When I was a child grows up in the 1960s things were much simpler when it comes to shopping for sports. In fact, at that time, shoes used for sports activities are not even referred to as "sneakers".

They were called "sneakers".

There was not even special shoes for basketball. Wilt Chamberlain and Bob Cousy wore sneakers like the rest of us. So a pair of sneakers for one of the "Big Three" manufacturers of sneakers – Keds, PF Flyer, or we would talk for any sport regardless of whether it was softball, basketball, football, tennis or swim in the crunch.

Sorry, no idea what was then the football in Philadelphia. We thought it was one of the oldest sports played by the Los Aztec and the losing team would have to cut their hearts as a sacrifice to the gods.

As I got older and entered high school, the shoe sport of first choice was Taylor's "Chuck All, Converse star. Everyone just referred to them as "runs" for short. To this day still have no idea who was Chuck Taylor. All I knew was owned unless a pair of "Chucks" that were not officially cool.

Peer pressure and the state of fashion just hit my head like a 2×4.

Back in the "good times", as I like refer to now, sneakers came in only two colors – black or white. Henry Ford would have been except for the unnecessary extra color option. I think remember that red might have been offered, but the last child brave enough to wear a pair of red shoes to school, the schools suddenly changed after running away from school by an angry mob.

These sneakers may well have been pink.

When I entered the university as a freshman in the mid-1970s, sneakers became increasingly specialized and it was then known as sneakers or by least as "sneakers".

The functioning and running craze was at its height and Adidas opened the way with his now legendary blue nylon slipper white stripes on the side. The bug bit me running and of course, I bought a pair of blue Adidas runners. Frank Shorter was my new hero and I look forward to the running competitions in the 1976 Summer Olympics.

I really enjoyed running that was a sport that requires no special skill, which was a relief. Although he never made me fall in love with those horrible blue nylon Adidas running shoes. They wore out very quickly and seemed incredibly dorky regardless if used with shorts or jeans. They also made my feet sweat more than anyone.

Fortunately, Adidas quickly gained a certain expertise in athletic footwear market, higher quality and nice looking shoe was offered. It seemed rather ironic that most owners of these "running shoes, never" took place on a roll.

During the 1980s he called the "Basketball Jones." Magic Johnson and Larry Bird had just come into the NBA and things were really exciting. Then, when Michael Jordan came to the greatness and the perfect marriage between MJ and Nike has been completed, athletic footwear industry, simply exploded.

The era of ridiculously expensive basketball shoes was upon us.

I know my parents are very grateful that their children went through childhood and adolescence and emerged before this time. My father blew his stack when Keds was over $ 10 the pair. I worry that he can not be with us today if you had asked me to buy a pair of basketball shoes $ 250. Come to think, I could not be here today if I had asked that question.

I never dared to pay big bucks for a pair of Air Jordan. The closest I ever came to owning a pair of designer basketball shoes was a pair of LA Gear shoes that I bought from a clearance table at once. The shoes that looked pretty cool, but weighed a tonne, which did not make much sense for basketball shoes.

Perhaps that is why they were in liquidation.

I only used once and that was during a basketball game. I ended up turning off my big toe when I tried to go for a rebound. The shoes and I was hooked like a pair of cement blocks and reduced my vertical jump to zero. That was the last time you used to date shoes and sit in my closet. Except for a thin layer of dust, are as new as the day I spied sitting on that desk.

These days, I have resigned myself to a sport shoe versatile but cheaper. It's the kind you can get for 29.95 dollars in most discount places like Wal-Mart and Target. The brand does not matter because there is a wide selection of such shoes there.

They are nice shoes looking and usually have all leather uppers and looks very nice with a pair of jeans. I can use for the gym or play tennis and basketball in them and they are definitely a great value for what we pay for them and how long.

But it only seems to lack something and I'm not exactly sure what it is. Maybe has something to do with those endless summers long ago, when tennis shoes were canvas and we had a care in the world.

Rich Rojas blogs about the inevitable affects of aging and strategies for looking and feeling younger. Find out how he has found the ultimate athletic shoes that absorb shock and transfer energy and help keep him enjoying the sports he still loves. Follow the latest anti-aging trends and news at => http://www.dealingwithaging.com

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