Before Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl A. Cooper collaborated for the first time to create history with Air Jordan golf shoes, they broke down barriers on the court . They were members of the Morehouse University golf team in 2010 and won the sport's national championship for the first time for HBCU. Ten years later, the two companies broke down barriers through their brand Eastside Golf and diversified the image of golf.
They do it their own way.
It all started in 2009, when Ayanaku and Cooper met at Morehouse. A year later, they became part of the team that won the national second-tier league championship. 2021Sneakers ,This is a big deal, not only for the team and the university, but also for the entire golf world.
Ayanaku said: "They put us in the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida, living next to Tiger Woods, which is a big deal." "This shows that golfers of all races can play at a very high level."
After graduating from Morehouse University, Ayanaku and Cooper had differences in their life paths for a period of time. Ayanaku pursued his dream of becoming a professional golfer, and Cooper served as the first black professional golfer at the Detroit Golf Club before returning to his hometown of Delaware. Ayanaku's goal of becoming a professional player on the PGA Tour inspired him to start Eastside Golf, a brand that can connect with people like him. He participated in some small tournaments and won some, but couldn't find enough sponsorship fees to continue his career. So he started to work in finance. This made him very dissatisfied, so he started working on the Eastern Golf Course.
"I started with the logo. That logo should be mine. It will only be printed on my polo and bag," Ayanaku said. "I showed it to Earle and he said,'Oh, print it on a t-shirt. I bought a Gildan, ironed it, and it cost me 20 yuan. Then I went to downtown Detroit. I might Was stopped 50 times, no exaggeration. 50 times. Who are you? What is that sign? Can you play golf? Where can I find it?"
The logo of this brand, now on the tongue of the Air Jordan 4 golf shoes released this weekend, is a black man swinging a chain golf club.
"I think a lot of people understand what we want to bring to the sport of golf and make it look different," Ayanaku said of the popularity of his brand and logo. "Make it stand out and promote the further development of the game."
When Ajanaku was planting the seeds for the early stages of the East Side Golf Club, New Air Force 1 ,Cooper was teaching people how to play golf and was named one of the best young teachers in the United States by Golf Digest. President Joe Biden is one of them. Cooper said that Biden told him that he likes to drive a golf cart to the course because this is the only place he can drive, because "there is a driver picking up wherever he goes." "
When talking about teaching Biden to play golf, Cooper said: "Everyone is watching you in class, and there are people from the Secret Service, which puts more pressure on you." "So this is just one of the things you don't want to progress too fast. One. You always doubt everything you do afterwards, because if I try to catch him and put him in a certain golf position, I want them to know, it’s okay. Don’t follow me."
The cooperation of Flying Man Jordan has put this brand on the radar of many people, but all this is because C.J. Paul, Chris Paul's brother, introduced the concept of this project to Humphrey, who has been working in Jordan for a long time. "G gave the card to MJ because they are all good golfers. This is just one of the things,'Oh my God, we have to give this to Michael. With the opening of Michael Jordan's Grove Course, this It was a perfect project. He went on to say that James Whitner, the owner of A Ma Maniere and Social Status sneaker store, also helped support the brand and helped complete the project. They also got the former Jordan The help and support of designer Frank Cooke.
The two eventually met Jordan himself through former New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia. "CC invited us to The Grove. We really went out and played nine holes. Jordan played inside or inside. He recognized me. I said, ‘oh my god. Jordan knows who I am,’" Cooper said. "At the time he said, ‘well, you can move now.’ Because you are frozen."
Ajanaku also has a story. After a meeting at the golf driving range, they saw Jordan, where they shared cigars and Cincolo tequila. He said that Jordan made him understand why they wanted to work with Eastside Golf. . As for the Air Jordan 4 golf shoes, these shoes are mainly white and blue, Sneakers2090 with their logo on the tongue and portrait on the outsole. The two said that the production process of this sneaker was passed on to them by the Jordan brand.
"I mean, to be honest, when it comes to (what model you want to do), you don't have much choice. You work with what they provide you," Ajanaku said. "With us, 4 is fun. I already know what I want it to look like, and I have started to imitate some pre-designs.
There is an oil painting on the transparent sole of this shoe, which was commissioned by Ayanaku to create it by a Brazilian artist. "We sell (this painting) on our website. It is limited, just like shoes," he said. "But the canvas just talked. This is the real sign of golfing. He also wears size 4. He is wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, and he is also wearing a chain. He said, go to him, I want to be in front of the camera. In front of the next generation, in front of everyone who looks at me, be myself. There is power in it. This is the message I want to convey."
The impact of the situation on Cooper cannot be ignored either. He realized that in this project and in the sport he loved, something bigger was at play.
He said: “Think about golf. Traditionally, it’s a sport for older white men.” Now you have a brand like Jordan, and they believe, take the risk and say we want a golfer to wear it. Put on our shoes. Everyone is crazy about these things. For us, as real golfers, we have always wanted this moment, which is really great. Buy Jordan Soles ,We have always wanted to say: How do we combine golf with culture, the world of sneakers and hip-hop culture? Now it finally happened. So it's great to be able to participate in this conversation. "
This golf shoe will be released on August 7 and will retail for $275 on the brand's website. In private, they all said that some big names have wanted these shoes so far. Let your imagination run wild. But Cooper said he had to buy a pair for Biden. These people also thought they could make a couple with Tiger Woods' son Charlie.
The shoe is about to be successfully released, and the seriousness of the situation-big-name joint signings and the significance of this shoe for the sport-has begun to make Cooper aware of this.
He said: "In terms of golf shoes, this may be the best golf shoes launched in recent years." "But even when talking about general cool sneakers, it is what golfers have always wanted."
