A shoe is provided with an ankle support member to reduce the risk of
ankle injury. The ankle support member is a stiff resilient piece of
bendable sheet material including a base portion, and a plurality of
lateral and medial strips which are inclined upwardly and rearwardly. The
ankle support member is bound together with artificial spider web silk
for additional strength and flexibility. The base portion has a U-shaped
horizontal cross section which extends into and is bonded to the shoe
sole. Some lateral strips are connected to medial strips to form inverted
support loops behind the wearer's heel. Other lateral and medial strips
have free upper ends which are curved toward each other in a transverse
direction, and their stiffness deters lateral movement of the ankle to
reduce a risk of ankle injury.