Growing up in the 80s, I lived in flyover country - and what
we had was no "pre-hype" for Jordans, no information before they released, nothing. And we were begging for it.
I vividly remember how we would sit in front of the small TV's and look for close-ups of MJ and what Jordans he was wearing. All Star game is on? Well, he'd have a new color. Playoff game on? Well he'd debut the black model. Then we would race to the mailbox on Friday for the newest Sports Illustrated and we'd get to maybe see a few close-up shots that we'd examine up and down at school with the fellas. Weekends were for going to the mall and checking to see if the stores had any in stock, and then of course the few kids who DID have Jordans....were by default the coolest dudes in school. It sounds so hilariously outdated now...but it makes me smile and reminds me of just playing hoops, hanging with friends, and obsessing over everything M.J. You had to do WORK to keep updated with your idol.
I was around for every release back then, and where I grew up it was not even close - the black V was the single craziest shoe to hit the streets. I've never seen madness like that, and the kids who had a pair were afraid to wear them out. Man that was good times
One last note from this old geezer: Jordan Brand's retro program for me has been hugely disappointing top to bottom. But it's because I'm a sucker for details. Some aren't. I will notice when cut is off, when toe boxes are even just barely wrong, etc. It obviously would not change a thing, but to me if JB would have just started all this by naming these releases "replicas" or something similar in the title we/I would probably not give it so much heat here. Yes, that's petty. But the marketing they are doing with "true to the OG" and "remastered" and trying to put things over on their buying base that THESE are the original shoes....is a slap in the face. Maybe I'm petty but I would probably feel a lot better if they officially acknowledged it (not just Gentry) and then and only then perhaps we could hold out hope a true retro will come.
Jordan Brand and Nike do not need my opinion - and MJ's money and mansions show they obviously know things I don't - but Jordan Brand is a company that always has prided itself on luxury, and high end, and the best athletes, and Michael Jordan. The Rolls Royce of footwear. And a program (retros) that was started as sort of a side project has now become really the face of their business - and the face of Jordan Brand's business is building cheap knock offs of luxury shoes their former generation of employees created 30 years ago. It's kinda ironic.