| When you were a kid you had at least two pair of | | | | sportswear companies created a subcategory in |
| shoes. One pair was your "good" one your mother | | | | sports apparel; the shoemaking industry that is now |
| referred to as your "dress shoes," while the other pair | | | | worth billions. The sneakers' demand emerged as |
| was your "everyday" shoes, most probably of athletic | | | | athletes drew spectators to games and scientists |
| nature. These shoes, specially designed for sporting | | | | invented new ways to accelerate human limits and |
| activities, were given the generic name "athletic shoes," | | | | improve athletes' scores. |
| which is still considered a category that consists of | | | | The dictionary defines the athletic shoe or sneaker as |
| running, basketball and tennis footwear. Originally | | | | "a sports shoe usually made of canvas and having |
| introduced as part of the sporting apparel, athletic | | | | soft rubber soles; also called tennis shoe." As today, |
| shoes are now worn as part of a casual look. Going | | | | uppers can be of leather, nylon, canvas, plastic, or |
| for a walk, running across the shore, or playing outdoor | | | | combinations of these, and the shoe bottom surface |
| games, are examples of the instances that people of | | | | has come to include any type of natural or synthetic |
| all ages select to wear them. But how did all begin and | | | | rubber soles, tennis shoes are not equivalent to any |
| why do more and more different types of athletic | | | | other type of athletic shoe types. Sure, the term |
| shoes being produced? | | | | "tennis shoes" has become a generic term for athletic |
| It is much more than the supply and demand curve, but | | | | shoes, but this should not give the wrong impression to |
| it all comes down to that. Modern sneakers have | | | | people that all sports shoes are the same or that one |
| beginnings in various sports shoes. One ancestor is the | | | | should wear them interchangeably regardless of the |
| expensive British upper-class footwear of the late | | | | game/sport played. Running shoes on a tennis court, |
| 1800s, used for lawn tennis, cricket, croquet, and at the | | | | for example, are a sprained or broken ankle waiting to |
| beach. While at the turn of the twentieth century, | | | | happen. Running shoes are built with a thick, soft heel |
| football and baseball players wore essentially the | | | | to maximize cushioning for straight-forward, heel-to-toe |
| same shoe type as before, the leather high-topped | | | | foot impacts. Playing tennis is all about sudden starts |
| lace-ups with leather soles and cleats, the need to | | | | and stops, as well as moving quickly from side to side. |
| have footwear that provided a good grip onto the | | | | The trouble is that, during extreme stopping, cornering, |
| ground was the reason why a variety of lightweight | | | | and pivoting, if the sneaker's outsole is too rigid, the |
| shoes were introduced. Special shoes that would allow | | | | tennis player loses contact with the playing surface, |
| runners to move and lead to positive results, like | | | | which results in a loss of footing. In addition, since |
| increasing their speed and thus, their competitiveness, | | | | runners do not usually move sharply sideways, while |
| were ordered. Thus, as the need for greater speed | | | | "on the run," the running shoe sole is totally unsuitable |
| increased, so did the athletic shoes' number and styles. | | | | for the sideways movements a tennis player makes. |
| By refining and improving the shoes' traction, | | | | |