I like those pictures of the horrible looking DC shoes and the girl looking to try a pair of DC's on, they're kind of funny. If you think about it though, every shoe company out there sells something that appeals to non-skaters which ultimately helps these companies to continually support their skateboard team riders. DC makes horrible looking mall shoes, as does Vans, Osiris, Nike, Adidas. Huf sells weed socks, Emerica and Lakai have had some Zumiez customer favorites, and I doubt most people go to a Nike/ Adidas outlet to support skating from my observations. Doing this kind of shit does free up a lot of cash flow to support some of your favorite skateboarders, and DC treats their team riders particularly well when its re-up time for contract negotiations and constant direct support. They're known for paying skateboarders some of the highest salaries in our industry.
I'm not going to bullshit you like I own a closet full of them, but I can understand why. Everyone that owns the new Kalis shoe or has seen the newest Cole shoe says they're great for skating and actually last a while, which is an anomaly in today's skate shoe market where kids have to spend another $60 on some cheap vulc sole after a couple of sessions. I could give a shit if they have a wake board team or some kooky shit like that, because it really doesn't effect me since I don't pay attention to it. However, I do notice when they pick up a new rider, help make a new skatepark, or participate in skateboard events that bring more money/ attention to what we do. I'm not agreeing with our kooky ass original poster ever, since 'best skate shoes' have different meanings and expectations for different skaters, but if you balanced the good and the bad that they've contributed on a scale I'd say the good outweighs the bad by a long shot. I wouldn't mind skating those newer red/ white-gum Chris Cole shoes, or the Kalis Centric S.