NFL Stars And Shoe Companies Teamed Up To Make Custom Cleats For Some Amazing Causes

Week 13 of the NFL season has been coined “Cleat Week,” otherwise known as #MyCauseMyCleats, where over 500 players will take the field this Sunday in customized cleats made by adidas, Nike, and Under Armour in a stylish effort to showcase the causes they so strongly support.

The wide array of said causes that players have chosen to showcase are pretty incredible, as are the accompanying shoe designs.

Here’s a look at what some of the game’s most influential players will be throwing on come this Sunday afternoon.

Von Miller

via Adidas

Broncos freak of nature, Von Miller, will be donning adidas cleats that support Von’s Vision, a non-profit that gives glasses to children in need of them. The design is pretty awesome and direct, as an official eye chart has basically morphed into a pair of football cleats.

Tyrann Mathieu & Mike Evans

Both of these guys will be wearing gold cleats by Nike that support RISE (Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality) to celebrate treating all people with respect and dignity, and “sidelining” racism.

Honestly, these are so clean I’d probably wear them to the grocery store.

DeAndre Hopkins

via Adidas

The Texans receiver will be wearing pink and blue cleats by adidas to support Aid to Victims of Domestic Violence of Texas. You’ll notice on the blue cleat there are female silhouettes to creatively symbolize that, sadly, 1 in 4 women experience domestic violence in their lifetime.

The pink cleat is a little more direct — “END ABUSE” — as it should be.

Jason Witten

The Cowboys tight end will also use his custom cleats to raise awareness for taking a stand against domestic violence as part of his foundation, SCORE.

Emmanuel Sanders

via Adidas

Denver’s Emmanuel Sanders will be representing his foundation and plans to sport cleats in support of the homeless by way of a patriotic color scheme and a spirited message of unity.

Ezekiel Elliot

Zeke’s cleats, as you might’ve guessed from the photo, will be raising awareness for animal cruelty and ways to give — including adoption of pets — for SPCA of Texas.

Eric Berry

via Adidas

Eric Berry was the 2016 Comeback Player of the Year after beating cancer like the fearless, badass safety he’s known to be, so he’ll be taking the field in cleats that will help raise awareness for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Purple is the ribbon color that represents the fight against Hodgkin’s lymphoma and those custom purple ribbon laces have actually been on his cleats all season long.

Berry’s triumphant return to the field has been one of the more inspiring, spine-tingling sports stories in recent memory.

Dak Prescott

Dak Prescott sadly lost his mother to colon cancer a little over three years ago.

So while it might be assumed at first glance, going with blue wasn’t a Cowboys branding thing. Blue is the ribbon color that honors the fight against colon cancer.

But really, these cleats speak for themselves and are hands down, the runaway winner in my opinion.

Vincent Jackson

via Adidas

Tampa Bay’s Vincent Jackson wanted a military theme for his Jackson In Action 83 Foundation, requesting a camouflage feel with a 5-star general on one shoe and his name badge on the other. Outstanding.

DeAngelo Williams

DeAngelo Williams will be showcasing his continued support of Breast Cancer Awareness with this thoughtful set of cleats bearing the names of women — including his mother, Sandra Hill — who have tragically passed away from the disease.

Jimmy Graham

As the tweet from our buddy Darren explains, Jimmy Graham’s pair of cleats will represent Angel Flight Soars, a charity that offers free flights to those in medical and financial need in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and Mississippi.

Now that is amazing. Good for Jimmy Graham.

Aaron Rodgers

via Adidas

Aaron Rodgers will be wearing cleats made by adidas that support Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer.

Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan’s cleats are all about the kids and you gotta love him for it. The Falcons QB is officially supporting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The brightened left side of the cleat featuring two children holding hands was a pitch perfect touch.

Brandon Marshall

Over the years, Brandon Marshall has been a huge advocate for mental health awareness through his Project 375 Foundation and this video of him designing cleats with kids is simply awesome. His vibrant enthusiasm is pretty contagious, as evidenced by the footage. Love this guy.

Gavin Escobar

Gavin Escobar survived testicular cancer and will in turn go with a “Feeling Nuts” theme for his cleats this Sunday. Additionally, he is my new favorite player.

Here’s an even better look:

Feeling nuts, indeed.

Of all the things NFL gets dead wrong on a seemingly regular basis, they knocked this one out of the park. It’s a tremendous concept that was executed to perfection by all parties involved.

At long last, the NFL finally got something right. It’s about time.

*****

Tim Ryan is a freelance writer, focusing mostly on fashion and unrelenting sarcasm. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.