because he was unable to get a meaningful fight at junior welterweight.Last October, Diaz

Sneakers just might be the real game in town. As thrilling as it is, as much as its obsessed over, basketball just might be a means to an end that covers your toes.In a given year, Michael Jordan makes more in sneaker sales than what he garnered in NBA checks over the totality of his career. His is a unique case, as MJ is the pinnacle, but hes also the model, the industry prototype. To be a signature guy is to walk in Jordans shoes, to play at selling your fashion to the masses at a level that makes your celebrity endure.Jordans greatest moments might be indelible to those who lived through the 1980s and 90s, but its his shoes that walk a legacy beyond the normal bounds of time. Kids who never saw him play -- or even watched a YouTube highlight -- will wear Jordan 1s, a sneaker that came out in 1985. The staying power of the original Jordan 1 is especially impressive considering how the 1980s were considered something of an aesthetic wasteland. Todays NBA stars are shooting for that future. They wont get there, as there was a certain serendipity to Jordans invention of signature sports branding, but theyll try. The biggest sports stars are competitive enough to shoot for a legacy thats bigger than sports.LeBron James agreed to a lifetime contract with Nike, while his Cleveland Cavaliers had to hope he would continue to re-up on single-year deals. Stephen Currys Under Armour contract runs through 2024; the Golden State Warriors hope he takes the path of least resistance and re-signs with them in July. Curry is the face of UA, regardless of whether he maintains that status on the star-studded Warriors. James Hardens Adidas contract reportedly totals $200 million over 13 years. These commitments comprise basketball playing careers. These bonds are stronger than basketball team loyalties. The primary employer might be the symbol on the sneaker, not the name across the front of the jersey.Some people dont get it. Shoes are silly, trivial. Fashion might be something athletes do in their spare time to impress each other, but why should a fan care what his favorite player wears?The simplest answer might be that sneakers are cool, and theyre all the cooler for being inanimate Zeligs to the biggest basketball moments. Its fashion with a cameo in scenes like MJs Game 6 shot in Utah, LeBrons Game 7 block on Andre Iguodala, Stephon Marbury in Chinas -- OK, that one is a stretch. Eventually, these shoes become little time machines, nostalgia you can sink your feet into. If youre familiar with the Jordan XIIs, its hard not to look at them and think of anything other than Flu Game.Moreover, some of these sneakers are as close as you can get to objectively great style. Sure, theres a brainwashing aspect, the crazy lie that a super athletes imprimatur actually makes a shoe better. Sure, theres something arbitrary about how many people would yearn after a shoe with a swoosh symbol and scoff at that same exact model were it burnished with a dot, squiggle or myriad of other shapes. But its not all bull. Some of these sneakers are beautiful, and even if well never get everyone to agree on which ones are, everyone can find their own version of greatness. Dallas Mavericks Jerseys . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. Dirk Nowitzki Mavericks Jersey . Vettel, who has already clinched his fourth straight F1 title, enters the finale with a chance to equal Michael Schumachers 13 victories in a year and match the record of nine consecutive wins by Alberto Ascari in the 1952 and 1953 seasons. http://www.mavericksteamofficial.info/customized/ . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July. Luka Doncic Jersey . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. Jose Juan Barea Jersey . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. Welterweight contender Felix Diaz notched the biggest victory of his career July 16 in Birmingham, Alabama, where he won a 10-round decision against then-unbeaten Sammy Vasquez on Fox in prime time in an exciting fight that he hoped would vault him into a major bout.That did not happen, but Diaz has no intention of sitting around and waiting for an offer to just show up, so he will be back in action in a 10-round bout Dec. 10 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana in his native Dominican Republic, promoter Lou DiBella told ESPN on Monday night. Diazs opponent is not yet set.Felix Diaz wants a big fight and he wants to stay on peoples radar, and you cant do that if you dont fight, DiBella said. He wants to fight [unified junior welterweight world champion] Terence Crawford, but he has to stay active and keep making a name for himself to get those kinds of fights. The win against Sammy Vasquez was a start. I look forward to seeing him back in the ring.Diaz, a 32-year-old southpaw who won an Olympic gold medal for the Dominican Republic in 2008, can fight at either welterweight or junior welterweight. The only reason he fought his previous two bouts at welterweight, DiBella said, is because he was unable to get a meaningful fight at junior welterweight.Last October, Diaz lost a controversial majority decision in a welterweight bout to former junior welterweight titlist Lamont Peterson in Fairfax, Virginia, just outside Petersons hometown of Washington, D.ddddddddddddC. Then Diaz got the big win against Vasquez.We want to get him back in the ring this year, no matter what kind of fight it is, DiBella said. There isnt a big fight for him right now, but Felix Diaz is unlike a lot of fighters. He is willing to fight for the money that is there for the level of fight this will be. But he is extremely popular in the Dominican Republic, so he is going to fight on the island in sort of a homecoming fight.Diaz (18-1, 8 KOs) has not boxed in his home country since 2013.Well publicize the fight as much as we can and keep the pressure on everybody and try to force the issue that Felix Diaz deserves a big fight, DiBella said. Hes an Olympic gold medalist, extremely talented; he was crowd-pleasing against Sammy Vasquez, and the only loss of his career is a loss you can easily argue wasnt really a loss to Lamont Peterson. Felix Diaz is a beast in the ring, but he has to earn his shot and thats what he is doing. Credit to him. Hes going to stay active and force his way into a big fight. ' ' '