The Athlete of the Mic competition stands out as one of The Athlete's Foot's (TAF) most successful and beloved yearly occasions since its start in 2015. It serves as a means for the brand to be seamlessly integrated into the community, establishing a recognizable presence and forging stronger connections with its devoted customers. This competition holds special significance for TAF as it associates the brand with aspiring artists, offering them a unique chance of a lifetime. The primary objective of The Athlete of the Mic is to provide a stage for gifted artists, fostering community unity in the process.
The idea behind The Athlete of the Mic contest is to provide budding artists a chance to showcase their talents on the grand stage of the Birthday Bash in Atlanta, GA. Recognizing the significant role of Hip Hop in sneaker culture, this contest serves as a bridge for integrating the TAF brand with both the cultural and community aspects. This creates a distinctive experience, aligning TAF's brand with aspiring artists and offering them a rare opportunity for exposure. To participate in this community-wide contest, aspiring artists could audition either online at TheAthleteoftheMic.com or through live auditions, which were located in Raleigh, NC, Atlanta, GA, and Dallas, TX. The contest opens doors for individuals to share the stage with renowned artists like 21 Savage & Friends, GloRilla, Finesse2Tymes, NLE Choppa, and Jacquees, performing in front of over 30,000 fans at the State Farm Arena. Collaborating with industry-leading brands such as Adidas and forming strategic partnerships further enhances TAF's community engagement. Overcoming initial challenges in participant outreach, we introduced online auditions in the second year and have continued this approach ever since, striving to reach as many aspiring artists as possible.
Our primary objective in launching this contest was to create excitement within the community and amplify the voices of young individuals. The Athlete's Foot places immense value on our community and consistently seeks to offer opportunities that bring people together in distinctive ways. The unconventional approach to this community-wide event proved successful, garnering widespread support and allowing us to promote our brand effectively. Each year, the talent gets better and better, and we expanded to include a new city, Dallas, for the live auditions this year. We look to add new cities each year for live auditions to further opportunities in the communities we serve. This contest consistently remains a trending topic on social platforms and generates buzz in the media year after year.
