Nine. / Contributor Five: Mike Sykes, For The Win
On Sneaker Culture, The Evolution of Gaming, and Adobe Spark Post.
Hey, everybody. I’m really, really excited for this contributor’s edition: Mr. Mike Sykes, now at For The Win and recently at Axios. We connected through the Twitterverse and really hit it off, particularly since we both happen to be crazy sneakerheads (and that he’s actually writing about it these days - more on that below). I love doing these contributor editions because everyone’s got a great story to tell.
Enjoy!
Mike Sykes is a writer and reporter at USA Today’s For The Win where he focuses on NBA basketball, culture and sneakers. Mike’s previous work included launching and co-authoring Axios’ sports newsletter before he left to take on a more specialized role with basketball at USA Today. His passions are D.C. sports, sneakers and gaming.
A fun fact: I’m in the middle of downsizing my sneaker collection and trying to go the minimalist sneakerhead route of having about 3 or 4 pairs that I wear weekly. I’m currently stuck at 40 pairs of shoes — lots of work to do. (Editor’s Note: You’re doing better than me, buddy, I’m stuck at a little higher than that!)
What are you currently working on?
The project that I’m most excited about is my newsletter, The Kicks You Wear. I think I’m on the cusp of creating the perfect medium to read about the intersectionality of sneakers in tech, politics, culture and whatever else you can think of. When we launched back in October, I wasn’t sure what the appetite for it would be but the audience has been great and engaging. They’ve probably taught me more, at this point, than I’ve taught them.
What are you currently excited about?
So, this is kind of nerdy, but I’m super excited about the evolution of gaming right now. I’m 26 years old, so I grew up in a world where gaming was still niche and growing. Now it’s mainstream and people compete professionally every day in games that we grew up with — that fact alone is pretty fascinating to me. But the best part of all of that, and really my favorite aspect of gaming, is how it’s developed into a pretty distinct art form. This piece from the Washington Post’s Launcher captures what I’m talking about pretty perfectly. It’s dope.
What’s a story or article that you're currently thinking about?
Earlier this week I was asked on Twitter about, essentially, how Sneaker Culture came to be and the political/cultural ramifications of it. Sneakers are a pretty weird and distinct piece of cultural status and I don’t really know if there’s a good way to answer that question, so I’ve been reading up on it all week. I found myself finally reading Bobbito Garcia’s book Out of The Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture. I’ve been meaning to get back to this book for years now and I’m finally doing it. If you ever get a chance to chat with Garcia you’ll enjoy it — he’s a great guy and a wiz on the culture. This book captures that perfectly. Without giving it all away, he knows his stuff.
What’s a product you’re currently obsessed with?
So I just downloaded Adobe Spark Post on my phone, and it’s essentially an Adobe app that allows you to create social media graphics in a matter of seconds. Man, as a journalist, I cannot tell you how useful that is. Photoshop is fun, but it’s hard. Same with InDesign. You have to move fast in this business, for better or worse, and everything runs through social media now. With Spark Post, I’m literally creating and designing graphics that I can promote in a few minutes instead of a couple hours. Sorry to all you design wonks out there — I have failed you.
Wild Card: What’s an item you can’t shake your mind off of?
Nike’s SNKRS app will be the death of me.
~ C O L O P H O N ~
Please send all feedback, both positive and negative, to sumeetshahwork@gmail.com as this project continues to evolve.
Interested in contributing an edition? Email me at sumeetshahwork@gmail.com!
Want more great things to read? Follow my Quartz app profile.
Did this get forwarded to you by a friend? Please consider subscribing below!