Shoppers stand in a line a block long in the freezing cold awaiting the purchase of their new Air Jordan sneakers. Some may choose to wear them, while others decide to keep them stocked away in a dark closet, spending the $160 just to say, “I have a pair.” But with sneaker prices on the rise, especially for those sleek “Js,” which originally released 20 years ago, it makes me wonder, is it all worth it?

The History

As the third pick in the 1984 NBA draft to the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan was granted a sponsorship from Nike and soon the Air Jordan line would become iconic. Starting with the One, which originally cost $64.99 (in 1985), and continuing to the current newest pair, the 28, which costs $250 (Jordan played in the 18s in his final NBA season).

In 1989, Nike began marketing the line with commercials depicting Spike Lee as “Mars Blackmon,” a friend of Jordan’s who coined the phrase “It’s gotta be the shoes,” as he claimed that was the reason for Jordan’s high-flying skills.

Now, Nike continues to release specific color-ways of the old-school sneakers at a much higher premium than in the 1980s and ’90s. Many times Nike will release the sneakers at 7 a.m. on a Friday or Saturday, having a new pair out every couple weeks. Prices range from $140-$180, and they sell out on a consistent basis. By no means, in my mind, is that pocket change, so I’d love to discover what is driving people to buy.

Personally, I own a couple pairs of retro Jordans I bought with my own money a couple years ago, mainly because I thought they were good looking sneakers. But as I read on into the sneaker culture, I discovered there are people who buy the shoes with vastly different intentions.

There are people who buy them to wear, those who resell them to make a quick buck and those who spend the money to have them on display either on a shelf or back in the original box. Some even buy two pairs, “one to rock and one to stock.” People even have whole collections ranging into the hundreds of pairs.

Nike has created an empire, with one sector being the Air Jordan brand. Since the early 1980s Nike has engraved in consumer’s minds the image of the one-of-a-kind athlete Michael Jordan rocking his own signature kicks, and now it is reselling them to bring back the aura of an era.

As genius as this is, and as well as sales may be doing, I now believe buying these shoes on a monthly basis isn’t practical. To spend over $140 consistently isn’t the smartest money management plan. Even though the sneakers look tasteful to the eyes, or “fresh,” they won’t make you jump higher, run faster, and certainly won’t make your bank account fuller. So sorry Mars Blackmon, but in my opinion, it doesn’t “gotta be the shoes.”