Podcast: Talking sneakerheads, Jordans, and LeBrons with Russ Bengtson

Russ Bengtson has a theory as to why Jordan sneakers might be losing some of their cache with today's youth.

"My generation saw Jordan from rookie to retirement," Bengtson, the former editor-in-chief of SLAM Magazine and now in his mid-40s, said on the latest episode of At Large with Alex Wong. "We know the stories."

While the Jordan 1 model is arguably more popular than ever, Bengtson said, many of today's basketball shoe consumers are several generations removed from having watched Jordan play and aren't connected to the stories behind the sneakers.

"If my dad told me stories when I was growing up about whoever," Bengtson said, "I would be like, 'Nah, I want to root for this guy. I want to be a fan of this band.' I would want to find my own stuff."

But even if Jordan loses some marketshare to its competitors, Bengtson believes the brand is timeless and will always remain relatively coveted.

"At some point the shoes are gonna get by on their own merit," he said. "A good design is going to be a good design. Can Jordan slip right now and come back around later? I think so."

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