• Columnists

The hunt for the green (adidas) October

• Tom Rife: Livin' the Team
• May 20, 2021
• 758

Let’s just put it this way: I’m a guy still on a shoestring budget, and my recent online attempt to land a pair of green, size 13 sneakers started off on the wrong foot — footwork that entailed a little more sole-searching than anticipated.

No tongue-in-cheek remarks here. Just honest bargain-hunting, laced with a tug of wishful thinking. “Just do it.” Find that familiar “swoosh” and shell out — unless, of course, you prefer the “3-Stripe Life.”

Crazy, the influence those advertising campaigns have on us, isn’t it?

For sentimental reasons I’ve always leaned toward stripes over swooshes. The pattern harkens back to a moment I remember so vividly, to the day a ”green” newbie on the campus of Ohio University wandered up Court Street in Athens. Destination: the cozy Swearingen’s Sporting Goods store that carried all the trendy “sneaks” and the latest “official” Bobcat gear.

Obviously, there was no such thing as online shopping 50 years ago. A stroll uptown to Swearingen’s was always a good way to escape the rigors of study for a few minutes. (And besides, we couldn’t play pinball in the back of the pharmacy across the street all day, ya know?)

The owner of Swearingen’s didn’t seem to mind us hanging out in there. If the place wasn’t too busy, Fred Swearingen would even take some time to talk about the National Football League game he had helped officiate that Sunday.

Fred worked as both an NFL referee and field judge from 1960-80, wearing uniform number 21 for the majority of his career. Most Sundays in the fall, we’d gather around a screen in the dorm’s modest TV room just to see if we could spot Fred doing his thing out there on the field. (I recall we were even guilty of rooting for the Browns from time to time.)

Perhaps Swearingen’s favorite story to tell had to do with one of the most famous NFL plays ever: the “Immaculate Reception” that occurred with just 22 seconds remaining in the AFC Divisional Playoff game between the Raiders and Steelers.

With Oakland leading 7-6, Pittsburgh was on its own 40-yard line for a 4th-and-10. Terry Bradshaw threw to John “Frenchy” Fuqua, but safety Jack Tatum collided with Fuqua, sending the ball wobbling backward. Rookie running back Franco Harris scooped up the ball, running untouched into the end zone.

But was the astonishing touchdown at Three Rivers Stadium above board? Under the rules of pro football at that time, there could not be a legal catch if the ball touched two offensive players in succession. Ultimately, it was Swearingen who first consulted with umpire Pat Harder and field judge Adrian Burk but then went to a sideline phone to speak with NFL supervisor of officials Art McNally, who was in the press box.

Swearingen emerged and ruled that the play was, indeed, a touchdown. The Steelers won, 13-7. Swearingen said the Raiders never forgave him for the delayed call and never believed his or McNally’s explanation of the events.

OK, OK, so what does all of this have to do with buying sneakers online — a transaction now preferred by millions of shoppers? Well, for one thing, when you click on the “pay now” button, there’s no way you’ll get an in-person account of sports history.

Swearingen helped “ring up” my purchase that memorable day five decades ago: adidas Superstars that looked much the same then as they do in the online “stores” now: white with the trademark three brown stripes.

Never before had I plunked down $15.95 (plus tax) for any pair of shoes, much less sneakers. How would I ever justify spending that much, and what would my dad say when he found out?

I wanted them because unlike the leather wingtips Pop provided, the adidas would help “me fit” in on campus. But I didn’t need them, and he would surely make it a point to differentiate between the two.

The Superstars remain one of the favorites among today’s adidas loyalists. Obviously, they don’t cost 16 bucks any more, which is how my most recent computer shopping spree got off on the wrong foot: “adidas Originals men’s Superstar shoes: $80.71.”

There were many other possibilities — some more expensive than others — but very few of them came in OU green. The green adidas Originals SX8000 model carried a $190 price tag on eBay, which is where I ultimately settled on the 2019 Pro Bounce for $47.

Hopefully, they will arrive in the mail some time before the homecoming game in Athens on Oct. 9.