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$1.1 Billion Gets You… Brand Synergy! (and Pretty Cool Eagles Sneakers)
By Dan Fuller
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Eagles Air Max 95 (No-Sew) – NFL Draft Pack – picture via counterkicks
For those wondering what Nike would do with the NFL license after the disappointingly and expectly overhyped unveiling ceremony, they finally showed some of the benefits of their freshly enacted apparel deal with their 2012 "NFL Draft Pack" of sneakers. Gimmicky, but I like it.
You say you love the Eagles but your team-related footwear options are limited? Boom– NFL Draft Pack. Simply, Nike chose eight signature sneakers, either classics from the past or noteworthy current shoes, assigning one to each division, then laying out a custom colorway for each team within each division. Luckily, Nike chose one of their all-time best designs, the Air Max 95, for the NFC East.
Two notes: (1) nitpickers will notice these are actually the Air Max 95 No-Sews which, well, don't have the color panels sewn together as on the original design from 1995, (2) The Air Max 95 is my favorite sneaker of all time—yes, people have such things—so I'm not the fairest judge. Heck, I wear Air Max 95s on an almost a daily basis (thank you job with minimal dress code). But come on, with both Midnight Green and Kelly Green present and prominent, what isn't to like? (well, the list price is $150, so that's something to not like…)
Here are the rest of the NFC East Air Max 95s (No-Sews). The Redskins version is fantastic. I'm not sure I'd be able to pull off actually wearing them, but it just proves how well their color palette comes together. The Cowboys and Giants aren't quite as interesting, but I can't really find fault with either of them, with the Giants, well, "Big Blue" approach working quite well, though I wouldn't have minded some silver on the Cowboys [editor's note: I see purple?].
Counterkicks has close-ups of each team's sneaker. Some notables: the AFC West in the Nike Air Trainer SC (you may know them as "Bo Jacksons") and the NFC North in the Air Max 90 (also known as the original Air Max). Also, the Buccaneers' Free Trainer 5.0 and the deceptively complex Free Haven 3.0 looks good in any color (even neon green) are new designs which are only enhanced by this NFL tie-in program.
Here are all of them for the entire league. I'm giving this whole pursuit a big thumbs-up. Which ones do you like?
via Nicekicks and Counterkicks, two great sites for sneaker news.