KYW Holiday Mailbag — 📩How corny is *too* corny? Wizards drama and the GOAT dad shoe

Ted Leonsis I will never forgive you.

Gooooood morning, family! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for reading this morning. I appreciate you taking your time!

I hope your week is going swell. Probably a lot better than mine so far. I’ll forever have beef with Ted Leonsis now. More on that later.

First, let’s get into this mail, folks!

---

On a scale from 1 to corny-as-hell, where do you rank this fake Travis/Johnny Mac "beef" that Nike manufactured?

First of all, whoever asked this question, thank you so much. I’m sure you could tell from the prompt that I sent out for the mailbox that I was hoping someone would tee me up for this one. You did the damn thing. I’m grateful.

The backdrop: Nike has been doing this viral marketing campaign with Travis Scott and John McEnroe for the last week or so.

• There’s a Travis Scott x Nike Mac Attack collaboration releasing soon and this campaign coincides with that.

• The two argue over the name of the shoe. McEnroe wants the shoe to be called the Cactus Mac. Scott wants it to remain Cactus Jack. Or something. I don’t really remember all that well.

• Long story short, several clips surfaced on the internet of this “beef.” There was a weird Zoom call, McEnroe doing an unnaturally aggressive fit check and Scott spray painting over a plaque dedicated to McEnroe.

The scale: So, of course, I’m going to go with the “corny-as-hell” option. What else was I supposed to do here? This was cringeworthy, bland and wholly unnecessary.

It was so obvious this was fake from the beginning. Let’s be realistic about it. It’s common sense.

• There’s no way that a video of an argument from a Zoom call between two Nike influencers would leak without someone at the brand knowing who leaked it and getting control over it. Nike isn't that sloppy.

• Also, we know how long it takes for a sneaker’s development plan to come into fruition — 18 to 24 months. Arguing over a name is not something we’d just hear about a couple of weeks before a sneaker’s launch.

All of this happens and then it all culminates in Scott and McEnroe back-to-back like they're about to film a buddy cop flick.

Be for real, Nike.

What this is: This is just a cringy attempt at viral marketing. It’s not unlike that time Nike had a campaign where Kobe Bryant jumped over an Aston Martin. Just way less cool.

But look: This will probably work? As cringe as it was, this campaign got people talking about the shoe, which is what Nike wanted. All the blogs covered it to no end, taking the bait and doing the brand's work for it. That’s how this sort of thing works.

A thought to think on: I’m kind of confused on why Nike felt like it needed to do this for this sneaker? I mean, think about it. When have we seen them do something like this for Travis Scott before. He doesn't normally need this sort of help. I still don't think he does. But this makes me wonder if that's changed.

• Maybe it’s because the Mac Attack resurgence hasn’t necessarily been the strongest? This is a sneaker that is newly retroed by an athlete Gen Z audiences aren’t all that familiar with. This could help change that.

Whatever reasoning went behind all this, it doesn’t change the fact that it was super cringey. And I really, really, really hope the brand leaves this in 2023.

---

Look, I gotta hear your thoughts on the DC sports exodus

Sigh. I had a feeling someone would bring this up. I know it’s not necessarily sneakers, but it’s sports which is in the realm of sneakers. And it’s about a team I love!

It's also fair to say I wouldn't be covering sneakers if it weren't for the Wizards.

Anyway, folks, it looks like the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals will be leaving Washington in the next few years.

What’s happening: Team owner Ted Leonsis joined Virginia Governer Glenn Youngkin to announce a $2 billion proposal for a new multi-purpose development in Potomac Yard, Alexandria that includes a new stadium and practice facility for Ted’s teams.

• The team’s new digs would be on a plot of 70-acre land that would also include a residential component, a development component and an annex for Virginia Tech.

• The plan is for everything to be ready for the Wiz and Caps to move by 2028

A look: The renderings look pretty fantastic. Even as someone who is against this, I can’t lie.

I don’t want to spend too much time on this because it’s not sneakers. And it also makes me pretty sad. I also wrote about why this is such a slap in the face to D.C. over at For The Win. I’d encourage you to read that for a bit of a deeper dive.

What I will say: This news stings. The Wizards are my team. That organization is what got me into sports. Honestly, I wouldn’t be covering sneakers like this if I didn’t cover the Wizards. The Kicks You Wear wouldn’t be a thing. I found this passion by covering the team and following John Wall, who had a ton of things going on in the sneaker world between 2013 and 2017. I started there.

There wasn’t a team that quite captured the city’s culture like the Wizards did. For my entire life, that team has pulled folks from all walks and immersed them in the culture of the city I love. You’d walk outside the arena and into Gallery Place and you’d hear GoGo blaring from cars. Folks would be on the block playing beats on buckets. Others would be bar hopping. At its best, it was a good time. All of the city's charm could be found right there on that block. It was the best part of D.C.

That community and the surrounding area are struggling right now. Businesses have shuddered in our post-pandemic world. The area needs a win — big time. This is the opposite of that. That sucks to see.

I hope Gallery can somehow find a way to land on its feet eventually.

---

Any recommendations on charitable organizations we can donate shoes too?

The reader continues…I have a bunch of lightly worn pairs I know I won't be wearin much and should move off of, and have been looking for places to donate them too. I looked into Soles4Souls but their setup is a bit unusual? Anyways, any help would be appreciated.

Honestly, I don’t have a great answer for this! I feel kind of bad about it because I should. But the truth is I should probably be donating more pairs than I have in the past.

Here are a couple of organizations I’ve used in the past:

• It’s from the Sole: This is an organization based in New York that donates shoes to the less fortunate. It only accepts new shoes, so if you’ve got anything that hasn’t been worn this is a good option.

• Green Drop: This organization takes your donations for the Military Order of the Purple Heart. The pickup is really easy to set up and has a very smooth process.

More than anything, though, I’d honestly just look up some local agencies. Call up some homeless shelters around the way or some local organizations that work with schools and see if they’d be willing to take donations. Nine times out of 10, it’ll work out.

Shoutout to you, though. It takes a special person to be willing to give. You’re an absolute gem.

---

You’re having a really bad day. What pair of sneakers do you put on to boost your spirits?

This is a great question. I tell people all the time that my sneakers give me a jolt of energy. It’s the whole “look good, feel good” thing, you know? That’s something that I picked up in middle school when I was a young dork. Now I’m an old dork and it still works.

I have two that I’d say make me feel awesome.

• My go-to would probably be the Joe FreshGoods “Outside Clothes” 990v3 — it just remind me of old times. Summer is also my favorite and these are definitely summer shoes.

• The other is the Air Jordan Aqua 8. That’s a sneaker that means a ton to me. I’m really glad I still have a pair. I don’t wear them nearly as much as I should, but whenever I do put them on I have an amazing day.

Overall: I wouldn’t say there’s just a couple of pairs that do this for me, though. I honestly feel great when I look at my entire collection and see what I have. As silly as it is, it feels like I really built something with it. And I think that’s cool.

I should probably get off of some of these pairs, though. Seriously.

---

Can you confirm that the Nike Air Monarch IV is the greatest dad shoe of all time?

The reader continues…I want a pair but I get plantar fasciitis just looking at them

Is the Air Monarch the greatest dad shoe of all time? I think that depends on the person. For you? It definitely doesn’t sound like it if your Achilles starts aching off of just a look.

I feel that, though. That’s how I feel when I look at Jordan 4s these days.

The big picture: I’m not sure if the Monarch is the greatest dad shoe of all time. I do know it’s the most iconic one, though.

Let me paint a picture for you right now.

• It’s July. The yard is looking terrible right now. My goodness. When is the last time you cut the grass? Sheesh.

• What are you going to cut the grass in. That old pair of Jordans or that Air Monarch? Exactly. It’s the Monarch. You know it. We all do.

In the era of Dad shoes, this might not be the best dad shoe in the world. But you’ll never mistake it — nor its purpose — for anything else.

---

This time of year I get sad because most of my sneaker collection won't see daylight until spring.

The reader continues…What are your best recommendations for sneakers that are warm and can hold up to the winter elements? Or is my shoe game just destined to be boring until warmer weather?

The winter stinks for sneakers, doesn’t it? You never want to wear your coolest sneakers in the winter because of all the elements. Especially if you’re in a place that has some harsh weather. Maryland isn’t bad for me. But if I lived in New York? Yikes, man.

There are some options: Your shoe game doesn’t have to be boring in the winter. You can get through this.

• You could buy some cool boots! I know it’s not the same as wearing dope sneakers — boots are never as creative. But a good pair of Timbs has always served me right.

• You could waterproof your shoes! Waterproofing isn’t necessarily weatherproofing. Getting some dirt on a nice pair of kicks with some amazing suede on them will forever be heartbreaking. But this helps with rain and snow, at the very least.

• You could also buy some dope hiking shoes! Nike has some great ACG stuff! I’m also a huge fan of the New Balance 610 — lots of dope colors to choose from. Adidas has the Terrex line that has pumped out some good stuff, too.

I know the weather stinks, but I hope that helps!

---

That's a wrap, folks! Thank you so much for reading KYW. I appreciate you. Hope you're having a great holiday season.

Best everything of 2023 coming next week! Get ready, fam! I cannot wait. Until next time. Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. We out.

-Sykes 💯