From the perspectives of historical literature and sports biomechanics, this article analyzes the cultural value of sports shoes, noting that they have played an important role in both the development of human history and individual self-development. As society enriches its sports science system, it also shapes the cultural values of sports shoes; the mass consumption and dissemination of sports shoes are engines and driving forces for sports to return to the public.
Compared to studies on the human effectiveness and sports biomechanics of sports shoes, research on the history of sports shoe culture is a relatively unfamiliar topic, only scattered throughout various historical literature. These records often describe the culture from a cultural perspective, rather than from a perspective of "sports" or physical fitness. However, we cannot deny the "sports" functionality and effects of shoes in a broader sense. Before shoes were invented, humans developed and conducted activities such as hunting, running, playing, and military conflicts barefooted. After the creation of shoes, humans used them to conduct various activities and sports, and shoes also developed in terms of style, color, and materials along with human sports development.
Marxist theory holds that demand is a human nature, and it is the driving force of social development and progress. Shoes are created based on human needs while playing against nature and developing themselves through sports. Therefore, shoes have possessed the nature of "sports" since their inception, and it can be said that sports are the essential attribute of shoes. Thus, when reviewing the development history of sports shoe culture, we have to consider two perspectives and dimensions: the broader sense of sports shoes and the strict sense of sport shoes wholesale, which specifically refer to professional sports shoes used in sports.
Sports is a science, and science is an area that humans can never exhaustively understand. As one of the most direct and closely related sporting equipment, sports shoe biomechanics is an important branch of sports science. The deepening of this research is also exactly what enriches and improves the sports science system. In fact, the cultural charm and value of sports shoes fundamentally depend on good sports shoes themselves, and that is rooted in the science of sports shoes and the continuation and integration of technological culture. Other cultural values such as fashion, spirit, and consumption of sports shoes are all derivatives or offshoots of sports shoe technological culture.
Whether it is the structural design or technological innovation of sports shoes, the scientific basis is the biological principles of human movement. This means that sports biomechanics is an essential foundation and prerequisite for the development and progress of sports shoe technology. The main contents of sports shoe biomechanics research regarding fashion and sports shoes mainly comprise three aspects: the mechanical and structural function of the foot, the structure, materials, and functions of sports shoes, and the interaction between the foot, sports shoes, and the ground.