I have worn the same pair of Chuck Taylors since eighth grade. I am proud of the scuff marks and sharpie-signatures that they have accumulated over the years, and love that they compliment any outfit I pair them with. But while they carry many of my fondest memories in their soles (camping with my family on Whidbey Island, Homecoming dance sophomore year), there is a limit to my affection. I would never keep them wrapped in their original packaging so the soles don’t begin to yellow, nor would I monitor the amount of times I wore them so as to keep them in their best condition.

I would never consider selling them online for double the amount I bought them for, or even consider trading them for a vintage make of the same pair. And I would never, ever wait in line for over three hours at the Bellevue Square mall for the latest release of Chuck Taylors.

But that is exactly what I did for the “Space Jam” Air Jordan XI, the most hyped up sneaker of 2009. For reasons I still cannot fully understand, I decided to accompany seniors Michael Haruta, Kenny Nguyen, Juan Sarmiento, and Avi Loud on their search for the infamous Space Jams, an adventure which traveled from Northgate Mall to Bellevue Square Mall, back to Northgate, to Nike Town, and finally to South Center mall. The search lasted over twelve hours, and many of the stores we waited in line at ran out of shoes by the time it was our turn. But as Kenny put it “we were not going home until I had my hands on a pair.”

The adventure began on the eve of December 23 as thousands of people like us flocked to strip malls and Nike Towns across America to snatch up a pair limited edition Air Jordan XI. The buzz had been steadily increasing for months, generated by sneaker collecting sites such asnicekicks​.com and solecollector​.com. Sneaker stores like Nike Town, Champs, and Footlocker had been planning and advertising their midnight releases for weeks, all anticipating a heavy turnout. Many shoe collectors planned to camp outside the store, but most just counted on showing up like us.

The highly popular sneakers received its title and claim to fame from the 1996 movie Space Jam which featured Michael Jordan alongside Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters. In the movie, Michael Jordan wore black on black AJ XIS with a purple “Jumpman” logo. They became the must have shoe of the 1990s, and were finally released to the public in 2000 with blue Jumpman instead of purple.

Kenny, who owns over thirty pairs of sneakers, remembers first wanting the shoes after watching the Space Jam film. “That was my favorite childhood movie, so I wanted to wear the same shoes that MJ did. Plus how can you not have Jordan’s with clear soles and black patent leather across the shoe? Their just plain sexy” he says.

The hype that had been building up around the Space Jams since the ‘90s increased even more after the first release however, due to the online buzz surrounding the shoe. In the mostly online culture of sneaker collecting, selling and trading, the Space Jams became one of the most desired shoes. Pairs that were in good condition could sell for more than three times their original value. Nike recognized the continued popularity of the shoe and decided to re-release it in 2009.

This was a good move on Nike’s part, for the lines in front of the downtown Nike Town were rumored to wind around several city blocks. The lines at South Center mall were anticipated to be equally long. The guys decided to hit the release at Belleview Square mall with the expectation that “all the rich eastside kids probably pre-ordered them online.” As we took our place at the end of the line outside of the mall entrance, we discovered that the release which was supposed to happen at 12 p.m. had been pushed back to 5 a.m. As we hunkered down to wait in the frosty December air (we weren’t even allowed to wait inside for fear that the crowd would try to rush the store) I noticed a certain uniformity among the crowd. The line was overwhelmingly composed of Asian males in their teens and early 20s, most of them sporting previously released Jordans. Some were flanked by their sulky girlfriends who looked like they would fight you if you tried to cut them in line. The exception to the mostly young Asian majority came in the form of a few Caucasian women, most likely mothers on a mission to buy Space Jams for their sons or grandsons. A group of Cambodian men in their early 20s ahead of us in line all sported identical red and black “Bread” Jordans, most likely purchased at a former midnight release. They looked like the veterans of the scene, and had been wise enough to bring fold out lawn chairs and sleeping bags for their grumpy looking girlfriends in anticipation of a long wait.

“I hate it when people wear their best stuff to releases” muttered Michael, referring to the streak and crease free Breads. “They probably keep them wrapped up in plastic in their closet and only wear them to these releases so they can look all fresh.”

Indeed, many of the shoes that are purchased at these midnight releases will only be worn one or two times by their collectors. Because the value of a shoe increases with time, many people wait five or six months to sell their shoes online for double their worth, turning their footwear into a source of income. Indeed, many people come to releases to buy five or six pairs in various sizes so they can sell them online later, not keeping a single pair for their own use. But none of the guys had the intent on doing business, only to get their hands on pair in their own size.

“I don’t collect shoes to sell because I want to wear all of them” says Kenny. “I wanted the Space Jams to wear, not just to look at. Their one of the best shoes out there.”

The doors opened at precisely 5 a.m., prompting a stampede across the stretch of mall toward the blazing Footlocker logo. There was no time for manners, causing the less aggressive to fall behind in line. We lined up once more outside of the store and watched hungrily as the Footlocker employees moved around boxes of Space Jams from behind the chain link security door. Keeping your place in line once the Space Jams became a challenge for everyone naturally gravitated towards the shoes. Spats broke out as people tried to cut each other in line. A young Chinese man egged his girlfriend on as she pushed ahead in line, a look of determination gleaming in her eyes. Maybe it was because I was tired and beginning to regret accompanying the guys to the release or maybe it’s just because I can’t stand line cutters, But something about her aggressive enthusiasm pushed me over the edge. Are a pair of shoes really worth throwing away 12 hours of sleep? Is it worth getting in a fight over? Has the world become so materialistic that we are willing to wait over night and spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of shoes that are desired purely on the hype that surrounds it?

Apparently, yes it was. By the time it was our turn in line, it was past 6:30, and all the size 10s had sold out. The aggressive Chinese girlfriend’s enthusiasm had been curbed by my withering stares and she had slunk back towards her original place in line. Only one of us walked out of the store with a pair of Space Jams, in a kid’s size that was purchased for someone else. We had wasted over three hours waiting in line. Discouraged, but undefeated, we turned our focus to Northgate Mall where the Champs store was supposed to hold a larger supply than the Belleview Square Footlocker.

On the ride to Northgate, the pair of Space Jams was unwrapped and passed around the car for us to marvel at. “These are soooo icy” moaned the boys in unison, referring to the clear soles that made the shoes unique. To me they just looked like a pair of sneakers.

I slept while the guys waited in line for another hour and a half for a pair of Space Jams in their size. The line slowly inched forward as the other mall stores began to open up. Michael was the only one of us who walked away with a pair in his own size, so they rest of the guys decided to go the downtown Nike Town. I decided to go home. It was past 8:30 and I was dead tired. It was a fight to keep my eyelids open. I felt frustrated, and unsatisfied. I wonder if I would have felt differently if we had all walked away with a pair in our size. It was as if Nike had made the shoes nearly impossible to buy, the hype continued by the promising hope of coping a pair. Hype was what drove the sneaker collecting culture, and hype was what kept you wanting the next pair. That’s all that the Space Jams were based on; hype.

“Even though they’re a pretty nice shoe, after waiting in line for all that time I don’t even think their worth all the hype that surrounded it. That’s probably the last time I’m ever going that far for a pair of shoes” says Michael.

Kenny agrees. “I don’t regret going on that crazy adventure, because in the end I got my shoes, but I would much rather spend my money on something that’s worth it; food and fun.”

As for me, I’m planning on keeping my Chuck Taylors in use for the next four years. At least.