Most training shoes ask team-sport athletes to compromise: running models are built to move forward, while many gym trainers prioritize lifting. Boston-area startup UNSUNG wants to cover the messy middle—quick cuts, explosive starts, hard stops, jumps and strength work—with its first release, the Snapback Trainer. The bigger play is a shoe for athletes who train for all-around performance on the field and in the gym.
Created by a group of former Reebok executives, including former Reebok chief Paul Fireman, the new $188 training shoe, which drops on Oct. 23, is taking aim at a familiar problem many shoes lack: team-sport athletes sprint, cut, stop, jump and lift—sometimes all in the same workout. UNSUNG says its debut shoe, the Snapback Trainer, while being excellent for straight sprints or weightroom lifts, is especially designed for the athletic shifts in motion, most athletes regularly perform.
A Trainer for Multidirectional Movement
The Snapback combines a carbon-fiber plate, TPU stability wings and supercritical foam. UNSUNG says the design is intended to support propulsion, stability and responsive cushioning during team-sport training.
“Athletes need to push off with power, land with control and feel fast and secure when they change direction,” says UNSUNG co-founder Brianna Henley. “We built the Snapback around that reality.”
The brand’s initial focus is hockey and lacrosse—the brand’s brought on former NHL star Patrice Bergeron as an adviser—but UNSUNG says it hopes to serve team-sport athletes across disciplines.
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Testing and a $188 Price Tag
UNSUNG says it spent more than two years developing the shoe, with three rounds of wear testing involving more than 50 high school, college and professional athletes, coaches and trainers. The company also worked with independent footwear biomechanics lab Heeluxe to assess responsiveness, energy return and cushioning.
With the $188 price tag, the unisex Snapback launches in four colorways. That’s a premium price, and UNSUNG hasn’t shared comparative test results showing how the shoe performs against established trainers. How it feels during hard cuts, jumps and full training sessions—and how it holds up over time—will matter as much as the tech in its midsole.
Can UNSUNG Become the Next Big Performance Brand?
UNSUNG has a clear target: athletes who want one shoe for the varied demands of team-sport training. Whether that focused pitch can turn a new brand into a serious player will depend on the shoe’s performance once athletes put it through its paces.
The company is also building its identity around the belief that “No One Wins Alone.” “We wanted to build the shoe we wished we’d had as athletes, but we also wanted to build a brand that reflects why we played sports in the first place,” says co-founder and CEO Dennis Baldwin. UNSUNG says it plans to support organizations that help young people take part in sports. Former Reebok chief Paul Fireman and former Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron are among its advisors.
Main Photo: Unsung