High School boys love sports, television, hanging with friends, and of course their sneakers.
From Nike to Adidas, to Converse to Van’s (and others of course), sneakers go back to the 18th century. At first, sneakers didn’t have a separate right foot or a left foot. Then, in 1892, the U.S Rubber Company invented a more comfortable brand of sneakers called Keds.
“Sneakers” got their name because they were so quiet. In 1984, Professional Chicago Bulls basketball player Michael Jordan signed a contract to wear a Nike brand pair of sneakers called Air Jordans, which ended up being the most famous sneaker ever. Though Michael Jordan’s sneakers were the favorite for most people, they were not the first basketball sneakers with a basketball player’s name. The first ever was actually Chuck Taylor, who signed with Marquis Converse and created the popular shoe Chuck Taylor All-Stars.
Every sneaker company competes with each other, even to this day. Whether it be Nike or a designer brand, high school boys also compete with each other for the freshest sneakers. They spend countless amounts of money just to buy the latest designs. To some, it’s like an addiction.
Sophomore Jourdon Starks loves sneakers so much he has 25 pairs of them.
“I love all my sneakers. They are all nice but my favorite pair is my Gucci sneakers,” said Starks, “because they are designer shoes and I’ve always wanted a pair of designer shoes.”
Sneakers went international around 1924 when Adi Dassler created one of the most popular sneakers that’s still around today: Adidas.
“I think we care about sneakers so much because a sneaker kind of expresses who we are and what style we have,” said Starks
Many Ludlow boys say that girls just don’t understand the obsession with athletic footwear.
“Sneakers to us are like their hair to them,” said senior Kevin Simonds “They want their hair to be perfect. We want our sneakers to be perfect. We don’t want our sneakers to get stolen or dirty because they usually are a lot of money and so we want to keep them clean for as long as we can.”
Girls fit in by putting on makeup and doing their hair just the way they want it. Boys make sure there are no dirt on their sneakers and always try to keep them clean unless they are too worn out.
“I got my Jordon Futures because they are comfortable, and sharp looking,” Said sophomore Colby Johnson. “I think sneakers make the outfit you are wearing.”
Sophomore Sullivan Kennedy agrees: “It’s kind of a fashion statement, but not really. It’s more a way to fit in.”
But fitting in — literally — is not cheap. Boys typically pay over $100 for a pair of good sneakers.