years and years. They are buying them to be cool, and most will grow out of them before they wear them out.

[bullwinkle428]

14. Crash helmets vs. sneakers is kind of an apples to oranges

comparison. If I was a biker, I wouldn't have the slightest hesitation in dropping $500-600 on an Arai or Shoei helmet, because we're talking about something that's potentially life or death, or perhaps save me from permanent brain injury.

With footwear, fit and comfort is that absolute bottom line. I have a really narrow foot with a high arch, and have tried many expensive shoes that felt like total garbage as they just weren't designed with my "foot type" in mind. I wouldn't have any reservation about the Starbury shoes if they fit well - if they fall apart in 6 months, well, it's only $15, so my footwear cost per month was only $2.50...

[NightWatcher]

12. Doesn't anybody still wear Chucks- Converse All Stars?

I've worn out countless numbers of these shoes. They are flat and have no air pocket or spring step, but I think that they rock.

[AllegroRondo]

13. my daughter does

they still sell them, and still rather inexpensive too.

[AlCzervik]

15. chucks have made a comeback, really they never went away but i see many more kids

wearing them now, their price has gone to around $40 a pair. I have 2 pairs in black and my daughter has a pair of purple ones.

[Zookeeper]

17. I have them in blue denim and plaid flannel...

(spring and fall... ;) ) and two of my kids have them. However, I don't know how good they are beyond casual wear since they don't have much support.