Source: The Black Fives Collection | PUMA
The Black Fives became known to me when Nike made a shoe celebrating the team over ten years ago. Nike didn’t really do a great job of storytelling. The shoes were placed on clearance when an owner of an Athlete’s Foot closed his store and combined the sneakers with hair care products at a big beauty supply store. I was able to roll in and buy the Air Force 1s for almost nothing. I knew the shoes would move well on eBay, but I didn’t really know the story very well.
Nike Announcement – The Black Fives Foundation
PUMA is now licensing the story and on the landing page, there is a blurb explaining the history (I added it below), but the site lacks a depth of narrative and educational materials. Simply dropping the logos on the apparel and footwear doesn’t inspire research. Consumers look at the footwear and apparel and if it’s dope, they buy it. This doesn’t mean that the consumer isn’t interested in learning and the brand shouldn’t treat the product as a tool, not just fashion. Something as simple as including the following video on the site would help:
I’m sure someone is saying, “Well, what else can be done?” High school health and fitness requirements allow for an opportunity for Puma to build a curriculum with the Black Fives Organization. The educational aspect allows for an inherent opportunity to build bridges via community service and philanthropy. If not in P.E. classes, then Puma can create an opportunity to build team sales with high school coaches via and educational aspect around The Black Fives. There is a chance to create a grassroots movement with the information about the teams that played against the Black Fives. This is currently a missed opportunity, but it could change very quickly with a few small adjustments:
PUMA and the Black Fives Foundation release the second collection in our ongoing partnership. The Black Fives Foundation’s mission is to research, preserve, showcase, teach and honor the pre-NBA history of African Americans in basketball. This collection celebrates the way the teams of the Black Fives Era expanded their reach beyond the neighborhoods where they began, into cities and towns throughout the United States. Teams would travel the country playing extensive schedules, adhering to strict business models while navigating racist Jim Crow restrictions on everything from public transportation to restaurants to lodging, even before arriving in tense, unfamiliar, potentially volatile arenas, armories, ballrooms, and gymnasiums far from home. Yet, these squads most often won those games, left town safely, and were invited back. Their journeys played an instrumental role in popularizing the game while providing essential cultural inspiration to Black communities across America. This collection of vintage-inspired designs and fabrications showcases these experiences with historical graphics and authentic logos maintained by the Foundation.