The “Granny Knot”

Usain came to prominence during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, blitzing the field in the men's 100m sprint – despite one of his shoelaces having come undone mid-race. Incredible feat / feet! Considering Usain's typically crooked shoelace bows, “Granny Knots” are the likely cause.

Justin often wears sneakers, usually with the shoelaces tucked in. This may be a fashion choice, but may also reflect his frustration with keeping shoelaces tied. The few photos I've seen of Justin's knotted shoelaces invariably have the bows sitting crooked.

Taylor is one smartly dressed lady who regularly steps out in elegant lace-up shoes. This affords me plenty of views of her shoelace bows, which usually sit crooked – although sometimes one or both bows sit straight. It's a mystery!

Daniel first appeared as James Bond in the 2006 movie “Casino Royale”. Whether a person is a real secret agent or simply acting as one, a shoelace staying securely tied or coming undone due to a “Granny Knot” could literally mean the difference between life and death. Stay safe, Agent 007.

Reese rarely wears lace-up shoes (most women's shoes are slip-ons), but occasionally wears gym shoes, which are tied with crooked shoelace bows. It also appears that Reese may have passed on her knotting technique to her kids, Ava and Deacon.

Larry frequently appears with crooked shoelace bows. As head writer of the TV comedy shows “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, Larry was likely the reason that shoelaces featured in the plots of several episodes of those shows.

Lara undoubtedly wears a variety of fashionable footwear while modelling. Can you imagine a “Granny-Knotted” shoelace coming undone on the catwalk? Just as well the majority of women's shoes are slip-ons rather than lace-ups.

John has long been considered a “fiery” tennis player, particularly back in the 1980s. I wonder if that was partly due to pent-up anger at shoelaces that kept coming undone due to “Granny Knots”?

Mark was photographed during the 2014 World Cup soccer tying the shoelaces of a young mascot on crutches. It was a touching gesture, sparking a viral spread of the photo. What struck me was that all three people in the photo – including Mark – had crooked shoelace bows!

In a 2014 Adidas promotional video, Mesut showed that he tucks his shoelace ends into the lacing to help with soccer ball control. His technique on the video appears to form a “Granny Knot”. Luckily, the tucked ends probably help prevent those “Granny Knots” from loosening.

In 2016, Adidas announced their new laceless soccer boots. Mesut was the obvious choice to trial them, given his lifelong struggle with shoelaces and “Granny Knots”.

In April 2017, Neymar was yellow carded for taking a long time to tie his shoelaces – “intentionally” delaying a free kick. Neymar's crooked shoelace bows suggest that the shoelaces may have come untied due to “Granny Knots” and that perhaps he takes longer to try to tie them extra tight.