How Michael Jordan Shoes Were Designed for Optimum Performance

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How Michael Jordan Shoes Were Designed for Optimum Performance
Jordan air has left an indelible mark in history following the unprecedented success of the brand for decades. Since its inception in early 1980, the design of Jordan shoes has evolved to mirror the preferences of Michael Jordan and the sneakers market. The designers of each model had to not only produce an aesthetically beautiful product but also help their key marketer and brand ambassador, Michael Jordan, to perform exceptionally on the court. The design of the shoes was a culmination of many ideas, preferences, performance abilities and striking beauty that would rake in more profits for the company. Some models flopped, but they helped the design team to produce better products that would guarantee them better profit margins and market dominance. Tinker Hatfield, the genius behind most of Jordan Air sneaker brands had to come up with designs that helped MJ perform optimally on the field whilst maintain the aesthetic value of the shoe. This article is focused on finding out why Tinker Hatfield was under pressure to ensure his designs were meant for performance especially for their brand ambassador, Michael Jordan while on the court.
The playing style of Michael Jordan was a key consideration for the design of each shoe. Michael Jordan liked to dunk, and that necessitated him to be airborne to pull out his move. The success of Michael Jordan on the court was tied to the promotion of his footwear and thus, unending pressure to design products that had to improve and optimize his performance. Athlete shoes are designed for performanceCITATION McP00 \l 1033 (McPoil and Thomas). For Hatfield, that required him to design a light shoe that would reduce drag and enable Michael Jordan to stay airborne whenever necessary. He also had to be fast in executing his moves and moving around the court to improve his performance. Thus, the materials used to make the shoe had to be as light as possible without compromising their strength of the material. Hatfield opted to use rubber that was light and strong to withstand the pounding it would take on the court.
The shoe, therefore, had to be fitting and designed for his leg to enable him to jump easily. The weight of the shoe had to be least to ensure he went up higher as he wanted whenever he was wearing the shoes. Fitting shoes are necessary to minimize chances of spraining his foot upon landing after being airborne. Whichever angle he landed the shoe had to be designed to absorb the shock and distribute it evenly around the foot and avoid pressure on a particular point of the leg that would reduce his performance. The positioning of the foot inside the shoe had to allow for maximum movement of the ankle around their axis and enable MJ to jump as high as he could.
Traction is also important on the court. Hatfield had to ensure the shoes had maximum traction on the court. To achieve this, he had to ensure the sole base was large enough to ensure it generated enough friction for stability CITATION Kre96 \l 1033 (Kreighbaum and Smith). Sliding would be disastrous for Michael Jordan as it would likely lead to injury affecting his career and performance on the court. The material for the sole had to...