First-Of-Its-Kind Offering Puts Public In Players’ Shoes
It used to be you had to strap on an Oregon Football helmet and pads to acquire a pair of U of O Player-Edition football shoes—or wait to buy them secondhand from someone who did.
That all changed thanks to a collaboration between Division Street and StockX that resulted in the auctioning of 100 U of O Player Edition sneakers directly to the public for the first time ever.
The sneakers themselves: Air Jordan VIIIs, custom-designed by Tinker Hatfield in a black, white and green colorway.
Each participating student athlete helped to promote the online auction through their social media platforms.
The custom sneakers raised a lot of interest online, while raising revenue for Oregon Footballers. As Sabrina Ionescu, Division Street Chief Athlete Officer and former U of O star athlete herself commented:
“We loved the idea of dropping select pairs of the Oregon Jordans in an unexpected way that would benefit our athletes.”
While the players split the proceeds raised from the sale of the shoes evenly, each receive their personal pair, as an additional 100 pairs were produced and sold to Division Street specifically for the auction.
Division Street CEO Rosemary St. Clair spoke about the first-of-its-kind collaboration:
“These types of Player Edition shoes are so coveted because players have to earn them through their effort and hard work. We were excited to make them available directly to the public for the first time, and for the players themselves to benefit directly from it.”
Photography by Nick DePaula