A little while back, I was extended the privilege of being invited with a select group to attend a milestone Big East Basketball game that also played host to one of the largest rivalries in College Basketball. That game, featuring the Syracuse Orangemen versus the Georgetown Hoyas, was a pivotal moment in the Championship for the Big East Conference and was also a keystone event in Nike’s Be True campaign.
BE TRUE is part of Nike’s recognition of the 22 year heritage of the Dunk. Though few people would challenge the Dunk’s dominance as an icon of style on the street, the DNA of the Dunk can be found within the sport of Basketball. Well before the Dunk established its dominance within popular culture, it proved itself on the court. Being True is the essence that defines the Dunk and BE TRUE is both its celebration and the celebration of the culture that has embraced it. That afternoon back in February up at Syracuse University’s Carrier Dome, our small group got the chance to witness first hand the TRUE fans of Syracuse and Georgetown. Over 31,000 fans we’re in attendance that day, and all were brought together to share in the sport of Basketball.
Since then, I’ve been invited to attend, as well as participate in, other BE TRUE events, and throughout the rest of 2008 I’ll periodically share with everybody previews of exclusive products released by Nike as part of their BE TRUE campaign, as well as specific documentation of Nike’s message of what BEING TRUE means.
That said, I’m really honored to be the first to introduce the Rivalry Dunks…
The story behind them involves Nike going back to the roots of the Dunk and their origins in Basketball, as well as Nike’s foundation in collegiate sport. The Rivalry Dunks pay homage to the TRUE fans at three particularly noteworthy colleges. Each of these colleges have fans that have distinguished themselves by camping out in the dead of winter, queuing up in line for days at a time and essentially bleeding their team colors. Nike set out to recognize the passion for sport, and the rivalries that drive it, by working with a lucky group of the most hardcore fans, the teams and the Athletic Departments of each of these three colleges to create a custom Dunk in their honor. This was followed up by a ceremonial dinner and special festivities for those involved, culminating in a pair of the (exceptionally limited) Dunks given to a select group of very fortunate individuals at each function with the rest of the invited guests cheering them on.
The three teams are the Syracuse University Orangemen, The North Carolina Tar Heels, and the Georgetown Hoyas, and these are their Dunks…
I’m also especially grateful to the powers that be over at Swoosh Headquarters, who felt that I deserved my own pair of Orangemen Dunks (Especially when they’ve been listing on Ebay for thousands of dollars per pair). Many thanks…
Posted on April 17, 2008 at 07:26 PM | Comment (9 comments)
BURTON and YANKEES versus RED SOX
Yesterday afternoon I rolled out to the Burton preview with Jeff Carvalho of Weekly Drop. Burton and company are in the midst of showcasing their next deliveries, which includes amazing product like some outerwear designed by Chuck Anderson and another great collection by Idiom, as well as some cool stuff from Habitat and Alien Workshop. After checking out lots of stuff we (unfortunately) won’t be able to get our hands on for a while longer, Tim Brodhagen extended a very gracious invite to roll up to the Bronx to check out the Yankees play the Red Sox at (the soon to be retired) Yankee Stadium. Granted the rivalry between these two teams is the stuff of legend, not much would have prepared me for the chaos I witnessed last night at Yankee Stadium. Maybe I haven’t been going to enough sporting events lately, but with the Yankees and the Red Sox still pretty much neck and neck during the 7th inning, there were consistent pockets of people all around us in various stages of being ejected from the stadium and/or arrested. Literally dozens of people being cuffed and escorted away, with random brawls breaking out between innings at the concession stand and bathrooms. Though some would blame alcohol for all the anarchy, at $8.50 for a can of Coors Light, I’m going to have to have to lay blame on thousands upon thousands of over zealous fans and the mob mentality that seemed to be possessing a huge grip of them. Though just before the 8th, Jeff, Tim and I came close to getting into a brawl with some belligerent Red Sox fans (and one of their drunk girlfriends), it was a really fun time and I enjoyed nearly every minute of it.
And the Yankees won!
Posted on April 17, 2008 at 03:16 PM | Comment (4 comments)
I was out in Portland, Oregon recently (for some stuff I’ll be talking about a little later), and managed to squeeze in a day’s worth of snowboarding on Mount Hood. I rolled out there with a small, but distinguished crew from Nike and it was both unanimously and unequivocally agreed to be an epic day on the mountain for each of us. Many locals said it was probably the best snow fall most had seen in their lifetime of hitting the slopes there. There were several nights in a row of respectable snow fall, and the night before we showed up, Mount Hood saw around two feet worth of fresh powder. Though I haven’t been fortunate enough to find the time and opportunity to go as often as I’d have liked, this was actually my first trip of the season. As such, my good friend Gavin decided that the best way to celebrate this fact would be to make sure we began by jumping off the lip of a double black diamond that looked to me more like the very edge of the world. It was so high and so steep, I could barely make out where the clouds dissipated and the snowy transition began. A few runs later I was (almost) able to follow Gavin, Julien and Christian on expert runs that mostly comprised of weaving between frozen pine trees. There were definitely some amazing runs we shared that day including one particular run where I finally ignored my inhibition towards death on the mountain side, and decided to just let gravity do it’s thing and pull me down a near vertical snow wall at what felt like terminal velocity. Anyhow, I think it’s safe to say we gave all we had (and then some) and once people’s knees started buckling with fatigue while simply standing in place, we all decided it was time to call it a day.
Extra thanks to Gavin for getting us up the mountain quickly and in style (and for the expert binding help), and to Julien and Christian for the good times and warm hospitality. Hopefully we’ll be able to do it again sometime. Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the huckleberry milkshakes these guys turned me onto on the way back down the mountain. Though it took sincere effort to find the strength to get out of the car and waddle on rubbery legs into the Huckleberry Inn, there’s few things in this world as tasty as the huckleberry milkshakes they serve.
Posted on April 17, 2008 at 02:00 PM | Comment (0 comments)
There seems to be a lot of news floating around the blogosphere about the Being True Show. Curated by Emma Reeves and Aaron Rose and being officially supported by Nike, the show features 22 photographers with a particular penchant and talent for capturing the essence and variety of today’s American Youth. Sometimes Joyful, often poignant, but always compelling the show features a single contribution from Tim Barber, Angela Boatwright, Kenneth Cappello, Poppy De Villeneuve, Cheryl Dunn, Naomi Harris, Alex Hoerner, Drew Jarrett, Alain Levitt, Jeaneen Lund, Ari Marcopoulos, Dan Murphy, Jason Nocito, Patrick O’Dell, Mike Piscitelli, David Ransone, Terry Richardson, Jamel Shabazz, David Perez Shadi, Brent Stewart, Ed Templeton, and Tobin Yelland. Anyhow, in addition to the all star cast being showcased in the Being True exhibit, there was also a pretty impressive turnout… Lance Armstrong, Haze, Kaws, Todd James (Reas), Carlo McCormick, Jamie O’Shea, Peter Sutherland, Dante Ross, Dan Funderburgh, were just a few amongst those that came out to the opening.
Anyhow, below are shots from the opening in Brooklyn at the Journal Gallery, but the Los Angeles leg of the tour is opening tonight. It was way too crowded to get shots of the work, so If you’re in the area of the next stop, definitely swing by and check it out first hand…
BEING TRUE - 22 years of American Youth
April 3rd - April 27th, 2008
Opening Reception: Thursday, April 3rd
144 LAB
144 North La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Photos courtesy of Kathy Lo, the Journal Gallery.
Posted on April 03, 2008 at 09:17 AM | Comment (2 comments)
