McAlpine, Fraser (July 19, 2011). "How to Dress Like the Tenth Doctor". BBC America. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012 . Retrieved November 20, 2022.

In addition to designing the most effective shoes possible, Converse enhanced its reputation by sponsoring major basketball organizations and events worldwide. Converse was the first company named the official shoe of the National Basketball Association. Valid from 1995, its contract granted the company permission to use the NBA name in all advertising and promotions and to manufacture shoes with logos of NBA teams or other affiliations. Converse also supplied merchandise to cheerleaders and ball retrievers throughout the league. Palmer, Thomas, 'If Converse Can't Pay, Will Its Stars Leave?,' Boston Globe, March 9, 1991, p. 15.

Converse’s History and Philosophy

Converse changed hands once again in 1979. Under the ownership of Allied Corporation, the brand would achieve unprecedented sales and profits. In 1982, however, the giant chemical conglomerate underwent a restructuring and moved out of the consumer products business. Although Converse produced 12 million pairs of sports shoes a year and had become the leader in basketball footwear, Allied put the company up for sale. Reidy, Chris, 'A Shift in Fashion Gives Sneaker Sales the Slip,' Boston Globe, February 6, 1998, p. C1. Schiavenza, Matt, "Why Converse is Fighting to Keep All Stars Cool," The Atlantic, October 15, 2014. Warnett, Gary (December 9, 2015). "CAN IT SKATE?: Skateboarding's History of Cannibalizing the Footwear Market". 032c . Retrieved June 21, 2023. Converse Announces New Global Headquarters in the City of Boston". January 8, 2013 . Retrieved May 10, 2018.

Krastz, Roger (January 22, 2018). "Vince Staples Teases New Collaboration With Converse". XXL Mag . Retrieved November 8, 2022. Converse also faced competition from other domestic shoe companies. Since the early 1970s, the introduction of high-performance, leather athletic shoes strained Converse's leading position with its simple, canvas classic. By January 1986, the New York Times reported that 'Nike of Beaverton, Ore., maker of Air Jordan basketball shoes, appears to be outrunning such competitors as Reebok International Ltd., Converse Inc. and Hyde Athletic Industries.' By the late 1970s, factors, including increased foreign competition, soaring labor and overhead costs, and a weak domestic economy, forced the company to pare down operations, consolidate, and increase efficiency. The Hodgman line was sold, and the Malden and Andover plants were closed, followed by the Granite State Division. Sales divisions, which had traditionally been divided between sporting goods and footwear, were consolidated into one team.Blair Alley (December 2, 2009). "ANTHONY PAPPALARDO'S PROJECT RED CONS PRO MODEL". Transworld Skateboarding. Bonnier Corporation . Retrieved January 20, 2013. Converse Weapon: A Brief History of the Iconic Basketball Shoe". Highsnobiety. September 3, 2021 . Retrieved June 28, 2022. Converse was also a sponsor of USA Basketball beginning with its inception in 1975. The Colorado Springs-based group was responsible for selecting national teams to represent the country in various international competitions and served as a class A member of the United States Olympic Committee. After 1977, Converse was contracted as the official shoe of USA Basketball, which agreed to 'use its best efforts to outfit players in Converse shoes,' according to Jeffrey Orridge, assistant executive director for corporate and legal affairs for the sports group, in a September 1992 article in The American Lawyer. That agreement later caused legal conflicts, as USA Basketball team members including Michael Jordan held contracts with competing shoe companies such as Nike. Requiring players to wear Converse shoes introduced ethical and legal problems that had to be carefully resolved. In 2012, Converse was listed as a partner in the (RED) campaign, together with other brands such as Nike, Inc., Girl, and Bugaboo. The campaign's mission is to prevent the transmission of the HIV virus from mother to child by 2015 (the campaign's byline is "Fighting For An AIDS Free Generation"). [52]

a b Bertho, Michelle; Crawford, Beverly; Fogarty, Edward A. (September 30, 2008). The Impact of Globalization on the United States [3 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313083198. Allied Sells Converse Unit". The New York Times. March 5, 1982. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved November 12, 2022. As of July 2014, the Cons skateboard team consisted of original members Anderson, Trapasso, Baca, and Glifberg, while Jessee, Anderson, Julian Davidson, Remillard, Zered Basset, Ben Raemers, Jake Johnson, Eli Reed, Louie Lopez, Sage Elsesser, and Sean Pablo were subsequently added. [45] Bassett filmed a new advertisement that was broadcast online in July 2014, in which he skateboarded through New York City in a newly launched skate shoe version of the Converse Weapon model. [48] Philanthropy [ edit ] Converse Officially Opens World Headquarters in Boston and Debuts New Flagship Store". Converse Media. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016 . Retrieved February 15, 2016. Marchetti, Garrin (April 10, 2015). "Converse hangs it up in North Andover". Eagle Tribune . Retrieved January 31, 2021.

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Sutherlin, Margaret (November 19, 2015). "Converse Trademark Lawsuit: Skechers Declares Victory, Mixed Ruling Expected Overall". Footwear News . Retrieved February 11, 2016. Bidlake, Suzanne, 'Converse Steps Away from Plan To Launch Across Europe; Athletic Footwear Manufacturer,' Marketing Publications Ltd. (England), April 19, 1990, p. 2. Converse and Eltra Sued By U.S. on Goodrich Deal". The New York Times. July 4, 1972. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved November 12, 2022. Converse Signs Mizuno, Zett and Moon-Star for Japanese Sales and Distribution,' Business Wire, January 26, 1984. The original Converse Rubber Company soared beyond the scope of its 1908 designs until 1929 when it fell into bankruptcy. Control of the company then passed on to Mitchell B. Kaufman, who had been president of Hodgman Rubber Company since 1925. After Kaufman's untimely death a year later, his successor, Albert Wechsler, operated the company for the Kaufman estate until 1933, when a depressed economy and reduced profits prompted yet another change in command.

In the case of basketball endorser Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, Converse received more publicity than it may have bargained for. In 1979 Johnson was enlisted as an official company endorser until 1994. By the late 1980s, Johnson showed dissatisfaction with the deal, which placed him in the top income echelon of Converse endorsers, but yielded less than those of other top endorsers with other leading brands. After Converse filed suit against the player for failing to comply with his long-term endorsement contract in 1987, matters were resolved temporarily. Ben Felderstein (October 24, 2019). "Kelly Oubre on Signing to Converse Basketball: "It Felt Like Home" ". complex . Retrieved November 22, 2021. Barboza, David, 'To Build Basketball Sneaker Sales, Converse Tries a Novel Double Team,' New York Times, March 26, 1997, p. D3.Brian Farmer (July 20, 2014). "Converse Launches the CONS Weapon Skate Shoe with Short Film featuring Zered Bassett". High Snobiety. Titel Media . Retrieved July 26, 2014. Gilgeous-Alexander, point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, has become the new face of the brand. The shoe, "Chase the Drip" was released on September 13, 2022. [41] Basketball [ edit ] Former college teams [ edit ] Converse ( / ˈ k ɒ n v ər s/) is an American lifestyle brand that markets, distributes, and licenses footwear, apparel, and accessories. Founded by Marquis Mills Converse in 1908 as the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in Malden, Massachusetts, it has been acquired by several companies before becoming a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. in 2003. [3]