The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 163 — Standing by Sha'Carri
Nike is standing by Sha'Carri Richardson and they absolutely should
Good morning, family! What’s popping? We’re closing in on our drawings. It’s not too late to get those DED stocks in!
Some housekeeping: KYW is out from July 9 to August 2. I know! Ugh. Here’s why.
I’m moving. My fiancé and I just officially bought our first house. We’re moving to the new crib on July 8 and I’m barely packed. Lmao. I gotta take some time to get situated.
I’m also vacationing. I’ll be at the last week of the month!
So I figured instead of sparsely giving y’all newsletters, it’d be better to just take the time and come back refreshed in August. I’ll miss you. But I’ll be back.
Anyway, enough about me. Let’s jump in.
Nike chose a side, but that’s all they can do
(Photo by Steven Lelham on Unsplash)
You’ve seen the Sha’Carri Richardson story by now. The 21-year-old track star is out of the Olympics after receiving a one month suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency for a positive marijuana test.
Weed is not a performance enhancer, but it is still on the World Anti Doping Agency’s banned substance list.
Because of that, Richardson’s trial runs were invalidated and she won’t be able to compete in her first Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Just about everyone has an opinion on it — and that includes Nike. They released a statement supportin Richardson, who has been a Nike athlete since 2019.
“We appreciate Sha’Carri’s honesty and accountability and will continue to support her through this time.”
It was short, sweet, and to the point. Exactly what it needed to be. This was an easy win for the swoosh. It’s an extremely popular stance. They’re choosing progression over something old and antequated — not a hard decision.
Here’s the thing: This won’t stop here. Whether she knows it or not, she just became the case study for how folks talk about athletes when it comes to recovery — both mentally and physically.
What happened with Sha’Carri is going to spark more conversations of how we view marijuana and its uses on a global scale — not just in the United States.
And, as unfortunate as it is, it’s honestly just as important as any gold medal she may have won this summer.
No, this isn’t a good thing. It absolutely sucks. But we’ll all be better because of her and her example. Yes, she made a mistake. But she’s handling it with grace and accountability. And that’s all we can ask for.
Yes, everyone has their opinions. But my friend Monica McNutt summed it up perfectly:
And that’s that on that.
Yeezy finally got to the Foam Runner knockoffs
(Photo by Kyle Brinker on Unsplash)
2021 has not been a great year for counterfeit and bootleg footwear by any means. Yeezy is cracking down on replicas, too.
Walmart has finally pulled replica Foam Runners from their site, according to a report from Complex.
You could routinely find Yeezy Foam Runner replicas for $30 or so on Walmart’s website available from third-party sellers.
They made this move following a reported lawsuit from Kanye West and Yeezy claiming the company was selling “virtually indistinguishable” Foam Runner clogs.
The problem still isn’t solved yet — Walmart was just one vehicle. There are plenty of other platforms still offering fake Foam Runners to folks for less than half of what they cost retail. I won’t link them here — if you’re interested you can Google it.
Walmart is one of the biggest retailers in the world and was targeted by Yeezy because of its size. But this isn’t done. Not by any means. Just because a third-party seller is safe for now doesn’t mean West isn’t coming after them.
It just means that they’re probably searching for a more comprehensive way to get it done. You know, like Nike did with the Jordan 1.
SPECIAL DELIVERY: Rugrats Edition
We unboxed PUMA’s new Rugrats Court Rider on SPECIAL DELIVERY this week and, I’ve gotta say, it was really fun!
Ima keep it a buck: Normally, these sorts of collabs are corny. But this one…made me feel something.
I really love Rugrats. And this shoe took me back to that time where I obsessed over it.
That’s what the end goal for this shoe — and the others like it — always was.
We talked about that strategy and more on this episode.
ENJOY.
Speaking of Tokyo…
Fam. Nike really went crazy with the SB’s for the USA Skateboarding. I mean, REALLY crazy.
These Zebra dunks? Gundam joints? My God, man.
Run me all of these. Plz. We need things for Special Delivery.
What’s droppin, bruh?
Yeezy 700 MNVN “Blue Tint” — Monday, July 5
Air Max Furyosa NRG — Wednesday, July 7
Nike Dunk Low “Laser Orange” — Thursday, July 8
Nike x Undercover Gyakusou ZoomZ Vaporfly Next% — Friday, July 9
Air Jordan 3 “Racer Blue” — Saturday, July 10
Thank you for rocking with me, fam! Remember, get those DED stocks in. Giveaways for The First Pair and a couple pairs of kicks are coming on Friday. Don’t miss out.
Til next time, family. Peace. Be easy. Be safe. Be kind. Love.
-Sykes 💯
better get that packing finished up. Best of luck with everything homie. Congrats on the house
Congratulations on the new house fam!