"Power laces, all right."
Michael J. Fox uttered these words in Back to the Future Part II in 1989. His character, Marty McFly, travels from 1985 to 2015 and is given a pair of futuristic Nike sneakers to blend in.
It's a year late based on Robert Zemeckis' projection, but on Tuesday, Nike and The Michael J. Fox Foundation released the 2016 Nike Mag, a limited edition with 89 pairs of the power-lacing shoe, which are available through an online draw. GREAT SCOTT!
Tickets for the draw can be purchased at nike.com/mag or via the Nike+ App. Each ticket is $10 and there is no ticket limit. The full $10 goes to The Michael J. Fox Foundation, which drives critical research to accelerate development of a cure for Parkinson's disease.
In 2011, 1,500 pairs of a different Nike Mag version were auctioned on eBay, and they were introduced with a commercial featuring Kevin Durant, Christopher Lloyd and Bill Hader. Nike also partnered with The Michael J. Fox Foundation on that project.
A year ago, Nike brought Fox the first Nike Mag with "Adaptive Fit" laces. Last spring, the brand also released the Nike HyperAdapt 1.0, a separate model that automatically laces. "Adaptive Fit" technology "senses the wearer and tightens or loosens accordingly."
Of course, an 89-pair raffle is not about to make the Nike Mags the hottest shoe in the world, but it does take a step in making power laces available to the people. And it could be a peak into the future of mainstream sneaker culture.
Where we're going, we don't need nylon, polyester or cotton laces.
-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.
