
Why Your Grandfather Would Love Under Armour's New Stephen Curry Shoes
Editor's pick: Originally published June 16.
Saying Twitter has had a field day with Under Armour's (UA) - Get Report latest Stephen Curry sneaker drop would be an understatement.
The red-hot athletic brand recently released the "Chef Curry" version of the Curry 2 Low shoes, which quickly set the Internet ablaze for their lack of, well, cool factor. Mostly white with grey Under Armour branding, the sneakers look great for a nurse that has a sense of style or a grandfather who isn't consumed with death and still wants to dress 20 years younger.
The fact the sneakers have become an Internet sensation will make either party -- grandfather or nurse -- seem cool should they plunk down the $120 to buy the sneakers at the store. Think about the Instagram cred just waiting in the wings for a tech savvy, 40-year-old father of two.
Nevertheless, we got up and close and personal with the Chef Curry sneaks to see if social media was right in their ridicule. There were both positives and negatives after spending time proudly rocking the sneakers throughout the office.
On the positive side, they aren't as ugly as the pictures floating around the internet imply. The shoes don perforated holes all over, which serves up a bit of cool factor and certainly dresses up a jeans and button down shirt look. In other words, they are OK to wear into the increasingly business casual office setting -- one shouldn't fear being dissed by co-workers.
Second, the shoes are easy to slip on and off, which is great for people on the go that, say, travel a lot and have to pass through security. And hey, they are actually pretty comfortable (great for grandfathers) due to Under Armour's heavy use of cushioning throughout.
On the downside is the chunky aggressive sole and plastic around the heel, which cheapens the appearance of a sneaker that costs $120. There were mixed emotions on a quote reading "I can do all things" emblazoned on the side of the sneaker. Some thought it was a nice touch of inspirational wisdom to be photographed and shared on social media, others thought it was cheesy.
All in all, not as bad a sneaker as we thought when the box arrived. They embody who NBA star Stephen Curry is -- low key cool. But make no mistake, for $120 there are snazzier sneaker options out there from Under Armour and rivals such as Nike (NKE) - Get Report and Adidas.
Stephen Curry's "SC" logo will be featured more prominently on his Under Armour clothes going forward.
We went into the review highly skeptical based on the social media backlash.
We haven't felt this type of anticipation for a sneaker since begging mom for Shaquille's new Reebok Pumps in the early 1990s.
OK, taking it all in....
On the plus side, these are some pretty durable sneakers given the hard sole and other plastic components used.
"This is very social media friendly," we thought. Who DOESN'T like inspirational quotes that could be retweeted?
Channeling Stephen Curry's epic 3-point shot skills, in his sneakers. One life goal achieved.
All in all, not too shabby. Co-workers be jealous like.

















