There is a common misconception that jocks lack style sense, that the only boys who know how to dress are the skinny hipsters found sipping espresso in coffee shops. Some women think these athletic boys only know sweat pants and other miscellaneous athletic wear.
UNC point-guard, campus heart throb and dear friend, Kendall Marshall, helps prove my hypothesis that men with muscles can have style too.
Kendall greeted me for the interview with some old school music playing from his iPod and a welcoming smile. But all that was secondary to the Holy Grail known as his “shoe game” which is just as impressive as his on-court statistics. I’m a Steve Madden and Nine West kind of girl, but even my eyes glaze over at the sight of his shoe shelf. It is a collection which rivals even the most avid of fashionista’s. I delved a little deeper into his obsession with a few questions:
TC: How many pairs of shoes do you own?
KM: Oh my god (mumbled counting)…probably like sixty… but that’s an estimate.
TC:How often do you buy a new pair?
KM:I try to get a new pair once every two weeks or so. It’s getting kind of rough on a college budget, but I try to keep up.
TC: What’s your favorite pair ever?
KM:Navy blue and white Air Jordan 16s. They were my favorite to play in. I had two pairs of them the exact same color.
TC: What’s the most recent pair you’ve bought?
KM: (Thinking) Air Jordan 7 Bordeauxs
TC: So do you collect any other type of clothing like you collect shoes?
KM:Hats— fitteds, snap backs…I try to have at least one hat for every pair of shoes I have.
TC: Favorite hat?
KM:See that’s tough…l have different categories of hats. My most worn is the all black Blue Jays fitted. But my favorite is my custom-made Colorado Rockies: black with a purple brim.
TC: Taking a girl out on a date—what do you wear?
KM:If it’s the summertime— some cargo shorts and a catchy t-shirt like with a slogan or something.
TC:Like your Rugrats one?
KM:Yeah, exactly. See, sneakers are the hardest though… (Hesitation) usually I’ll wear Air Max and a fitted. But in the winter I like zip ups. So a zip up hoodie with 501 jeans; shoes vary from Vans to Chucks to Shell Toes to Air Max to Jordans.
TC: If you could only wear one pair of shoes for the rest of your life what would they be?
KM:You mean forever? (Thinking) Nike Air 3 Garnetts, black and blue
The most impressive part of Kendall’s obsession with shoes is his ability to get his fans involved. The UNC basketball team is unparalleled when it comes to interaction with their fans. They are known for tweeting and retweeting their followers as often as they can, playing pick-up games around campus with classmates and taking pictures when they’re out. Kendall usually tweets numerous times a day about shoes (…and Rebecca Black). This is not something that goes unseen by the public. Students all over campus and Marshall fans country-wide respond to his “#Todayskicks” tweets with pictures of their own shoe swag.
TC: In your tweets you’re always asking people to send in pictures of what shoes they’re wearing that day. How many responses do you get from those on a daily basis?
KM: I started doing “#todayskicks” with my friends. Now I wake up with anywhere from five to fifteen pictures of people’s shoes sent to me on Twitter. It’s a way to stay involved with followers, fans, classmates.
It is safe to say Kendall is a saving grace in a world of men who are stylistically challenged. He proves that he knows what’s up when he says he will never be caught dead in Crocs, “Not even if there is a fire”. There are more men out there like him, ladies, so don’t be downtrodden. Jocks aren’t just talented on the court/field; chances are they can clean up pretty nicely.
Photo Cred (top): http://www.wralsportsfan.com/unc/image/9119786/