Made In The USA: Military Looking For Domestically-Made Athletic Shoes

Published January 9, 2015 at 1:50 PM EST

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

U.S. Army soldiers run down Ardennes Street during pre-dawn physical training November 14, 2002 in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. Ardennes Street has probably seen the footfall of millions of soldiers over the past decades, as the main area for the mandatory PT every morning on Ft. Bragg. Soon, soldiers could be running in military-issued domestically made sneakers rather than purchasing theirs through a stipend, as they do now. (Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

Athletic shoe companies are clamoring to become the first official training shoe of the U.S. military.

In the 1940s, a law was created requiring that all components of the U.S. military uniform be made domestically, but there was a catch. Training shoes were not included in the requirement because, at the time, they were not produced domestically. But now, companies like Saucony, New Balance and Adidas are vying for the spot.

Here & Now’s Lisa Mullins speaks with Matt Powell, a sports industry analyst and author of Forbes’ Sneakernomics blog, about the possibility of a U.S.-made military sneaker.

Guest

Matt Powell, sports industry analyst at The NPD Group. He writes the Sneakernomics blog for Forbes and tweets @NPDMattPowell.