Starbury, I Scream

No kid (or adult) should ever again become so obsessed with name brand $150 tennis shoes to the point that they would rob at gunpoint or beat someone up for them. Stephon Marbury is doing his part to end the obsession with overpriced shoes and clothing, particularly among those who can't afford the insane prices that sneakers with somebody's name on them cost these days.

Last year, Marbury introduced his line of Starbury tennis shoes that look and feel just as snazzy and wonderful as the platinum priced superstar sneakers selling for hundreds of dollars at your local chain shoe store. Just a few months ago, Marbury introduced the Starbury II, which is hot. The cost for every shoe in the Starbury line is $14.98.

Many people have reacted with praise over the Starburys, but as with anything in life there are always what folks of the trendy persuasion would call "haters" who claim that the shoes are not as high quality as Nike and Adidas's walking dollar signs. Various inspections and analyzations have been done by journalists and labs, some claiming the shoes are just as good as the more expensive ones made by those other companies, others claiming that the materials are not as high quality, but all generally claiming that the shoes are certainly not poor quality and definitely a better value for the money than paying $150 for shoes that you're probably not going to wear for more than 6 months to a year, if that.

Marbury has said that he will wear the shoes in all the games he plays this season, and former ACC (best conference in college basketball) player and Maryland Terrapin Steve Francis even wears them in games. If they're good enough for a professional NBA player to play in, how could they not possibly be good enough for Joe Blow on the municipal court or Joey Blowey at recess at PS 12?

If there is a sports star anywhere who should be commended, cheered, and praised, it's Stephon Marbury-- for shaking up the system and creating socially responsible mindsets in a culture obsessed with image, materialism and greed, for being a good citizen concerned about the welfare of others, and for thinking outside the box. Very cool.

His idea was so innovative that Sarah Jessica Parker heard about it and decided to create a line of quality fashion called "Bitten" for women of all sizes, with much of it being $20 or less. Her philosophy is that "it is every woman's inalienable right to have a pulled-together confident wardrobe with money left over to live."

Starburys and the Bitten line are available exclusively at Steve & Barry's stores across the country. Their only store currently in the New York City area is at Manhattan Mall, on 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) between 32nd and 33rd Streets in Midtown. Yell and tell everyone you know!