Athletic Shoes

The term “athletic shoes” is an epithet for shoes meant for sport or other physical activity. There exists a wide variety of athletic shoe types engineered for a specific sport, like basketball shoes, running shoes, tennis shoes, and shoes for pretty much any other sport that comes to mind. While meant for athletic purposes, athletic shoes are used for casual wear as well.

Because the terminology is so broad, there are many different nicknames of athletic shoes based on region. A primary example would be the disparity between the American term and British term for an athletic shoe. In the states, athletic shoes are quickly recognized as “sneakers”, while across the pond, the same shoes are called “trainers”. Other provincial terminology exists elsewhere, but sneaker and trainer are by far the most common.

The invention of the athletic shoe dates back to the 19th century. Sports was considered a hobby for the wealthy, and only those with a surfeit of finances could afford athletic shoes. Many believe that the first athletic shoe was made for basketball, but in the 1860s, an athletic shoe for croquet was marketed. While not as rigorous as basketball, croquet is an athletic process nonetheless, and the basic structure of a rubber sole, flexible upper, and shoelace fastening used then is the same empirical formula employed today.

Throughout the 20th century, the increased popularity of sports and exercise led to a higher demand and sales of athletic shoes, and some of today’s largest apparel outfitters started off as athletic shoe manufacturers. Both Nike and adidas started off with a single pair of athletic shoes; today, both companies have managed to build an empire as a result of the initial success.