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New pair of Adidas tribute cleats honors 70th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s MLB debut.
April 15th is Jackie Robinson Day, the day the MLB commemorates and honors Jackie Robinson’s first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers. This year, the day also marks the 70th anniversary of that historic, barrier-breaking debut and Adidas has designed a pair of tribute cleats to celebrate the occasion.
The cleats – formally known as the adizero Afterburner 4 Jackie Robinson Day Cleats – are white and bronze, featuring Robinson’s signature in gold script on the side and his stats with the Dodgers on the heel tab. All pairs are designed with Adidas SPRINTSKIN, SPRINTFRAME and SPRINTSKIN technology.
In 2016, Adidas made tribute cleats highlighting newspaper headlines, however, they were not available to the public. Only UCLA players and select MLB players were gifted pairs. This year, the Jackie Robinson cleats are for sale to the public for a cool $120.
See more photos of the cleats below.
The cleats are just one of the ways the MLB is honoring Robinson. Every year, players wear jerseys with the number 42, a tradition that began when Ken Griffey Jr. asked for permission to wear Robinson’s number in tribute about a decade after Commissioner Bud Selig retired the number throughout the sport.
For the 70th anniversary, the MLB is also unveiling a statue of Robinson at Dodger Stadium and the Jackie Robinson Foundation announced that they’ve reached their funding goals for the Jackie Robinson Museum. The museum will be located in Manhattan and offer both an educational and interactive experience. Exhibits will cover Robinson’s career and impact on society while serving “as an activity-oriented venue, a destination for innovative educational programming and a place for vibrant dialogue on critical social issues.”
The foundation hopes to break ground on the museum this spring. Who knows, maybe the adidas cleats will make it in.
