Chapter 1 : History and mission statement

  Early in 1984 Nike was a struggling shoe company. The running shoe that has fueled their sales in previous years was slowly dying and they needed a way to reinvent themselves in order to stand out to another markets. At the same time rookie player Michael Jordan was already endorsing several products. Meanwhile Nike hoped that his appeal would rocket sales but Jordan had other ideas. He had always preferred Adidas or the Converse shoes and hoped to sign on with those companies. Converse with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson on board as spokesmen were not interested in offering a better deal than Nike and Adidas wasn't interested at all. While Jordan himself did not see the significance of Nike's offer his agent David Falk saw a opportunity in Nike's offer to create a new line of shoes called "Air Jordans" and told him to give Nike a chance. 


Nike signed Jordan to a $2.5 million deal for 5 years plus royalties and other benefits. Peter Moore created the first AJ Logo with a basketball with wings lifting it. The introduction of the AIr Jordan I turned the athletic shoe industry upside down. Before the AJ I most basketball shoes were white but the bold black and red styling of the Jordan I flouted this convention. The NBA banned the shoe from the league in response but Jordan wore them anyway getting serious fines of up to $5000 a game. Nike was more than happy to pay these to keep the shoes on Jordan's feet and in the public eye. All this controversy and Jordan's numbers that year put the Air Jordan line on the road to becoming a household name.


 The Air Jordan line is now sold by the Jordan Brand subsidiary of Nike.  Collectors classify the Air Jordan line by release year and model: Originals (OG), Retros (shoes that have been recreated for sale to the general public), Retro-pluses (Retro +, Air Jordans that are similar to the Original product, with more up-to-date changes), Player Exclusive (PE, Air Jordans that are exclusive to certain athletes in the realm of sports) and Samples. Air Jordans Mission Statement is: "To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete.