Urban League president Marc Morial: LeBron X shoe 'a foolish status symbol'

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The stabbing of two men in Pennsylvania while waiting in line for new Air Jordan 7 sneakers is still fresh in the minds of many, and Nike, the company behind the Air Jordan brand, plans to launch a new Lebron X basketball shoe that features new technology such as jump and speed measurement. However, the new line of basketball shoe that is projected to cost well over $300 has been heavily criticized by the National Urban League.

In an interview on MSNBC’s News Nation with Tamron Hall, Marc Morial, the president of the National Urban League describes the new shoe as “a foolish status symbol in our nation today” and says it “represents a misplaced priority.” His argument is based on the idea that the marketing of the new shoe will be targeted towards kids and teenagers.

Morial is unwavering in his view that just as the parents have to be responsible for their kids, Nike should also be responsible for the products that are marketed to impoverished communities, especially since he maintains that these products are “not necessities but niceties.”