Adidas is celebrating the 70th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947, with the release of a special edition baseball cleat and turf trainer as well as a new field at Robinson’s alma mater, John Muir High School in Pasadena, California.
“Jackie Robinson changed the game of baseball forever,” said Tauna Dean, director of Adidas Social Purpose. “He showed us what breaking barriers looks like. We believe that through sport, we have the power to change lives and we want to help positively impact lives by removing barriers to sports for kids who might not have an opportunity to play otherwise. This new baseball and softball field is just one small way we can help our sports community.”
In addition to the field, Adidas is giving the baseball and softball teams at John Muir High School special edition Jackie Robinson-inspired uniforms and cleats for their games on Jackie Robinson Day on April 15th.
The special edition Jackie Robinson inspired Adizero Afterburner cleat will be available for $120, while the Icon Turf Trainer will retail for $100 when they release on Friday, April 14th.
The Jackie Robinson™ Adizero Afterburner cleats are built on a cream colored premium suede, centered around Robinson’s signature, which is highlighted in gold foil above a 70th anniversary gold embroidered stencil commemorating the historic date he started in the majors. The old school numeric stencil is inspired by Robinson’s gym bag that displayed his universally retired uniform number, 42.
The bronze color pallet reflects the bricks from Brooklyn’s legendary Ebbets Field, where Robinson started and finished his baseball career, and the ballpark’s facade is highlighted on the heel of the cleat. Additionally, the bronze plate of the cleat was inspired by Robinson’s Hall of Fame bust.
Adidas’ iconic three stripes are stitched in brown and black tweed to pay homage to the tweed suit jacket Robinson wore the day he retired from the game and Robinson’s stats are stamped into the heel pulltabs (BA .311 | R 947 | H 1518 | SB 197 | RBI 734 | HR 137).