FanHouse Sneakers

When Kansas edged out Davidson in the last of the four NCAA mens' regional finals yesterday, they didn't just lock up an All-#1 Seed Final Four. The Jayhawks victory over the upstart Wildcats also managed to secure the first Swoosh-free Final Four since the early '80s.

Nike, Inc. will be represented -- in the form of the Brand Jordan-sponsored Tar Heels. But there will be none of the iconic Nike trademark that has been the mainstay of Final Four games for more than twenty years; round-of-eight losses by Texas, Xavier, and the aforementioned Wildcats of Davidson secured that fate. Worse yet for The House That Phil Knight Built, the three schools playing in San Antonio besides Carolina will all be bearing the mark of their main rival, Adidas.

More accurately, $2000 for the pair. This video was shot at an event celebrating twenty-five years of Nike's Air Force 1 line. Here, the viewer gets to have a close encounter with a pair of ultra-luxury AF1's, handmade in Italy and with some twenty-four karat gold thrown in for good measure.

These might be the most expensive new kicks ever--please, correct me if I'm wrong. But in world of old sneaker collecting, they're nowhere near the top. Case in point: the Jordan 1 in a rare color scheme, still in the box, will cost you about twice this amount. And if you're looking for the Jordan 1 lowtops, you might be better off buying four pairs of the shoes in the video. Now maybe you understand why athletes need big salaries.