Nike Will Revive the Field General Sneaker in February as a Possible Adidas Samba Competitor
February will see the first-ever reissue of a Nike shoe many sneakerheads are already predicting will be a rival to the Adidas Samba.
Coming from football rather than soccer, the Field General is turf shoe with a simple construction that made its debut in the early-’80s. It’s a close lookalike to the Killshot 2, a minimalist tennis shoe beloved for its versatility and subject of a number of J. Crew collaborations, albeit with a tread more suited for the football field. Comparisons can also be made to the Tom Sachs x Nike General Purpose shoe, which was designed to be intentionally “boring” and was made widely available before the Swoosh pushed pause on its relationship with the artist because of inappropriate workplace allegations.
More from Footwear News
The Field General will make its return in a white, black and “Varsity Red” color scheme. White leather and canvas form most of the upper, save for a red leather Swoosh and mustache to match the branding on the tongue tag. The sneaker is completed with a black sole unit.
To promote the Field General upon its original run in the ’80s, Nike ran a “Field Generals” campaign featuring NFL quarterbacks Archie Manning, Jim Plunkett, Dan Fouts, Jim Zorn, Marc Wilson, Eric Hipple, Vince Evans, and Bert Jones.
Sneakerheads have compared the Field General to the Samba because both have a retro look featuring construction that lends itself well to an abundance of color variations. Both also have their origin in sport, although the Samba has also benefit from a wider “Blokecore” trend in fashion that’s embraced the aesthetics of sport.
To truly compete with the Samba, which was named “Shoe of the Year” for the 2023 FN Achievement Awards, the Field General would have to sell a high volume of units. As of now, it’s not even clear if Nike plans to make the Field General widely available enough to even make that happen — the full name of sneaker releasing next month is the Field General 82 SP, with “SP” standing for “Special Project” and denoting that it’ll launch with limited volume.
The Nike Field General in “White/Varsity Red” will release Feb. 29 through the SNKRS app. Pricing is set at $100.
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior Trending News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.
Best of Footwear News
Sign up for FN's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
