Bill Cosby would be proud

I applauded Bill Cosby when he toured the country commenting on the state of Black America.  I know he got alot of flack about it but I agreed with alot of what he had to say.  One of the comments he made was directed at low-income family priorities; how they can pay $150 on sneakers but are not willing to pay for $15 for hooked on phonics (that was pretty low Bill).  Anyways, the other day I read an article that Stephon Marbury had started an athletic shoe line that will cost consumers $15 a pair.  Can this be true?  What kind of an affect will this have on the major shoe manufacturers?  The following comment was taken from the CNN article:

Should Nike be worried? Both Nike and Adidas say the Starburys haven't cut into sales, so the big boys have no plans for cheap sneaks. These companies insist their $100-plus kicks offer extra features that help a player's performance. "It would be tough for us to go to that price point because consumers expect so much from our product," says Travis Gonzalez, an Adidas basketball spokesman.

I scoffed at this comment at first but as a "self-proclaimed recreational athlete" I had to agree that most of the time I only wear Nike's because I've learned to appreciate the support I get from them on the court and the field.  We've witnessed the price of athletic footwear skyrocket since the Jordan era but a lot of the times, they're not even being purchased to play sports but to be 'sported'.  I like what Stephon and other famous athletes are doing here.  I think it's socially responsible.  I haven't seen how they looked but I hope they're appealing and resilient enough to be around for years to come.

Read the rest of the article here:
"Sneaker Cents"