Travis Scott, John McEnroe, & the Nike Mac Attack "Drama," Explained
Cactus Mac. Cactus Jack. Is everything okay on the Travis Scott x Nike side?
This is in reference to recent viral leaked Zoom call between Travis Scott, John McEnroe, and some Nike folks. The video, uploaded to social media in December 2023, reveals an argument that went down between Scott and McEnroe...over the name of Scott's Mac Attack sneaker collab.
The name options? Scott's signature "Cactus Jack" or "Cactus Mac." Tennis legend McEnroe vouched for the latter, but Scott wouldn't budge, prompting the famously hotheaded athlete to heatedly raise his voice at the similarly mercurial musician.
"Dammit, Travis!" John McEnroe said to Travis Scott on the video call. "Let's have a bit of compromise here. [Nike employee Jenny's] suggestion is to do a 'Cactus Mac' thing for this one shoe, instead of 'Cactus Jack.'"
"This is my first time hearing about this," Scott responded. "Cactus Mac was never a thing."
"Come on, man. Show a little respect. This is my shoe!" McEnroe exclaimed. "I'm not feeling it," Scott replied. "Something about it feels a little off. Sounds like a burger or something."
Cactus Mac does kinda sound like a burger straight out of the next McDonald's collab (and Travis Scott's already been there and done that).
As Scott stood firm on his "Cactus Jack" idea, McEnroe continued to fire off and eventually stormed off the call without giving in to Scott. Alright then.
On December 10, The People Gallery's Maurice Kamara caught McEnroe fresh off a Starbucks run in the morning, asking the former athlete about his outfit and the viral call. Ironically, he was wearing the Travis Scott Nike Mac Attack sneakers — the "Cactus Mac" versions, that is.
"The thing is: I was wearing these things in the eighties — before this guy was born," McEnroe said, showing off the collaborative shoes. "Now, all of a sudden, Travis Scott's got this thing, Cactus Jack."
At the end of the video, McEnroe flashes his own "Cactus Mac" t-shirt, saying, "Cactus Jack? No. Cactus Mac? Yes...Travis." I let a little chuckle out on that one.
Travis' response? The famous rager sprayed a Cactus Jack face over McEnroe's plaque at Nike's Beaverton headquarters. Smells like a marketing rollout to me, but I'll play along.
Travis Scott first teased his Nike Mac Attack shoes in May, showcasing the tennis shoe featuring his signature backward Swoosh during a performance.
A month after Scott's preview came Nike's official Cactus Jack Mac Attack campaign video, which featured Scott, McEnroe, and the apparently controversial sneakers in question.
In case you, like Travis, were born in the '90s, Nike produced the Mac Attack for McEnroe back in the '80s. He wore it so much that the Mac Attack eventually became McEnroe's signature shoe, so it made sense that he'd join Scott to showcase the sneaker's rebirth.
Nike has gently pushed the Mac Attack back into the spotlight throughout 2023 by way of a couple of general release drops and a crisp collaboration with Social Status. But the ragers have been long ready for Scott's collaborative pairs, which revive an OG sneaker colorway famously worn by none other than... John McEnroe.
Then, on December 13, Travis all but confirmed that the drama was manufactured as part of a marketing ploy to boost the collaborative shoes' visibility.
Go figure!
Travis Scott's Nike Mac Attack sneakers confirmed to drop December 19 on Nike SNKRS. It seems they sorted the whole name thing out, as the sneakers appear as the "Cactus Jack" Attacks on Nike's SNKRS calendar.
The enigmatic Jumpman Jack shoe still seems relatively unaffected, though.
