KYW Monthly Mailbag 📩 — Cashing out on Complex, rating Trump's sneaker and more
Our first mailbag of 2024, folks! WE ARE HERE.
Gooooood morning, family! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear.
Thank you for reading today. I appreciate your time. Also, thanks for your mailbag questions! We got in a bunch for today. A lot of them were about fixing the All-Star game, so for all the sports folks here, you’re going to love today’s send.
Let’s jump in.
Thoughts on the Complex sale?
This is a rough one. The overall state of media is bleak — let alone sneaker media. Complex didn’t stand a chance here.
The news: For those out of the loop, BuzzFeed has officially sold Complex off to NTWRK — an e-commerce platform media platform, Variety reports.
The details:
The final sale price was reportedly $108.6 million, which is about a third of what BuzzFeed originally purchased the company for in 2021.
Along with the sale, BuzzFeed will also reportedly lay off 16 percent of its remaining staffers to tighten its belt further.
NTWRK plans on launching “an e-commerce platform anchored in sneakers, streetwear and collectibles with content and music.”
I don’t know what that will look like on Complex’s end, but it sounds like there’s a chance the company’s journalists might turn into glorified QVC salespeople. And, I’ve got to be honest with you, that sounds awful.
The backdrop: We’ve known this was coming for a while. BuzzFeed has been underwater for some time now. The company shut down its news division last year and shortly after Complex was rumored to be next. Here we are. The day has come.
The reality: Look. I know a lot of folks who read this newsletter aren’t the biggest fans of Complex and the content that comes from that platform.
On one hand: I get it. It’s Hypebeast-y. I’ve also heard many horror stories from folks who’ve worked there before. It’s not unlike other spaces in media.
On the other: It’s one of the few sneaker and culture resources we have left. Seeing it meet this fate isn’t a good look.
But that’s just the thing, right? This is what the media space looks like in 2024. More jobs are probably being cut than created in 2024 all for the sake of profitability. Nobody wants to make content for the good of the people anymore.
As a result, we’ve lost a lot of the culture content spaces that once thrived in the 2010s.
The Vice website is reportedly being shut down completely.
Pitchfork was somehow absorbed into GQ.
Complex was just folded into an e-commerce company while BuzzFeed is selling off everything it can to chase cash.
It’s a sad state of affairs. The media landscape is collapsing and thousands of people are losing their jobs as it does. Real journalism is hard to find. Everything is about pageviews, subscribers, clicks and visitors. That’s not how this is supposed to work.
Complex is the latest victim, but there will be more to come. Personally speaking, it’s terrifying to see.
Taking his name, if possible, out of the discussion. How would true sneakerheads rate the Never Surrender High-Top Sneaker?
Whew, boy. What a question. I do feel like it’s impossible to take the fact that this is Donald Trump’s (signature? LOL) sneaker. But fine. Let’s play that game. I can’t speak for other sneakerheads out there — only for myself. Personally, there’s no way I’d be rocking with these.
Take a look: In case you missed it.
Yeah, I’m not rocking with these.
Here’s why: Even when you cast Trump aside (if you can actually do that) there’s just not a ton appealing about these sneakers.
First off, the cost is ridiculous. It’s $400 for a pair at retail. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone willing to spend that much on a pair of Jordans.
Second, this is a pre-order from a retailer that I don’t have confidence in. One thing about pre-orders is that there has to be a trust there. You have to believe your money will be well spent and your order will be fulfilled.
There’s a warning that the images we’re seeing may not “be an exact representation” of the product. I’m good on that that.
Third, they’re just ugly to me. This looks like a shoe that you’d see one of those human statue street performers wear. It’s the same shade of gold, too.
My rating: If I had to rate these, I’d probably give them a 2 out of 10. I don’t mean to be this harsh — if you like them, I love that for you. But they’re just not very good or enticing to me. The only reason they’re a 2 and not a 0 is because, well, at least they’re a pair of sneakers.
Adam Silver rings you up. Says "Hey, Mike. I love your newsletter. I'd like to get your help. We need to improve the All-Star Game…
The reader continues… Also All-Star Weekend - starting next year. What are 3 ideas you have to improve it?"
Well, thanks for reading, Adam Silver! I appreciate you taking the time, big dog. Hope you get that new TV deal popping, brother.
I’ve got four things, y’all.
Bring cash: For every player participating in the game, I think throwing a bit of extra cash in there for the winning team. Same way the NBA did the In-Season tournament. That worked well.
Play H.O.R.S.E: Let’s swap out the NBA Skills Competition with a game of horse. This was a thing back in the day, too! (Dog. Is 2010 back in the day now???) That was a fun competition that required a bit of creativity and some skill. I’d love to see Luka Doncic in this.
Feature the WNBA on Saturday Night: The Sabrina Ionescu vs. Steph Curry challenge was the best moment of the weekend. Let’s get some more of that. Bring in some W stars to play H.O.R.S.E. Give us a team-based 3-point shootout. Maybe not exactly WNBA vs. NBA but it’d be dope to have, say, Diana Taurasi and Devin Booker on the same 3-point shootout team representing Phoenix.
If that all fails…Let’s just see a 1 v. 1 tournament. Everybody’s asking for it. You could make a weekend out of it. The All-Star Challenge. Play for money — up the stakes. It’d be fun.
Wow. My All-Star Weekend sounds pretty nice.
Do you see basketball shoes moving away from Modern/ Futuristic looking shoes?
The reader continues… And moving towards a more casual court look "Jordan esc" shoes - like the Devin Booker 1/ JA Morant 1
This is a good question and one that I think is very topical considering the state of basketball sneakers right now.
Where we are: Adidas basketball took over All-Star weekend last week with models that leaned into that futuristic look.
As far as sneaker storylines from the weekend, Adidas’ Future of Basketball activation was the headline. Shoes like the AE 1 got a ton of love last weekend.
As I wrote earlier this week in KYW, there’s more coming. The Dame 9. The D.O.N 6. More Harden 8 colorways. That’s the Adidas aesthetic right now and it’s working.
The big picture: This is the imprint of Yeezy. Say what you want about Kanye West (and, trust me, I’ve got a lot to say), but the futuristic aesthetic of his brand has persisted — even during this time when retro mesh runners have overtaken the culture.
I didn’t expect it to permeate the basketball category like this in 2024 but I’m glad it has. It looks great.
What are the best basketball shoes (to hoop in) for Spring/Summer 2024?
I’m probably not the best person to ask about this considering that I don’t hoop as often as I should these days. But I’ve got some options for you. Let’s break it down.
I’ll give you three options in three categories: Price point, aesthetics and performance.
Prince point: Jordan Brand’s Tatum 1 is a good option here. The Tatum 2 is dropping soon, so these are seeing big discounts across retailers. But they only retail for $120 anyway and it’s got some of the best tech available. Nice bang-for-your-buck shoe here.
Aesthetics: You know where I’m going here. The AE 1 is my favorite basketball shoe out right now. These shoes look incredible. They’re also only $120. Worth it.
Performance: The Curry 11 is probably my top pick for performance. Under Armour’s Flo technology is legitimate. The stop-and-go capabilities are great, they’re flexible enough and the foam is extremely comfy. They’re expensive at $160, but if you hoop a lot it’s worth the investment.
#TheKicksWeWear
YALL KNOW WHAT IT IS. LET'S GET IT.
First, my dog Brady got us going this week with the Atmosphere Grey AJ1 lows. Man. Also big shouts to my guy for the brilliant idea of posting his kicks in a thread via Substack. Thanks, my guy.
My guy Yong sent in his Air Trainer 1s this week and I LOVE the lace job on these joints. With those pants, too? That’s sick, man.
My guy Petty came through with the Undefeated x Nike Air Humara joints. I really gotta get the next round on these, man.
These Porsche x Puma joints are SICK from our guy Josh. That yellow is so perfect, man.
The Golden Boy came through with the Earls Collection x Asics 2160. What. A. Pair. Sheesh.
Then my guy Eddie Factzz sent us home with the Outro JFGs. Y’all KNOW what it is with these, man. Wow.
SMOKED THAT. 💰
That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for rocking with me today. I appreciate y’all. You’re amazing. I hope you have a fantastic weekend ahead of you.
Let’s chat again on Monday. Until next time, folks. Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯