The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 206 — Has All-Star weekend lost its value?
The weekend ain't what it used to be
Good morning, family! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear! Thank you so much for rocking with your boy this morning. I appreciate you giving me some of your time.
GIVEAWAY TIME! We’re on the road to 5,000 subs. Y’all know how it works. When we get there, I’m buying somebody some shoes! Details at the bottom.
Let’s begin.
All-Star weekend ain’t what it used to be
Footwear is always one of the bigger themes during the NBA’s All-Star weekend.
At least that’s how it was. It hasn’t been that in years, though. For very obvious reasons. And that includes this one.
We’re living in the middle of a global pandemic where there is still so much uncertainty with everything going on.
For the past few All-Star games, access has been limited for fans, media and pretty much everyone else.
But that wasn’t exactly the case this year in Cleveland for 2022. Yes, there was still limited access to the players. But the events on All-Star Saturday night were packed. We’ve got vaccines and precautions in place to protect everyone.
The game was spectacular but it was still quiet on the footwear side of things.
Neither Nike nor Jordan Brand attended All-Star weekend this year. There were no activations in place from either. The biggest thing we got was a LeBron shock drop from the swoosh.
Adidas was there in a limited capacity releasing a collection from Darryl Brown that shined a light on working-class folks, which was actually really cool.
Puma was the most active with a Hoops Lounge where they held an event and gave away products.
New Balance wasn’t there at all despite the reveal of their new flagship basketball shoe, The Kawhi 2, and the news of them signing Jack Harlow.
Be smart: This lack of activity during the NBA’s biggest weekend is something we should get used to moving forward. This is how it will be for the foreseeable future. The footwear industry’s basketball product isn’t the priority anymore. It hasn’t sold well for years.
Even the hottest hoops shoes are just a fraction of revenue for most brands. People don’t even get excited about them anymore. Just look at how the LBJ shock drop went.
Nike, Adidas and the rest of the brands want their athletes in their most hyped kicks. No one cares when LeBron wears the LeBrons. They do care when he wears the Off-Whites though.
The biggest moments for these athletes in footwear don’t really revolve around All-Star weekend anymore. They’re on their Instagram feeds. They’re in the pre-game tunnels. The brands know that, and these absences reflect that change.
Here’s the deal: The big brands know they don’t have to be at the All-Star game anymore. It’s not mandatory. And that’s OK. Because honestly? It’s still the best exhibition game in all of sports with some of the greatest athletic talent we’ve ever seen.
At the end of the day, that’s the draw. That’s what matters most.
Reebok is about to be the Shaq of the sneaker industry
You know how every time you see Shaq in a General Car Insurance commercial or some random spot for some healing cream you’re like “man, Shaq is in everything, isn’t he?” That’s how you’re about to feel with Reebok.
They’re about to be everywhere — and we’re starting with Foot Locker.
The news: They just signed a deal with Foot Locker that will keep shelves stocked with “exclusive” Reeboks.
See, told you: Like Shaq, Authentic Brands Group’s strategy for Reebok is to put license the brand off wherever they can. Make more product and put it everywhere. It’s not about scarcity or hype. It’s purely profit.
That’s what we’re seeing here with this FTL deal.
This means there will be a Reebok section on the walls of local Foot Locker stores you hit and there will probably be more Bok available online.
It could also mean “exclusive” pairs that drop only via Foot Locker stores. Or early access for certain Reebok product.
This is just the beginning. We’re going to see a lot more visibility from Reebok moving forward — the same way we see Shaq in so many commercials. That’s just what ABG does.
Them sneaker taxes must be hittin
In news that probably went under your radar, footwear industry officials are asking the Biden administration for some relief on the tariff front.
What’s happening: Footwear Distributors & Retailers of American president Matt Priest wrote an open letter to the administration’s economic advisory council asking to strike down former President Donald Trump’s (sigh) 2019 tariffs that are causing prices on consumer goods to spike, per Footwear News’ Shoshy Ciment.
Back in 2019, President Donald Trump imposed a 10% tariff on Chinese-made goods. Yes, that includes sneakers.
According to the FDRA, 70% of footwear is imported from China. That’s a huge share of industry goods being impacted by these tariffs.
The reason Priest is arguing for the removal of these tariffs is that, combined with skyrocketing inflation, footwear prices are climbing everywhere. Prices are up 6% year over year.
Let’s be real: You won’t really see prices impacted too much if you’re only shopping at big brand stores like Nike and Adidas and the like. They source most of their materials out of Vietnam to this point.
These tariffs are impacting more affordable sneaker brands and making those shoes more expensive, which is the point Preist makes in his letter.
“Some of the highest tariff rates in the entire U.S. Tariff Code fall on low value shoes and children’s shoes, hitting working-class families at a time when they can least afford it,”
Seems like a pretty good reason to dump — or, at least, curb — these tariffs. We’ll see if that happens.
GIVEAWAY TIME!
LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOO! It’s giveaway season, family. Most of y’all know how this works but before we dive into the details, I have some words.
I’m very grateful for the journey that you all have come along with me on with this newsletter.
I tell people all the time that I never anticipated more than 30 people reading this. But here we are nearly 3 years later and this is something much bigger than me now.
And here’s to it becoming even bigger. We’re trying to hit 5,000 subscribers, folks. That’s a huge deal. And when we get there, I’m buying someone a pair of shoes. Here’s how it’ll work.
To enter the contest, all you have to do is be subscribed to the Kicks You Wear. That’s all there is to it!
Once we hit 5,000 subscribers, I’ll enter each email into a virtual hat and randomly draw one out.
The selected email will have $350 to spend on kicks. It can be one pair. Two pairs. Three pairs. Whatever. It’s your $350 — you choose how to spend it!
And that’s all there is to it, fam! Good luck! Let’s make this journey a fun one! Thank y’all again for being here with me, fam. I appreciate you.
What’s droppin, bruh?
Yeezy Desert Boot “Rock” — Monday, February 21
Todd Snyder x New Balance 992 — Tuesday, February 22
Air Jordan 1 Low “Pomegranate” — Tuesday, February 22
Nike Dunk High “Light Chocolate” —Wednesday, February 23
Air Jordan 1 “Brotherhood” — Thursday, February 24
Thank y’all so much for rocking with me, man. You’re the best. I appreciate your time and I cannot wait to buy someone some shoes.
Let’s chat on Wednesday. Talk soon. Til then, peace and love. Be easy. Be safe. Be kind. And we out.
-Sykes 💯