Just about everyone is familiar with the Nike Air Jordan shoe, but just when did the practice of attaching an athlete’s name to a shoe become common practice? This text takes you from the beginning of the signature shoe industry, and through the 1980s when the popularity of signature shoes accelerated. At the start of the ‘90s, just about every footwear company was producing a signature shoe, and looking for the next charismatic spokesperson, when they saw the dollars Nike was making with the Jordans. Eventually, signature shoes entered all facets of popular culture and were taken for granted by the public. Before long, it wasn’t just the most well-known and marketable athletes getting their own shoe. Athletes in Major League Baseball, the Women’s National Basketball Association, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Formula One, the Professional Golfers’ Association, the National Football League, musicians, and even the National Hockey League had their own footwear to go along with the mainstays of the NBA and professional tennis circuits.

Founder of the phenomenon social media account PreachersNSneakers tackles how faith, capitalism, consumerism, and (wannabe) celebrity have collided and asks both believers and nonbelievers alike: how much is too much? What started as a joke account on Instagram has turned into a movement. Through this provocative project, the founder of PreachersNSneakers is helping thousands of Jesus followers wrestle with the inevitable dilemmas created by our Western culture obsessed with image and entertainment. In PreachersNSneakers: Authenticity in an Age of For-Profit Faith and (Wannabe) Celebrities, Ben Kirby approaches many of the difficult questions plaguing countless Christians’ minds, presenting experiences and input from both sides of difficult questions, such as: Should pastors grow wealthy off of religion, and can their churches ever be too large? Do we really believe that divine blessings are monetary, or is that just religious wallpaper to hide our own greed? Is there space in Christendom for celebrities like Kanye and Bieber to exist without distorting the good news? What about this: Is it wrong for someone—even wrong for author Ben Kirby—to call out faith leaders online and leverage “cancel culture” to affect change? PreachersNSneakers will navigate these challenging questions and many more with humor, wit, candor, and a few never-before-published hijinks. Each chapter will explore the various sides of the debate, holding space for us to make up our own minds. This book is not about finding the perfect, “right” way to do something, but instead learning how to articulate what we believe, why we believe it, and what to do when we want to stand up against cultural norms. This book will doubtlessly become a staple for church small groups, college ministries, and book clubs, emboldening struggling believers who want to live a more genuine faith. After all, the Lord works in mysterious colorways.

Come take a closer look at ordinary footwear, like sneakers, or children's toys and Saturday cartoon TV shows, or make a comparison between Don Quixote and John Rambo of the Sylvester Stallone movie. Although some regard popular culture as "shallow," this book reveals that it is more often complex, deep, meaningful and subject to the style changes we associate with high art. Bergesen shows how complex philosophical ideas of reincarnation are embedded in Transformer toys; how sneakers have gone through a life cycle of style types; why the decline of empires like Spain and the United States led to fictional characters like Don Quixote and Rambo; and why monsters from Japan look different than those from the United States.

Resource added for the Prototype and Design program 106142.

A celebration of the iconic shoes and superstars who have defined the sport for decades, A History of Basketball in Fifteen Sneakers tells the story of hoops as only shoes can. The ultimate book for both hoops fans and sneaker obsessives, A History of Basketball in Fifteen Sneakers is an exciting and fascinating look at the sport written with authority and experience by former Complex and SLAM magazine editor Russ Bengtson. From primeval Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars to baroque Reebok Pumps and myth-making Air Jordans to super-high-tech Nike Adapt BBs, each chapter breaks down how a specific sneaker defined an era of basketball, transformed the culture, or changed the game. With full-color sneaker photographs and detailed illustrations throughout, the book is a kaleidoscopic celebration of the players, styles, and iconic moments that have shaped hoops both on and off the court. Topics include: Walt Frazier's PUMA Clydes and the New York City street game; Michael Jordan's first signature Air Jordan and the birth of the modern global basketball superstar; Nike Air Swoopes and the evolution of the women’s game; sneaker tech and the rise of retro; and much more.

"Meticulously researched and beautifully produced." Times Literary Supplement "A big and beautiful book." Journal of British Studies "A definitive history of the sports shoe." Amber Butchart, fashion historian "A necessary book [and] a great read." Samuel Smallidge, Archivist, Converse "Both educational and entertaining." Scene Point Blank The story of the sneaker's rise from the first Victorian tennis shoes to the Nike Air Max and beyond. Moving from the athletic field to the shopping mall, Thomas Turner tells a fresh story of the evolution of the sports shoe against the changing landscape of society, sport, fashion, industry, and technology. The Sports Shoe takes us on a journey from the first Victorian tennis shoes to the sneaker of today, to the adidas Superstar and the innovative technologies of Nike Air Max. Featuring newly uncovered archival material and historic images showcasing key personalities, vintage marketing and common perceptions of this hugely desirable product, this book is a must-have for any sneaker collector, historian of popular culture, or anyone interested in the place of athletic footwear in our lives today.

“Evanovich…with a dash of CSI.” – Publishers Weekly (review of Lucky Stiff) Everyone Has a Hidden Talent As the Chief Problem Solver for the Babylon, Las Vegas’s most over-the-top destination, solving the occasional murder is in Lucky’s job description. A rapier wit, her weapon of choice. LUCKY BASTARD Tonight, someone turned a young woman, a Jimmy Choo embedded in her carotid, into a hood ornament for the latest Ferrari in the Babylon’s dealership. And one of the big-name players in a huge poker tournament ends up dead. Are the two deaths related? Lucky starts making connections putting her in the crosshairs of a killer. Her former lover, Teddie, comes back from his rock tour to deliver a bombshell. Then life deals another major complication to her personal life…and it’s not going to be pretty. Can Lucky handle the fallout and catch a killer? A light, funny, romantic mystery providing a Vegas escape appropriate for anyone looking for a good laugh. Get your copy today! AN INTERVIEW WITH DEBORAH COONTS Why did you decide to write humor? I’m not sure I decided to add snark to the Lucky books, specifically to Lucky’s own voice, it just happened that way. When I was a kid, my mouth always got me into trouble. Finally, I’ve found a way to harness the sarcasm for the Forces of Good—or at least in a way not to anger my grandmother. And when Lucky started talking to me, she had a strong dose of sass in her. The Lucky O'Toole Vegas Adventure series is hard to categorize. Is that by design? When I set out to write Wanna Get Lucky?, I knew I wanted to write a romp through Las Vegas. I had the characters and the setting but no real understanding of narrative drive. So, I threw a young woman out of a tour helicopter into the middle of the Pirate Show and let the story unfold. A bit of murder to keep the plot moving, some wisecracking and Vegas mischief to make you laugh, and some romance to keep it interesting. A bit of a mash up, but it works. PRAISE FOR Lucky Bastard “If you’re entertained by sex, innuendo and a few fantasies you’d like to see played out—and who isn’t?—you ought to have Lucky and her extended Vegas family (So Damn Lucky, 2012, etc.) on speed dial.” - Kirkus Reviews, starred review “This fast, funny, frantic Vegas-set series offers great laughs as well as compelling mystery and intriguing continuing characters. You’ll want to spend more time with Lucky, the daughter of a former madam and a mobster.” - RT Book Reviews “…the talented Coonts takes the reader on another wild ride through Sin City.” - Booklist “Lucky’s sass and snark make for fun reading…” - Publishers Weekly