Ben Preiss
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Continuing its wildly successful Air Jordan franchise with the new $230 Air Jordan XX3, Nike dust’s MJ off for another over the top ad campaign. The Air Jordan has been credited for sparking the “big sneaker deal” for athletes, the collectors craze and beatings and death for people wearing them perpetrated by those who wanted them.
 Jordan’s deal with Nike opened the door for sneaker manufacturers to chase after athletes, signing them up —sometimes just out of high school— for multimillion-dollar contracts in hopes of being able to cash in on the next superstar. It sent sneaker prices to new heights, which has since generated a backlash against selling pricey shoes to basketball-loving kids.
“The Air Jordan franchise created the most coveted basketball footwear in the world and changed the basketball landscape forever,” said Nike Brand President Charlie Denson.
A new edition was launched each year, and release dates had to be moved to the weekends to keep kids from skipping school to get a pair.
The frenzy got dangerous. People were mugged and even killed for the shoes.
The Air Jordans helped spawn a subculture of collectors, who line up at stores to buy the shoe’s latest edition.
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