Michael Jordan with his shoes

You’ve probably forgotten title Michael Eugene Thomas.

Thomas, a freshman at Maryland’s Meade Senior HS in Maryland in 1989, was found dead in-may of the year, strangled by an alleged buddy which left Thomas’ barefooted human anatomy when you look at the forests after stealing their two-week old Air Jordans.

“We told him not to use the footwear to school, ” Thomas’ grandma told Sports Illustrated for a 1990 cover tale from the developing threat young ones faced in using Air Jordans and team clothing. “We said someone might like them, in which he stated, ‘Granny, before we let any person take those footwear, they’ll must kill me.’”

For a $115.50 pair of shoes, Thomas paid a much steeper cost.

Fast-forward into the final months of 2013 and Air Jordans are still hot sellers. Lately, Jordan Brand makes a calculated choice to discharge retro Jordans on peak associated with festive season, and if you believe the movies of crazed buyers rushing into Wal-Mart and Target on Ebony Friday are crazy, you need to browse the video clips from most recent Jordan launch.

From California to Texas on Bronx, consumers punched, kicked and overcome their fellow consumers to try to get their particular on the job a couple of $170 Air Jordan XI Gamma Blues.

One movie reveals a shirtless son being outdone by another shopper at Weberstown Mall in Stockton, Calif., with screams off their consumers acting as sound recording into the Instagram video. Using shirtless guy on the floor, one other buyer wails on him before fleeing. Another movie, outside a Foot Locker into the Bronx, reveals two women battling away from shop since the audience cheers.

Fortunately, no person passed away with their Jordans last week-end — plus the majority of individuals wait in line purchasing their kicks without feeling compelled to kick one other buyers — but this past year Joshua Woods, 22, ended up being shot and killed after he bought some at a Houston shopping center.

Jordan has had hits when it comes to mania their shoes generate — and for the working conditions at the factories where his footwear are formulated — but absolutely nothing sticks towards Greatest of them all, which, in accordance with Forbes, tends to make approximately $80 million per year with the majority of that dough via Jordan Brand product sales.