Footwear with improved sole

An article of footwear comprising:

• outer sole assembly;
• an upper extending upwardly from the outer sole assembly;
• the outer sole assembly extending lengthwise from a rear end to a front end, widthwise between a lateral side and a medial side, and heightwise between a ground-contacting surface and an upper-connecting surface;
• the outer sole assembly comprising:
• a first reinforcing layer extending lengthwise from a rear end to a front end, widthwise between a lateral side and a medial side, and heightwise between a distal surface and a proximal surface;
• the first reinforcing layer having transverse slits;
• a wear layer;
• and
• a first damping layer;
• the wear layer demarcating the ground-contacting surface;
• the first damping layer being located between the wear layer and the first reinforcing layer;
• the first damping layer having a width at least as great as a width of the first reinforcing layer along a vertical transverse plane;
• at least one of the slits having an open end at a first side of the first reinforcing layer and a closed end spaced from a second side of the reinforcing layer;
• the closed end of the slit being closer to the second side of the first reinforcing layer than to a longitudinal vertical median plane of the first reinforcing layer.