Mastermind: Ji Ming, Soulgoods Sneaker Shop

Mastermind” is a regular magazine column in which we quiz a Beijing personality on general knowledge as well as on a subject in which they consider themselves to be a specialist. Throughout the quiz, "" is given for a right answer and "×" is given for a wrong answer.

Ji Ming opened Soulgoods sneaker shop in Topwin Center in 2016, after having been a sneaker salesman for 16 years. Such a background has afforded him a hell of a lot of knowledge about the history of sneakers, as is evident in our Mastermind sneaker quiz below.

1. Sneakers got their name because “they were so quiet, a person wearing them could sneak up on someone.”
T  /  F
F ×

2. During the first half of the 20th century, sports shoes were worn mostly to play sports. But in the 1950s, kids began wearing them as fashion statements. Even more teens followed the fad after seeing James Dean in sneakers in the popular movie Rebel Without a Cause.
T  /  F
T √

3. The basketball star Magic Johnson signed a contract to wear and promote Nike shoes in 1984, which made sneaker sales increase to a whole new level.
T  /  F
F √

4. Kobe Bryant has a lifetime contract with Reebok, one that pays him seven million dollars a year.
T  /  F
F √

5. Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars, first marketed in 1917, are the all-time best-selling sneakers, with total sales nearing 600 million pairs.
T  /  F
T √

6. In the 1970s, NBA player Darryl Dawkins was offered money by two brands, Nike and Pony, to wear their shoes and help with promotion. Instead of picking sides, he wore Nike on one foot and Pony on the left. A disgruntled Nike ended up canceling their contract.
T  /  F
T √

7. When Nike signed Yao Ming in 2003, it was the first time that the company won an endorsement battle against Reebok.
T  /  F
F √

8. In 2006, Stephon Marbury first launched his Starbury line of sneakers and they became famous for only costing USD 15.
T  /  F
T √

9. The most expensive pair of sneakers in history were the Air Jordan 12s that Michael Jordan wore during the 1997 NBA Finals.
T  /  F
F ×

10. Adidas recently released a pair of 3D-printed shoes.
T  /  F
T √

Final Score: 8/10

Answer Key
1. True, 2. True, 3. False (it was Michael Jordan), 4. False (it was Alan Iverson), 5. True, 6. True, 7. False (the opposite is true), 8. True, 9. True, 10. True

This article first appeared in the May/June issue of the Beijinger.

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @MulKyle

Photo: Uni You, Gentleman's Journal, Sports Illustrated, Forbes, Footwear News, Sneakerpedia, NY Post, Sole Collector