Never Actually Used For Football

Designed for indoor football on hard floors. Worn by me almost exclusively to school, to the shops, to a series of house parties, and once to a job interview (I got the job).

The sole was thin enough that you could feel the pavement properly. The leather was stiff when new and perfect after about three weeks of wear. The three white stripes were very very important, you did not get them dirty if you could help it, and if you did you cleaned them the same day with an old toothbrush and soapy water.

I had them in black with white stripes. My friend Mark had them in white with black stripes. This felt like a meaningful distinction at the time.

You could tell the real ones from the knockoffs by the quality of the gum sole as the real ones were a specific creamy yellow that deepened as they aged. The fakes were too white or too flat. We were experts in this. We had to be. This was identity.