Local Artists Create Custom Cleats to Celebrate Astros-Dodgers World Series

After the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros conclude their World Series matchup, baseball fans will have on-field visuals of how it all panned out. Adidas plans to provide the backstory that connects the game to the represented cities, announcing a joint venture between the company, local artists and Major League Baseball:

"To celebrate the World Series, Adidas is creating a series of custom cleats live in Los Angeles and Houston for Justin Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros.

"Embracing our open source strategy, Adidas has partnered with local artists in each city, Chad Cantcolor in Los Angeles and David Maldonado in Houston, to narrate the story of the World Series on a custom cleat for each game of the World Series."

Both artists express a unique style in their works—each with ties to culture and upbringing.

Based in Houston, Maldonado meshes Mexican folk art with a modern style. His work often pays homage to inspirational figures in his life. Check out his Game 1 cleats for Correa:

Paul Murphy (adidas public relations)

Paul Murphy (adidas public relations)

Cantcolor, in Los Angeles, specializes in "Freehand Painting." A professional artist since 1988, he has hand-painted apparel and created big murals for nearly three decades. His Game 1 cleats pay tribute to Vin Scully, who called Game 1 of the 1988 World Series:

Paul Murphy (adidas public relations)

Paul Murphy (adidas public relations)

As the two All-Star players from each squad live through the series in real time, the artists will capture key moments from Correa, Turner and their teammates.

Thanks to Adidas, Maldonado and Cantcolor, we'll have the compelling narrative behind the 2017 World Series through the lens of two cities and different cultures.