With the recent purchase of Converse by Nike, my crazy mind came to thinking of a competition between the two famous spokespeople of these two companies.
Charles “Chuck” Taylor-Nickname: Ambassador of Basketball. Played basketball in high school, then went pro, before there was even an NBA. Either complained to Converse company about sore feet, asking them to make a shoe specifically for basketball; or asked for an off-season job, adding input to shoe’s design (sources vary). He later went on to sell this shoe, which would later bear his signature. He was in the military, edited Converse’s Basketball Yearbook, and had some sort of training program for basketball.
Michael Jordan-Nickname: Air Jordan. Arguably the greatest guy who ever played basketball. Over 32,000 points scored from 1984 to 2003, among other great things. I have no idea how much input he has on his Air Jordans, the most recent edition of which came in their own suitcase.
I have no idea who would win this competition, because I don’t know what it would be about. Nobody knows how long Chuck played basketball, how good he was, or what he really did. If it was a basketball competition, I’m sure Jordan would win, but the sales part is really confusing. Who would win the sales? Jordan sells more than shoes, so it would probably be him, but Chuck did a lot for a single shoe.
Gimme a pair of Scuts any day. I wore pink ones to my HS prom to match my dates dress (my grandfather didn’t talk to me for 2 weeks because of it, but that’s another story for another day).
I had 1 pair of Jordans, about 10 years ago. They were $75. I was single at the time, living at home, and had a bit more disposable income. These days, I have a house, family, responsibilities. There is no way on God’s green earth that I will ever pay $75 for a pair of sneakers ever again, never mind $200+. What do I need a CD-rom for with my sneakers? I’ve been good at tying my own shoes for nearly 30 years now. And a suitcase? What am I supposed to throw my old sneakers away in? That’s why they give you a disposable box for. Well, on second thought, maybe it’d be an OK place to store baseball cards in, if it were fireproof.
…And the Jordans don’t even look good. Chucks are always stylish (well, except for that time Converse made them in leather. Ugh!).
For sheer quantity, Chuck’s got it all over Mike. For real style, Chuck wins again. For ugly-assed shoes, Mike wins. For ugly-assed shoes with classic flair and are always appropriate except maybe for a funeral, though they DO come in black, Chuck wins. For number of NBA players in number of NBA games, Chuck’s unbeatable–who’s going to wear Air Jordans but Mike?