There are other ways to experience the fun of sports

Designing athletic shoes is an interesting job that requires either a direct knowledge of science, particularly sports science, or the ability to work with scientists to incorporate current research into a shoe's design. Learning about sports research and how it applies to the different components of a shoe is usually one of the first assignments of a designer starting a job at an athletic shoe company. Most shoe companies, in fact, have some type of research group that brings designers up to speed with the current research in sports. Once a designer is brought up to speed on sport science, she usually works as a member of a team. A team at a shoe company may be comprised of a sport researcher, a materials scientist, a product line manager, and the designer. It is the designer's job to work up a drawing of the team's design that will ultimately be built in a limited number for testing. After testing, the design may be refined or accepted as is and, finally, mass produced. The design drawings will also be used to "sell" others in the company, like the marketing and sales department, on the merits of the new shoe.