Discussion-Why-So-Serious-1

Technological advancements take place in every aspect of our society. Most often, these advancements are welcomed with open arms. Yet, this is not the case with sneakers…

The Air Jordan 8.0, a super charged version of the original Air Jordan VIII. While visually, I’ll admit, they aren’t very appealing, they are however designed with a specific purpose in mind… bring the greatness of the past and bring them up to date with the present.

Personally, if I were to choose a pair of sneakers to hoop in from the Air Jordan Legacy… it would have to be between the Air Jordan I or Air Jordan IV. However, the technology in a shoe from the 80’s is a far cry from what we are used to now. With that said, I personally love what Jordan Brand has been doing with their models that made the brand so iconic and updating them for all of us who actually play basketball, in our basketball shoes, a chance to do what we have always wanted… with a twist.

Believe it or not, there once was a time when Air Jordan’s were worn for playing basketball. While we older Sneakerheads fondly remember the better days, the newer generation seems to be more self absorbed with themselves to realize that the logo they love to wear with their favorite pair of jeans actually became famous with a pair of gym shorts and taped ankles.

Instead of embracing these re-tooled classics, they are dismissed and seen as a fail. Complaints reign supreme on blogs as these basketball worthy models from yesteryear are slowly being brought back to life, with a majority of the comments saying “we just want Retro shoes”… and you wonder why they choose not to place quality materials on the Retro models, nobody plans on using them for basketball so why bother placing basketball worthy materials on the silhouettes.

I for one applaud and appreciate that Jordan Brand has at least tried to update some classic models so we can enjoy them on court. If I ever tried to play in a pair of Air Jordan I’s I would most likely end up getting injured, luckily they created the Air Jordan I Alpha for just that occasion… same goes for the Jordan 2.0 & 8.0.

So, why is everyone so serious about these technological upgrades? They aren’t ruining the legacy of the Brand, they are solidifying it by keep the Jumpman on the basketball court as it should be… where it all started.

What are your thoughts on these upgrades; do you love them, hate them or not care either way?

As someone who truly loves the game of basketball, I welcome these upgrades without question… Retros aren’t going anywhere so there is no need to worry. Maybe they aren’t for you, but for the guy spending 4+ hours in the gym, they mean everything.

Discussion-Why-So-Serious-2

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22 Comments

  1. At first look these shoes are a nose turner but I understand now why they made the upgrade. Basically Jordan Brand is taking retros and making them basketball shoes for today. I know it sounds like I am paraphrasing but I am just tryin to make it clear for those who wont read the article fully. Honestly I wish they would make retros with better quality material because then i would actually want to ball in my Jordans because I know they will last long. If you ball in retro today they will fold within 2 or 3 days of playing ball in them.

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  2. I think the bball shoes of today… look like crap. I agree that there are new ways and better qualities like 15 years ago… but the new shoes look like crap. I do not only wanna have a good basketball shoe… I also wanna wear a shoe that looks great on the court. I played with tons of the old Jordan’s, Penny’s or Barkley’s. Today u have Kobe’s, Hyperfuses, Hyperdunks or upgrade Jordan’s… That makes me mad… where is the good design or the good looks from back in the days??? Bro… I grew up in the 80s with all the good and awesome sneakers… U cant compare them to the sneakers today at all!!! I agree… U cant wear Retros to ball in… but they should make them in a better quality… and keep the retro design…

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  5. Plain and simple the shoes are ugly…there are some people the consider Natural History of the Jordan Sneaker run 1-23 the only “real” Jordans. Then there are others that appreciate the team and legacy Jordan’s so the company can make an extra buck in between major releases. However for basketball purposes Jordan’s are elite. The only other shoe I have played in are Lebron and Penny line. Overall Foamposites are the best basketball shoe ever made. But to case and point of this article Jordan Retro’s due to lack of quality shouldn’t be made to play in considered “old”. Some of the best pairs I have ever played in are 11s, 12s, 13s, 14s, 16s, 17s, 20s+ because they incorporate newer innovated technology and the Natural numerology. So if you are one of those deciding between newer technology 2.0s or 8.0s or regular 8s or retro 8s, just try to consider the History of 11s and up in the Natural History as pure basketball shoe and look great on the court. Even newer models 16s and up to 2011 can be found no more than 150 dollars in some cases…considering the average decent basketball shoe nowadays is 160+

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  6. Updated or not, I just wish I could find a pair that looks like it will last a while. The 8.0 definitely looks fragile, not durable. Like my Air Max Uptempo’s….lasted a solid year or two. Stuff today seems like it will break down in a week. Hyperfuse is a comfy, good lookin’ shoe…..but did not last a month.

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  7. I think updateing old school styles is a good thing. Older shoes no doubt lokk awesome. My altime favorite is the Jordan IV’s and I have almost 10 pairs of this one shoe but I would never play ball in them. 1) They are two exspensive to be stepped on or scuffed at the court an 2) they just do not handle or perform like newer shoes. I am currently playing ball in Nike Zoom Hyperfuse 2010. No where near as good looking as a IV but far better performing on the court and I would never wear hyperfuse with jeans. It’s all about picking the right shoe for the right occasion.

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  9. half ass site, just posted this article yesterday and i guess due to the fact this site has nothing unique and only recycles information, these stupid discussions need to be posted daily for weeks on end… keep up the good work lol…

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    1. If u think this is a half ass site then why do u visit? If u think discussions are stupid then why do u read them and feel the need to leave a half ass comment?!? Get a life son. This is one of the best sites out there and they were the first sneaker site before all the others soknow ur shit before you talk. Fake sneakerhead who’s broke with no life and likes to Internet thug it… Do urself a favor and jump off a cliff.

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  10. I believe that if you want to make a shoe with better “technology” for a shoe don’t take the ones the already have a legacy behind them………….start a new shoe for jordan brand that uses the same technology………….if Michael Jordan can play at the level of competition and still come on top why change the shoe that he played in……………..high school, college, even on a NBA scale it doesn’t matter the shoe has nothing to do with the game its how you play in them that matters

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    1. Ummm there’s a reason every Jordan shoe from the XI up has some kind of carbon fiber plate that Jordan himself made mandatory. The older jordans were wearing Jordan’s knees out, the carbon fiber plate in the XI’s relieved that stress. The fact is the older shoes do not compare PERFORMANCE-wise. And that’s all that really matters to an elite BASKETBALL PLAYER. Basketball shoes have one purpose, to be the best shoe for PRO BALLERS. Basketball kicks are not really meant for casual wear anyways……..

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  12. You can ball in retros, the 9’s are very good bball shoes do what they did with the alpha ones made them basketball shoes but they still looked fresh

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  13. I have play basketball in all of the Jordan’s from I-XX3’s and I would have to say, all the Jordan’s X and above do just fine. My main question would be, why are they trying to reinvent the classic shoes with newer technology? I’ve seen many of people play in all of the Jordan’s with no problem and lets be honest, these shoes (Jordan 8.0) is just a cheaper version of the VIII’s. I dont even believe that they are going to put more effort into these shoes (as far as technology) than they would with a retro. The retro’s of today are of less quality than when they first released but at the end of the day, all of them are made for one purpose; TO PLAY BASKETBALL IN. You can ball in the I-XX3’s and still have a shoe that can be used for style. And someone mentioned that they can only ball in their Jordan’s 3 times before they fall apart; thats because if you buy your Jordan’s from the flee market then yea, you’ll be lucky to get 3 uses out of them. Me personally, I can use them multiple times without worrying if they are about to fall apart. #JustSayin…

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  14. well, I have to disagree with two things in the article, I elaborate:

    1. You say “and you wonder why they choose not to place quality materials on the Retro models, nobody plans on using them for basketball so why bother placing basketball worthy materials on the silhouettes.”

    well, for the simple reason that JB is charging not only updated prices, but even higher ones, I would of course expect the retros to be made with quality materials. I’m not hearing JB say “well, we’re not using basketball worthy materials after all, so the Concords will be $65 bucks..” and please don’t start with the supply/demand bs, because this is gonna turn into a vicious circle.

    2. You say “If I ever tried to play in a pair of Air Jordan I’s I would most likely end up getting injured”

    What happened to 1985 Michael Jordan wearing the original AJ1s? what happened to anyone who bought these shoes back in 85? Did we started seeing a frenzy of people with ankle or foot injuries because of the shoes? I don’t recall that. Plus, injuries happen nowadays too, with or without the technology. Are the new shoes more capable of protecting us more efficiently from injuries? Yes. Are they 100% reliable? Just as all of the sneakers…no.

    And finally…

    What’s the problem with taking the original AJ 8, then using new technology WITHOUT changing the look? (e.g. Air Huarache Bball 2012, IMO, an update that conserved the true soul of the OG look)

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  15. “…the newer generation seems to be more self absorbed with themselves to realize that…”
    To begin, this was obviously a misguided attempt at obscuring the “OG” sneaker lover and the “young cats” that spend their money on shoes today. First, you must realize that in the 80’s, Jordan had the newest technology in his shoes. His game and his brand was revolutionary; boundary pushing. Almost 30 years later, there are new players that have taken (because it definitely wasn’t handed to them) the torch in terms of on-court performance shoes, Kobe and Lebron. Please don’t mistake these new “.0’s” as a genuine effort of “giving back” to the fans of the brand. It’s another cheap ploy, aimed at the wallets of any unsuspecting person suffering from a bad case of nostalgia.

    Furthermore, realize that if they really wanted to offer the same Jordan silhouettes with up-to-date tech, they could add these changes in very subtle ways! For example, The Air Jordan 3 with an updated Max bag would be sufficient a change to perform on court. But changing the height and adding visible Flywire to the Playoff 8’s is so overt, it definitely doesn’t wouldn’t prevent anyone from purchasing an 8 retro if it were to come anytime soon! But instead they create a new shoe, as to differentiate the dollars they can potentially make with this line and the dollars they would rake in by releasing actual retros.

    And for the record, I bought and played in the alpha 1’s; the zoom bag in the forefoot was so thin, I bruised a bone in my foot and was out of commission for 3 weeks.

    P.S. I suggest you don’t add bias to your “Disscussion” segments, as it leads to potential animosity from the reader. Because clearly you feel that the majority of this market are “hypebeats” and it comes out in your writing. And if that’s the case, those are the individuals that your site is aimed at, so alienating them is probably not a good idea……

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  17. Those so called updates are the ugliest shoes ever made, that same goes for the for all .0 or whatever hybrids they are calling them now days, IMO the best looking and signature shoe is the 8, they should not dick around with all the original legacy ones!

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  18. well when you pay sometimes up to 200-250+ on some retro or OG’s why would you want to play in them?! Most people cop retros and OG’s for two reasons 1. out of love and innovation that mj brought to the game and number 2. to collect memorbilia of the greatest player ever to step on the court. Case and point… construction workers, janitors, and garbage men dont wear their everyday go on a date kick it at the mall shoes. They wear ugly high top steel toe working boots, why? Because there grinding their ass as off at work. Retros and OG’s are just worth to much to pay 100’s of dollars on for maybe a season of wear tear on the court. Why do you think that hyperdunk and hyperfuse are so in-expensive… There only meant to last one season if that! The only basketball shoe I trust for traction, support, style, breathability, comfort hands down is the NIKE HUARACHE SERIES.

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