Marquette Basketball Launches New Official App; Debuts Jordan Shoes For Italy Trip

If you've ever wanted all of your Marquette basketball social media stuff in one place on your phone, well, now you're all set.

Marquette has launched a men's basketball specific app for both iPhone and Android users.  Right now, all the app contains is connections to the men's hoops Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, along with some basic background information about the coaches, the program, and the Big East conference.  The official press release from MU says that "more content will be added as the season approaches," as well as providing "updated info as the year progresses."

Amongst the updated info that's promised is exclusive content, and the app already has one exclusive item: a sneak peak at the Mascot XX9 Jordan Brand shoes that the Golden Eagles will be wearing for their upcoming trip to Italy.

Not sure I'm feeling these new #mubb Jordans. pic.twitter.com/RwOcKPZZ9k

— Paint Touches (@PaintTouches) July 29, 2015

Personally, I'm shocked that Marquette approved shoes with the Golden Eagle logo on them.  As anyone who has watched a Marquette home game at the Bradley Center can attest to, that logo doesn't appear anywhere within the building.  If you go to the Marquette online merchandise store, that logo doesn't appear on any of the products on the splash page.  Ever since Marquette rebranded to the interlocked M and U monogram, it's been my opinion that MU has been specifically downplaying the Golden Eagles nickname as part of their overall appearance for the specific reason of avoiding the conversation about the nickname at all.  And yet, there it is on the shoes.

While I appreciate the debut of this app with the promise of exclusive looks at MU hoops in the future, I have to lament the loss of the old Marquette athletics app.  For those of us who are trying to keep track of Marquette's non-basketball teams, the old app was incredibly useful since it was essentially a tiny version of GoMarquette.com, including the GameTrackers for each contest.  At the time, GameTracker wasn't functional on iPhones due to the use of Flash programming, so having the app grab the scoring updates for women's lacrosse or men's soccer was great.  That GameTracker flaw has since been fixed, so the app's functionality is essentially eliminated, but I still miss it.

What do you think of the shoes?  Be sure to vote in the poll!