NFL ‘My Cause My Cleats’ Platform Returns To Raise Awareness & Funds For League & Player Causes

On 30 November the NFL and the players union launched the sixth iteration of the annual ‘My Cause, My Cleats’ initiative: a multi-platform cause marketing effort which both raises awareness of and donations for player-specific non-profit organisations.

Centred around NFL games played between 2 December and 6 December, the initiative sees players support their own charity program of choice primarily by wearing customized cleats for the game – most of which are then put up for auction to raise additional funds and awareness.

“Our players are passionate supporters of many charitable causes and serve as change-makers in their communities,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. “We are excited to build upon last year’s success and work with our players to expand this unique platform that enables them to raise awareness for causes they support.

Marketing the initiative, the league launched an integrated campaign on 30 November – labelled ‘Giving Tuesday’ – which was led by TV creative around NFL broadcasts alongside digital and social media content and player activation all linked via the initiative’s #MyCauseMyCleats hashtag.

The NFL’s promotion was spearheaded by a hero spot called ‘My Cause My Cleats: It Takes All of Us to be part of a movement for the greater good’ deployed across its own platforms and media partnerships.

The central league work was supported and expanded through player-specific content: such as these spots from Solomon Thomas and Stefon Diggs.

The players themselves worked with their boot/show partners – including Nike, Adidas and Under Armour – as well as individual artists and designers to create custom-designed cleats.
Coaches are also involved in the initiative: for example, the New England Patriots iconic coach Bill Belichick supported the Bill Belichick Foundation (which provides coaching, mentors and financial support to community organizations through his own matchday footwear).

This year, amongst the many organizations and platforms supported were the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Black Lives Matter, Dementia Society of America, Down Syndrome Association, Epilepsy Foundation, International Justice Mission, Lupus Foundation of America, Special Olympics and Wounded Warrior Project.