why does mack hollins not wear shoes
Mack Hollins skips shoes because he’s become a dedicated barefoot evangelist, convinced it keeps him healthier, more explosive on the field, and more connected to the ground and his own body.
Quick Scoop
The core reason: health and performance
- Hollins started exploring barefoot living after battling serious groin and lower‑body issues that nearly pushed him toward retirement.
- He linked up with Melbourne Muscular Therapies (MMT), an Australian group that promotes a holistic, “barefoot” approach to movement and rehab.
- Their philosophy: normal shoes “crush” the feet, which can affect everything up the chain (ankles, knees, hips, groin, back).
- By going barefoot, Hollins believes he strengthened the small muscles in his feet and legs, improved flexibility, and reduced pain, helping him stay on the field longer.
His own explanation, in his words
Hollins has said that everyone should be barefoot, comparing shoes to putting “mittens” on your hands: if you never use your fingers, you lose dexterity; he argues the same is true for toes, feet, and ankles.
He also says being barefoot helps him “grip the ground better,” improving his takeoffs and get‑offs as a wide receiver.
On shirts and sweatshirts he wears slogans like “Free the feet,” turning the habit into part of his personal brand.
“Everybody should be barefoot — you don’t see people walking around in mittens.”
How it started and evolved
- Origin story: While with the Philadelphia Eagles, he struggled with recurring groin injuries and sought out MMT’s Aaron Kiegaldie and Marcus “Ninja” Sinfield after seeing their work online.
- They introduced him to a barefoot lifestyle: walking and training without shoes, and even using “barefoot shoes” that feel as close to the ground as possible when footwear is required.
- Over the years, he gradually shifted to being barefoot almost all the time—training, traveling, walking into stadiums, and doing content for social media.
How far he takes it (and his limits)
- Hollins often shows up to team facilities, press conferences, and pregame warmups with no shoes on, which is why he keeps going viral.
- He still wears cleats during games for obvious safety and rule reasons, but he ditches normal sneakers whenever he can.
- He’s joked that he will put on shoes when it’s really cold, saying, “I’m barefoot, but I’m not a dummy,” so there is a temperature line he won’t cross.
A bit of philosophy and image
- Hollins and his Australian therapists describe shoes as “prisons” for the feet, arguing that feet need to “express and spread” to function properly.
- He talks about feeling more “connected to the earth and the world around him” when he’s barefoot, blending a physical, mental, and even slightly spiritual angle into the choice.
- Over time, the barefoot thing has become part performance edge, part lifestyle, and part personal brand—fitting his reputation as one of the NFL’s quirkier, more individualistic personalities.
TL;DR: Mack Hollins doesn’t wear shoes because an injury crisis led him to a barefoot‑focused rehab philosophy from Australian therapists, and he became convinced that freeing his feet improves his health, explosiveness, and overall connection to how his body moves.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.