Even Nike's Got a Slim Football Sneaker
Nike revived its Field General sneaker for 2024, bringing back its football shoe just in time for the slim sneaker craze.
The fashion world has come down with a severe case of slim sneaker fever, thanks to the enduring popularity of simple, slender terrace sneakers like the adidas Sambas and Onitsuka Tiger's Mexico 66 shoes. Now, Nike is joining the fun.
The Nike Field General '82 shoe entered the scene in 1982, designed specifically for the football field. That's hut-hut football, not soccer football, by the way.
Indeed, you'd likely catch Nike's Field General sneaker on the Sunday night field in the '80s, gracing the feet of NFL stars like Archie Manning and Dan Fouts.
Talks of the Nike Field General's return (minus cleats) began to rev up in 2023 after Union's take on Nike's sneaker appeared (and surprised us).
Whereas Union's Field General varies a lot from the 80s pair (not a bad thing, by the way), Nike's general release Field General sneaker preserves much of the OG spirit.
For the Nike Field General releasing on February 29, we see the sneaker's leather and nylon paneling painted with classic red and white hues. To top it all off, the upper is complete with a nice buttery bright red Swoosh.
A rubber outsole appears with that familiar field-ready grip, while very very subtle Nike branding lands on the heel and tongue. And that's all, folks. Plain. Simple. Done.
We suspect more Field General colorways will drop later down the road. For now, Nike is offering up this first taste in White and Varsity Red, set to land at retailers like END. and Naked on February 29.
Nike's Field General '82 sneaker will retail for a smooth $105, by the way — just $5 more than its Samba counterpart.
Nike is known for its perfect timing with trends, evident in its timely chunky dad shoes and mule-fied Jordan efforts. And its Field General is right on time for fashion's current obsession with slim shoes.
At the same time, given the historic rivalry between adidas and Nike, it's hard to not think of Nike's Field General as Nike's answer to the reigning Samba. Hmm.
