Basketball shoes may have started the sneaker revolution. The Converse Chuck Taylor All Star introduced in the 1930’s was one of the first popular shoes to be used not only in a specific sport but also for other occasions. The Converse All Star was challenged for its dominance in the basketball shoe market by the ProKeds Royal and the Bata Bullet. Into the 1950’s, not only were these the shoes to wear for playing basketball, but them became the footwear for American’s youth. There were relatively inexpensive shoes that were made of canvas. They were comfortable. They could be cleaned by washing. And they provided extra ankle support when playing ball. They were the running shoes, the cross training shoes, the hiking shoes, the tennis shoes, and the walking shoes of the times.

Men’s basketball shoes became the casual footwear for America’s youth. The large American sneaker companies realized the power of their market and lobbied for duties to protect their canvas shoes. In the 1950’s and the 1960’s, Converse, US Rubber (Uniroyal), Bata and the other American sneaker manufacturers did not realize the potential breadth of the sneaker revolution and only protected their canvas products from foreign production. They only slowly realize that with huge marketing dollars and athletic endorsements that people would wear leather basketball shoes and basketball shoes made with synthetic uppers. They did not, at the time, realize that there was a market for other athletic silhouettes like running shoes or walking shoes or hiking shoes.

Basketball shoes were the first athletic shoes on the American scene. They set the stage for the Sneaker Revolution.