As someone who owns a binder full of rare Magic: The Gathering cards, I understand the accumulation of wealth. As a man who appreciates the gaining and hoarding of wealth I am livid at the news that Formula One has trademarked the phrase “shoey,” which is the act of drinking booze out of a shoe.
Formula One has trademarked drinking booze out of a sweaty shoe
This is not OK.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
A 16-year-old Australian tradition, the shoey made it to the international stage when athletes began doing them after big games. Perhaps none so famous as F1’s Daniel Ricciardo, who has performed the shoey on multiple occasions since arriving in the sport. Now, in a money-grabbing attempt to stymie tradition, Formula One has filed a trademark for the term, and images of the act of doing a shoey.
They were granted rights to drinking vessels, with the trademark for apparel currently pending. All this despite the fact that Ricciardo doesn’t own the trademark (despite popularizing it) and F1 has no claim to the shoey at all. That honor purportedly belongs to The Mad Hueys, an Australian fishing brand which claims to have started doing shoeys back in 2002.
I don’t know if that is completely accurate, but I certainly remember shoeys being a thing when I was in Australia in 2005 — a full decade before Ricciardo did his shoey. This disgrace cannot be tolerated. Where do we go as a society of time-honored traditions like drinking alcohol from a sweaty shoe can become part of a brand’s identity? It was created by the people, for the people and should be owned by the people.
The law is the law, however, and F1 does own the trademark to shoeys in the U.S. as well. I reached out to Formula One to learn if a few ideas were OK, or whether I could be targeted for legal action.
I have heard no response. #FreeTheShoey
