The Air Jordan 11 Retro Concord release madness seems to be over. People got hurt, gun shots were fired, knives were pulled, pepper spray was used between people standing in line and by the police. Entire malls had to shut down – all this because of a sneaker. It seems unbelievable but it actually happened. A topic that is usually left to sneaker focussed blogs made the rounds on international high profile news sites. One thing is for sure, this is marketing that you could not possibly pay for even if you wanted to.

We had now a few days to reflect on the happenings, talked to some people around us, and opinions are all over the pace. Who is to blame for this mess? Nike for releasing a great shoe? The stores for not creating a proper environment and organization to release such a hyped product? Blogs such as ours for creating buzz around such a release? Some opinions by our readers were already expressed in an earlier post here.

Here is what we think. Nike cannot really be blamed, because releasing a great product should be their main concern. Producing great product and marketing it the right way to sell that product is the ultimate goal of Nike and they are certainly pretty good at that, as we were shown again in this case.

We cannot blame the stores either. Sure, they knew people would go crazy about the sneaker, but who could have expected this. Should a store now hire security personnel for a Jordan release? Carry weapons and pepper spray to keep people in order? That cannot be the solution to this issue.

Read the rest of the post after the jump.

By now, most of you should know about the December 23rd release of the Air Jordan 11 Retro Concord. Today we show you some more detailed images of the sneaker and the entire capsule collection that will release along with it next week. Included in the collection are a track suit, shorts, t-shirts, AJ11 socks and more. Look out for a release at premium Jordan retailers on December 23rd, 2011.

Pictures of the sneaker, the packaging, as well as the clothing and accessories follow after the jump.

Jordan Brand has had a few strong retro releases this year and the upcoming Air Jordan 11 Retro Concord will with out any doubt be a great finish of the year. Coming in a similar pack as the AJXI ‘Space Jams’ from two years ago, the iconic sneaker will see a re-release on December 23rd, 2011 and will thus make a great Christmas present. Purists might not be into the updated purple outer sole versus the original blue one.

The Silver Anniversary Air Jordan 11 released this weekend and was certainly one of the most anticipated of the bunch. Today we learn that there are 25 special pairs of the sneaker.

“To continue our Silver Anniversary celebration, we have created 25 special pairs of the Air Jordan 11 that feature both a commemorative patch underneath the sole of the right shoe and an embroidered Jumpman on the heel. These 25 special pairs were put into circulation with the rest of the Silver Anniversary Air Jordan 11’s, and can be found at retail partners that carry these highly sought after kicks. Let the hunt begin.”

Good luck finding one of these. More looks at this special sneaker follow after the jump.

One of the most anticipated releases of the Jordan Silver Anniversary Series is about to drop. The Air Jordan 11 Retro comes in a beautiful all white colorway, with the usual mixed material upper and patent leather accents. The official release date is set for May 1st.

More images of the sneaker follow after the jump.

One of the most notable sneakers of all time – worn by Michael Jordan in the 1996 film “Space Jam” – will be re-released later this year. The black on black Jordan 11 has been one of the holy grails of sneaker collectors for 14 years, and still remains relevant today. Not only did Jordan wear these on the silver screen, but also during the 1995-96 NBA Season where he won the championship and was crowned MVP. Hits stores November 27th, 2009. Quickstrike. Get ready.

A detailed look at the Air Jordan 11 “Space Jam” follows after the jump.