I still wear white socks with white sneakers (I'm partial to Adidas Stan Smiths), but I like patterned and colored socks otherwise. I don't see what's wrong with white athletic socks at the gym, or during any other athletic pursuit. If I'm sporting black kicks, which I used to ball in, I always wore black ankle socks.
"The best kind of pride is that which compels a man to do his best when no one is watching."