"The value system of black youth is very distorted," Spike Lee declared one day in the early '90s. "There's too much emphasis on materialism -- gold chains, cars, even sneakers."

Spike failed to mention that, at the time, he was directing and starring in ads for Nike Air Jordan sneakers!

[A study of basketball players in 2001 found that those who wore expensive air-cell shoes were four times more likely to suffer an ankle injury than those wearing standard trainers. According to George Waddington, a physiotherapist at the Canberra Hospital in Australia, "The smooth insoles and high shock-absorbing properties of many sports shoes mask pressure cues from the soles of the feet."]