Kicks Analysis 2017 #2: Conference Sponsorships
Not much to say other than the powerhouse conferences have an affinity to Nike. The ACC has the most teams this year with eight followed by seven from the Big Ten.
shoes
Kicks Analysis 2017 #1: Shoe Sponsorship
The first kicks analysis of every Big Dance is the overall makeup of the dancing shoes, specifically who makes’em. My first kicks examination failed for several teams – North Dakota, Middle Tennessee, Dayton, NC Central, Vermont, Iona, and the play-in matchups. Obviously, I’ll have to update my charts after the first round when I get another look at the teams. So far, the 2017 breakdown looks like this.
Nike’s numbers are significantly down from 2016, going from 62% to 53%, and Adidas took a five-point hit dropping behind Under Armour. Looks like Under Armour rode the success of the Curry line and sponsored more teams who found their way to the Dance. Again, things are going to be different after my info is finalized and that remaining 11% is properly allocated.
The annual sponsorship chart doesn’t show a favorable trend for Nike, losing ground the past two years.
Adidas surprisingly has been relatively flat. With their latest shoe successes, future trends should definitely show an uptick, probably at the cost to Under Armour. Since the successes of the Curry 1 and 2 models, attraction to the Curry 3 has been mild, and with Steph himself having an off-year, the hype for UA shoes just isn’t the same.
Update
Here are the updated charts, and Nike and Adidas picked up more teams with UA staying even.
Launching Kicks Analysis 2017
Last year, I was late with my 2016 Kicks Analysis with the Warriors of Hawaii making a run in the Dance. But in 2017, Hawaii’s done (although they did get to play in the postseason), so I have some time to launch this year’s Kicks Analysis – a little early but also a little incomplete.
With the overall March Madness underway, I have to recognize Adidas for their team shoe lineups. Adidas has done a fantastic job outfitting teams with customized shoe models based on the Crazy Explosive, Dame 3, and Harden Vol 1. Check them out.
In fact, I’m so enthralled by Adidas’ offerings that if my bracket is a winner, I made a kicks vow to get one of these team shoes (aiming for the Kansas Crazy Explosive Low). But that’s if these team kicks become publicly available. If not available, the general release version will have to suffice.
I Keen, You Ken?
Instead of those wimpy water shoes that don’t cost a lot and don’t offer any support, I got me a pair of Keens. Instead of getting my kicks wet and muddy while hiking, I figured Keens would be the best alternative. And let me say they did not disappoint while hiking to Secret Falls on Kauai.
My biggest decision for getting Keens was deciding what color to get. Lots of good color combos to choose from. Locally, Nordstrom carries a blue pair of Newport H2, but they’re too conservative looking for me. Luckily, Zappos carries a wide range of colors and can get them to you in two business days, even to Hawaii.
I liked the duck camo aka real tree, extra green but didn’t have my size. So I went with Brindle/Sunset.
Real Tree/Extra Green
Brindle/Sunset
You can also get Keens from Amazon so do some price comparison, you ken?
My Next Shoe Venture – Allbirds
The world’s most comfortable shoe? I’m there… or at least, I plan to give Allbirds a try. Only available in one model, the Wool Runner, I’d like to make my own assessment of their comfort level, especially with the 30-day return policy, but the colorway has to be right. The black and grey colorways are okay, but this maroon one with contrasting laces speaks to me more.
The Shoe That Was Meant to Be
In the end, I guess it was just meant to be. In January of 2016, I had ordered the Nike Air Max 2015 in black and white from Nike’s online clearance section. Priced at $149.97, down from $190, the shoes felt good but not $150 good. So I returned them.
Forward to November 2016 and guess what showed up at Ross…in black and white… and in a size 10? Yup, the very same shoe model, but this time, the price was $70. This is high for Ross standards but at half the price of a clearance price, you know it was meant to be.
How Long Does Two-Day Shipping Take?
So as Cyber Monday wound down, I learned of deep discounts at Cole Haan online. Along with a one-day discount of 50%, clearance items were already marked down 30%. On top of that, in partnership with Shop Runner, there was free two-day shipping.
Cyber Monday was November 28. It’s now December 7, and there’s still no sign of my order. I know shipping to Hawaii traditionally takes a bit longer, and here’s what the tracking looks like.
After one week, my order has moved within California. I hadn’t realized that Cole Haan is no longer owned by Nike and therefore can’t tap into Nike’s awesome logistics and shipping system where two-day delivery really comes close to two days.
NMD BAPE Denied
Tried for the Adidas NMD and BAPE collaboration but was denied (as expected). Adidas had a mechanism in place to randomly allow visitors to the online sale page, kinda effective.
Flight 23 Takes Off in Hawaii
Flight 23 by Footaction officially took flight on Friday, November 18, 2016 with its grand opening in the International Market Place.
Technically, this storefront is not really a retail store. It’s an Air Jordan-focused addon to the adjacent Footaction. The workers roam between the two stores, and all purchases are made at Footaction. But still a Flight 23 in Hawaii brings with it the Air Jordan line such as the Banned AJ1 that sold out online in minutes.
You get to lace up your Jordans on these plush chairs.
But if you wanted variety, go to the connecting Footaction for other kicks.
Both areas featured some hard-to-find kicks, so it’s no wonder I saw many shoppers carrying Footaction bags. This place will definitely be a place to watch for new Nike and Jordan drops.
Costco Hawaii Kai Get Mad Kicks
Well, the workers there anyways. But yes, if you’re ever at the Costco location in Hawaii Kai, check out the kicks of the workers, especially those working at checkout. For the most part, the workers, both men and women, are wearing nice shoes.
On a recent outing, I saw these Adidas Ultra Boosts and NMDs. Oh so pretty!
Snap! Santa Came Early
Wow, Jolly Old Saint Nick came early this year! On my chair was these. I must have been a good boy this year. Check out these Adidas Christmas lights!!!
Thanks much to the guwapo Saint Nick.
Returned my Air Max Lunar1
In July/August 2014, I was stoked that I was stocked with the Nike Air Max Lunar1.
The Lunar update of the Air Max 1 has been awesome (and stylish too), but the other day, this happened. A part of the outsole separated from the shoe itself. I thought I had something stuck to the bottom of my shoe as I was walking, but it was the shoe itself!
Not major, but from what I can remember, this is the first time I encountered a defect like this. Sure it’s years later, but usually, my Nikes are retired after too much wear and tear. Anyways, after posting my pic on social media, I get a response from Nike via @nikestore. After exchanging some information, I submitted for a return.
@geewhy Got it. Let's have you start the online return process here: https://t.co/vxBneOJ8Gf
— Nike.com (@nikestore) July 24, 2016
My original shoe purchase is right over the two-year warranty period, so I don’t know if my return will be accepted. But at this point, what’s there to lose? I could glue back the outsole, but I think that’s really an indication that other parts of the shoe are failing. We’ll see what happens…