Recommendation Report: The Best Basketball shoe Reggie Eaton ENG: Business Writing
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Table of Contents I.
Executive Summary ............................................................................................ 2
II.
Introduction ........................................................................................................ 3
III.
Problems .............................................................................................................. 4
IV.
Objectives ............................................................................................................ 6
V.
Methods of Research........................................................................................... 7
VI.
Results (Comparing) .......................................................................................... 10
VII.
Conclusions & Recommendations ..................................................................... 13
VIII.
Recommendation ............................................................................................... 13
IX.
Reference ............................................................................................................ 14
Executive Summary For this report I have been researching numerous amount of options to find the perfect athletic basketball shoe. Since piling up research from the internet, different articles, and my own personal knowledge and experiences I found that there are three good choices to choose from when searching for the best basketball shoe. Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour seem to produce the top of the line basketball shoes these days with comfort, good sustainability, and material quality. I would recommend that everyone do their fair share of research when it comes to choosing the best athletic shoe for themselves. Nike seems to be the most common choice of many people but with the up and coming Under Armour Company things are changing.
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Introduction Adidas, Nike, Under Armour and other companies all specialize in athletic wear. Each of these companies design different foot wear but designs specific shoes for the sole purpose of the sport basketball. Each company has its own unique style when it comes to creating the ultimate basketball shoe. With new and technology, companies have changed the game with their high tech and super light material. With new products coming out each and every year it’s hard to pick out a good shoe. Prices play a huge part in determining what shoe to buy. Comfort can determine a lot as well because you would like to wear the shoe as much as possible. Sustainability and material quality also play a role in the overall factor of what shoe is best. A brief history and overall comparison can help with concerns too. Without criteria, consumers would buy any shoe and would be unsatisfied in the end. Founded on January 25, 1964, as Blue Ribbon Sports, by Bill Bowerman, who was a track and field coach and Phil Knight a middle-distance runner from Portland who was enrolled at the University of Oregon, had officially became Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1971. The company got its name from Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. The company was founded with just $1,200 in the bank. Adidas was founded in 1924 in by two bothers Adi and Rudolf Dassler. The company was first named Dassler shoes and later became Adidas. By the Dassler shoes being seen in the Olympics this really helped the company get its name known. The 3 stripes were created to keep the foot stable, but ended up being the logo. Throughout the years Adidas was seen in the Olympics, and it was the leading brand making their shoes highly sought after by Olympic athletes. Under Armour was founded in 1996 by Kevin Plank. He initially began the business from his grandmother's basement in Washington, D.C. He spent his time traveling up and down the East Coast with nothing but apparel in the trunk of his car. His first team sale came at the end of 1996 with a $17,000 sale. From his grandmother's basement, Plank moved to Baltimore, Maryland. After a few moves in the city he landed at his current headquarters in Tide Point. •
Prices- Different prices of the shoes
•
Comfort- Comfort level of shoe
•
Sustainability- How each shoe holds together
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•
Material quality: Quality of the shoe
The criteria listed above isn’t common for everyone to you use, but choosing one will give you somewhat of an advantage when finding the right shoe. Any of the options at the top can be used to find the right shoe that fits you. This report will explain and compare a different shoe from each organization in detail along with the criteria. There will also be an attached comparison sheet in table form from a survey. The information that will be provided will in able you to make a suitable decision based off your needs and interest. Problems There are things to take into when it comes to choosing the best athletic basketball shoe. The number of deciding factors for picking out the best shoe for you can be very challenging to evaluate. Some might not even know how to evaluate or what to evaluate when it comes to searching for the best shoe for them. Too many basketball players overlook the importance of buying a durable and high-quality pair of basketball shoes, which is astounding when you consider how much time they spend pounding their feet into the ground. Bad shoes can lead not only to foot and ankle problems, but leg, hip, and even back pain as well. That's because alignment begins with your feet and moves up to influence the rest of your body. In time, the stress to a certain soft tissue or bone structure will create a fatigue injury which then renders the player unable to participate in his or her sport. Most people just buy any shoe without doing proper research and end up regretting it later. Consumers sometimes just buy products because of the brand without even testing them. They believe that it’s the best without really knowing if it’s the best. The project I propose is necessary because I have been in that same situation where I have wanted a good basketball shoe and I didn’t know what criteria I should take into consideration when looking for one. The criteria I’ve proposed should aid in buyers future choices when it comes to deciding a good athletic basketball shoe.
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Objectives As stated in the introduction there is a set of criteria that you can follow when choosing a shoe that you can follow in the report. I will be doing a comparison of one shoe from each company while going off the set criteria. Sustainability Sustainable innovation is at the center of many companies, innovating across design and materials to manufacturing and retail, while driving cross-industry collaborations that bring game-changing solutions to the scale. Material Quality Each company uses its own materials to come up with the best quality shoe possible. Some companies use the most common recycled materials such as recycled Polyester. Recycled polyester (PES) is a synthetic fibre based on post-consumer waste, such as plastic bottles and used garments. The raw material is reprocessed and spun into fibres. Companies are using the material in more and more of their apparel and footwear. Other materials that are being used are cottons and leathers. Comfort Everyone, more so basketball players need some degree of cushioning, , and flexibility. By considering a typical game, a buyer can make the right choices for cushioning, and flexibility based on the type of shoe. Cushioning is crucial for all everyone. and flexibility are trade-offs because a more flexible shoe typically offers less and vice versa, so sometimes it is necessary to choose between one and the other based on playing style. Price As with many fashion items, price is not always a sign of good quality but sometimes merely of a certain label, trend, or status symbol. Some very expensive basketball shoes are worn primarily as street shoes for looks. Among practical basketball shoes intended for athletic wear, however, price is generally an indicator of a good shoe. Most of the costly shoes are costly for a reason: they are well engineered and designed, with high-tech cushioning technology, firm , and sturdy construction. Having painful or injured feet affects everything a person does in life, so taking good care of one’s feet by buying the best shoes should be a top priority.
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Methods of Research The methods or research I chose to use were gathering information from various sources mainly the internet and the companies themselves. I also checked for reviews on the different shoes and created and used a survey. The figures that you can view below are of a survey that was taken on the shoe brand that people prefer. From view the survey the average person prefers Nike over Adidas and Under Armour even though they have been criticized for having the suckiest material when it comes to long sustainability.
Which brand are you d with the most?
Nike
23
79.3%
Adidas
2
6.9%
Under Armour
2
6.9%
Reebok
0
0%
Other
2
6.9%
Which company do you feel makes the best products?
Nike
21
72.4%
Adidas
3
10.3%
Under Amour
4
13.8%
Reebok
0
0%
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Other
1
3.4%
Which company do you feel offers the most reasonable prices?
Adidas
4
13.8%
Reebok
9
31%
Other
4
13.8%
Under Armour
4
13.8%
Nike
8
27.6%
Which company offers the best sustainability when it comes to shoes?
Reebok
1
3.4%
17
58.6%
Adidas
5
17.2%
Under Armour
4
13.8%
Other
2
6.9%
Nike
Which brand do you feel offers the best material quality?
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Under Armour
5
17.2%
Adidas
5
17.2%
18
62.1%
Reebok
0
0%
Other
1
3.4%
Nike
Which brand do you prefer when it comes to sports?
Adidas
4
13.8%
21
72.4%
Reebok
0
0%
Adidas
4
13.8%
Other
3
10.3%
Nike
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Results (Comparing)
Adidas Crazylight Boost Shoes
This Crazylight shoe has gotten mixed reviews while Made for full-speed assaults on the hard court, these shoes blend light and fast design with bold looks. Designed for the fastest players on the basketball court, they feature boost foam for the ultimate energy return and cushioning from Adidas basketball performance. They feature a 3D-moulded FITFRAME heel and SPRINTWEB that combine for game-long stability and . A breathable textile upper helps feet stay ventilated all game long, while the textile lining adds comfort. The price range on these shoes use to be $140 but has since dropped down to $111.99 which is a fairly good price.
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Under Armour Men's UA Curry One-Basketball Shoes
This Adidas shoe has been made with advance charged cushioning that absorbs impact & converts it into responsive quickness. Equipped with AnaFoam that delivers upper bodymapped fit, lightweight structure & . It uses external heel counters that secures your foot & eliminates sliding. The shoe was created to offer extra lateral stability while being padded with a mesh tongue lined with synthetic suede breathes which protects your foot. This shoe received good ratings in all categories from being comfortable to performance and being a suitable price. The price range on these Under Armour shoes are surprising cheap with a price tag of $119.99.
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Nike
Nike Hyperdunk 2014 TB
The slogan for this Nike product is “SOFT RIDE FOR A QUICKER GAME”. The Nike Hyperdunk 2014 TB Basketball Shoe is said to be made with dynamic Flywire technology for adaptive and lockdown. Responsive cushioning that delivers impact protection to soften the landings. Other benefits of this shoe are the Lightweight Hyperfuse construction for durability, breathability and , Flywire construction for ultra-lightweight and comfort, Springy Lunarlon cushioning for soft yet responsive shock absorption and Pivot point at the outsole for stability during multidirectional movements. The price of this shoe use to be $140 but dropped tremendously down to $89.97 which is a pretty good cheap price.
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Conclusions & Recommendations It’s not hard to see that there is a problem when it comes to finding the best athletic basketball shoe. Nike, Adidas and Under Armour all provide excellent shoe choices when it comes to finding the right fit for you. These three organizations create the best shoes out there on the market. The biggest drawback is picking the right shoe amongst the three. These organizations use a mixture of the same materials along with materials of their own to create the perfect brand shoe that has similarities and some that sets them apart from each. Each shoe has a different description that you will find appealing along with different prices.
Recommendation I would strongly suggest that you evaluate your current shoe situation and think ing the criteria to find the best shoe for yourself. Choosing the right shoe for yourself depends on how you view the criteria and what your needs and comfort consist of. Each shoe that I provided follow the criteria but offer different capabilities depending on the wearer and what type of shoe you are looking for. If everyone started using this criteria I guarantee they would have no problem finding the right shoe that fits them. I believe that each of these companies create great products and will continue to do so in the future.
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Reference Adidas Official Website | Adidas." Adidas United States. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2015. This internet source is the official website for all Adidas wear. The brands of the Adidas Group complement each other in a unique way to help athletes perform better, play better, feel better. The website gives specific details on the Adidas shoe that I am comparing and is a reliable current source if you need information on any other Adidas brand wear. From looking at the Adidas internet source, it is a very popular site and fits well with helping me with my research with comparing the Adidas shoe to the others I have picked out. It is a helpful source but it isn’t scholarly. "Under Armour Sports Clothing, Athletic Shoes & Accessories." Under Armour®. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2015. Under Armour is the originator of performance apparel engineered to keep athletes cool, dry and light throughout the course of a game, practice or workout. The technology behind Under Armour's diverse product assortment for men, women and youth is complex, but the program for reaping the benefits is simple: is to make all athletes better through ion, design and the relentless pursuit of innovation. The source is reliable and up to date, the internet source fits into my research because it gives detail on one of its products that I’m trying to compare. "BRING INSPIRATION ANDINNOVATION TO EVERYATHLETE* IN THE WORLD." About Nike. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2015. . NIKE fosters a culture of invention, they create products, services and experiences for today’s athlete’s while solving problems for the next generation. This is a helpful source when it comes to my research, it helps me when comparing the different products. This is a reliable source that isn’t scholarly but yet still helpful.
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