Air Jordan 12 Flu Game

As you’re probably well aware by now, the “Flu Game” edition of the Air Jordan XII  will be making its second go-around as a Retro model. Much to the dismay of some collectors, in addition to the new Flu Game graphics that have been included on the new version, the material of the upper has also been switched to suede. While this isn’t as big an issue to some as to others, the change is still very noticeable.In a rare look at three versions of the same Air Jordan, we have photos comparing three version of the Air Jordan XII that span 12 years. Originally released in 1997, the original version of the Jordan XII in black and red appeared.

The first retro in the same colorway appeared in 2003, and the “Flu Game” permutation of the shoe just released at many Jordan retailers. From left to right we see the series in chronological order from 1997 to 2003 to 2009. Most noticeably, the upper material has changed from a smooth leather to a premium tumbled leather to suede. The specific tooling related to the “Flu Game” theme is evident as well in the sickly looking emoticon on the tongue and the stamp on the heel.Although the switch does give sneakerheads something to complain about, a look at the two previous versions shows that even the 2003 Retro featured some slight differences from the 1997 OG model.

As you can see through these comparison shots, the OG upper was a smooth leather, while the the 2003 Retro model sported a more full-grain pebbled leather look. Aside from the upper material and the special “Flu Game” touches, the only other major change is on the heel.Another major change is the tab on the heel that has ‘”Jordan” in white instead of red. The heel “23″ is red on red instead of black on red. Check out the pictures to find some more slight changes between the models.