NFL players often use their cleats not just to make a style statement but to express their personalities as well. They are also used in symbolic gestures supporting a larger cause. For instance, during the Week 6 matches in October, many wore pink cleats marking the breast cancer awareness month. Odell Beckham Jr. regularly impresses with flashy chrome hearts or crosses on his cleats. However, custom cleats were never tolerated by the league. That apparently changed thanks to Cam Newton.
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Cam reflected on his experiences with NFL fines, particularly those related to his cleats.
“I was getting fined for wearing, for being the first to wear different color cleats than everybody. I know some people would think like My Cause My Cleats, but that was only in October. Cam was wearing cleats opening day,” he said on4th&1 With Cam Newton.
The Auburn alum revealed that he was the first NFL player to face scrutiny for wearing non-standard cleats since 2012. Newton explained that his decision to wear cleats with colors different from his team’s primary palette initially left everyone, including the league, baffled.
At the time, the NFL didn’t know how to address the issue. Cam avoided fines by switching to regulation cleats before kickoff, keeping his bold statement limited to pre-game appearances.
Newton stated that the league was called “No Fun League” back then for forcing players to wear black or white cleats even during pre-game.
However, Cam’s actions paved the way for other players to express themselves through footwear, prompting the league to establish clearer rules on cleat designs.
The NFL was strict about it till as recent as 2016. Odell Beckham Jr. received a $18k fine that year for wearing colorful cleats dedicated to the late NBA analyst Craig Sager.
Since then, the league has relaxed its rules regarding footwear. The players can wear customized and colorful cleats if they’ve gotten prior approval.
However, the players still have to wear the cleats of the color decided by the team during the match. In this matter, the NFL is far behind the NBA which allows its players to customize their basketball shoes.
