It’s been almost four months since Stephon Marbury launched his sneaker line at Steve and Barry’s stores. As many people scramble to shopping malls to attain gifts for family and friends, I think it’s a great time to consider purchasing the Starbury’s for $15. Marbury has always been generous to fellow New Yorkers and his decision to provide quality sneakers at a reasonable price should be commended.

Not only has Marbury supplied a practical alternative to higher priced sneakers, he has also provided a platform for a younger audience to talk about social conditioning and economics. In doing research for this article, I was amazed at the number of people willing to debate various aspects of commerce. The quality, aesthetics, price, and marketability of the sneaker have all been discussed on message boards, blogs, and the comments section of news articles. For every argument about status quo, another individual would provide a counterpoint (i.e. the success of the Chuck Taylor’s). Questions over quality were quickly silenced when it was made known that Rocketfish worked on the design of the sneaker.

I was delighted to learn that in the past other basketball players (Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Steve Francis) have also marketed sneakers that didn’t require a second mortgage. While some gauge the success of these sneakers solely by the sales numbers, the true winners are those who buck the trend by purchasing Marbury’s line of low cost sneakers or at least inform others of their availability. While I don’t expect every athlete to alter their personal finances, it is important to promote selfless acts in sports as often as we spend time on controversial figures.

Photo provided by starbury.com