It's got to be the shoes

A few weeks ago I read this great article about how Nike lost Stephen Curry to Under Armor. The one observation that stood out to me more than anything was that an athlete’s association with their shoe brand long outlives the athlete’s association with their team.

Case in point, kids today know Michael Jordan because of his relationship with Nike, not because he was a Chicago Bull. Why is this? Because of benefits. Air Jordans made us “like Mike” in a way the Chicago Bulls never could.

People buy your product because of who it makes them become, not because of what it does.