Go Inside the NFL's 'My Cause My Cleats' Initiative

Image courtesy of Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality

Week 13 in the National Football League is going to be one worth remembering. Forget all of the intriguing matchups and playoff implications. Week 13 stands on its own merit because the NFL will finally allow players to wear custom cleats, with all of the proceeds going toward a charity of each athlete's choice.

The NFL is calling this the My Cause My Cleats initiative. In other words, NFL fields will be filled with a drove of custom footwear choices, and we couldn't be more excited to find out what over 500 personalities have in store for us.

Anna Isaacson, the NFL's senior vice president of social responsibility, mentioned this has been a concept two years in the making. "It was important to give players a platform for their stories to come out and be told. We also wanted to make sure there was a visual element to tell those stories," she explained to Bleacher Report.

All of this came about due to the success of the NFL's annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month and its Salute to Service program. The use of custom cleats—pink for Breast Cancer Awareness and camouflage for Salute to Service—sparked an idea, and after talking with various players, the My Cause My Cleats initiative was born.

The NFL Players Association's assistant executive director of external affairs and communications, George Atallah, commented on this sweeping program from the players' perspective. He mentioned how this endeavor will allow athletes to raise awareness for causes they are passionate about

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Atallah also believes finding a "tasteful" way to amend the NFL's rigid uniform policy is something the NFLPA would welcome. My Cause My Cleats seems to be a strong start to that line of thinking.

Image courtesy of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality

When asked if there was anything fans should be on the lookout for in Week 13, Atallah hinted that we could be in store for unique social media tie-ins from various athletes participating in the action. He called it players expressing their "sneakerheadness."

The NFL also made note of two important elements to keep an eye on. For starters, there will be clusters of players raising awareness for the same cause, like New England Patriots defensive end Chris Long and his Waterboys Initiative. Look for other athletes to feature similar cleats to raise additional awareness for Long's cause.

On top of that, various spikes used during Week 13 will be available for auction by the NFL, with all proceeds going toward the corresponding charities.

The My Cause My Cleats program is something worth getting behind from all points of view. It's a unique way for players to bring attention to the charities they're focused on.

Below is an extensive list, providing the name, team and charity for a select group of participating athletes. You can scroll through and find out which one of your favorite NFL stars will be rocking a custom pair of cleats in Week 13.

To check out an extended list of participating athletes, visit the Players' Tribune.

All quotes and My Cause My Cleats information obtained firsthand, unless noted otherwise.