As much as today is a celebration of all things Back to the Future, there is unquestionably a bittersweet element to the festivities because of all the awesome things weâve been waiting for from the future that we still donât have: hoverboards are still just prototypes, flying cars have yet to start zipping over our heads, and pizzas still come full-sized only. Thatâs why this news might be the most exciting yet on Back to the Future Day: Nike is finally going to sell self-tying, power-laced sneakers like the ones Marty wears in Back to the Future Part II.
Tonight, on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Michael J. Fox will wear the only pair of Nike Mags in existence, but don’t worry: Nike will begin selling them in 2016 to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Hereâs the letter Nike sent to Fox:
Hey Michael,
Almost thirty years ago, we embarked on a journey to create a glimpse into âthe future.â Although the project started as science fiction, weâre now proud to turn that fiction into fact. As the first, most celebrated wearing of the Nike Air Mag, we wanted you to be the first to receive a living pair. âI meant Nike Magâ (I must have âairâ on the brain)!
What is so special about the Nike Air Mag is its impact continues to resonate. We may never know its final legacy, but we continue to work on projects that carry and progress some of its principles.
As you well know, innovation never stops at Nike so weâre excited about what lies ahead for this idea. We know if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.
In addition to your personal pair, weâre creating more pairs for support in aid of the Michael J. Fox foundation in 2016. We hope that the combined effort will raise even more than the $9.4 million contributed in 2011 and to eliminating in some way Parkinsonâs Disease in our lifetime!
The reference to 2011 is when Nike sold 1,500 special edition versions of the shoes for charity, only those did not actually have the self-lacing quality we so desperately need. Of the 9.4 million raised, half came from the shoes themselves, and Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, matched that amount.
Nike has maintained that they would eventually find a way to release these shoes, and has worked with the creator of the shoe for the movie, Tinker Hatfield, to make it happen. Now they have come through. We should have seen this coming yesterday.
.@realmikefox see you tomorrow.
— Nike (@Nike) October 21, 2015
I don’t know what these will cost, so please, if you have Grays Sports Almanac for this century please send it to me and I promise I won’t use it to create my own dystopian future that I rule. I’ll just buy these sneakers. And then a hoverboard. Then I’ll buy the police and open a casino and you know what, don’t trust me — I’ll definitely use the money for my own gain.
What other prediction for 2015 fwould you most like to see come true next? Let us know in the comments below. (Keep in mind it looks like the Cubs will not be winning the World Series this year, so try to be realistic and root for something that might actually happen, like flying cars.)
—
HT:Â screencrush.com
Image: Nike