Game Day Cleats that Elevate Education

2 min read | Community | A.M.

“To be able to create the Why Not You Academy here in Seattle has been such a blessing.”

— Russell Wilson

On December 5th, 2021, Seattle's Seahawks would demonstrate a return to form in their thrilling win against San Fransisco's 49ers. Yet the game would signal more than simply a victory for the franchise. For Russell Wilson, it represents a victory for the youth of Des Moines who attend the Why Not You Academy, as well as a victory for local artists who represent our region.

Since 2016, the NFL have sponsored My Cause, My Cleats which allows players to display messages on their cleats during Week 13 games in order to bring attention to causes that weigh on player's hearts. This year, education was the cause on the Wilson family's hearts, and Russell selected their Why Not You Foundation's latest educational opportunity to be displayed for all the world to see during December 5th's game. And to that end, Russell partnered both with Nike as well as local artist and inspirational muralist Stevie Shao to design a pair of cleats, a hat and football that would deliver the message in style.

The cleats, hat and football are available for purchase at auction now through December 17th with proceeds going directly to Why Not You Academy. This is especially serendipitous as the cleats were worn the same day the Seahawks returned to a winning streak after Wilson returned from a long absence due to surgery earlier in the season.

The Why Not You Academy is the natural evolution of what began as an earnest discussion between Russell and wife Ciara about how they can leverage their talents and celebrity to create a more beautiful and equitable world. The Wilson's have for years elevated local causes and communities, calling attention to social justice as well as life saving cancer research. And their earlier efforts in fashion came together to form what is now The House of LR&C which is home to their current labels Good Man Brand, LITA by Ciara and Human Nation. So when the opportunity arose to sponsor a new charter school that promised to positively impact the lives of students who might not otherwise gain access to resources, the Wilson's unanimously said yes. In an in-depth interview published on the Seahawks website, Russell shares his enthusiasm:

"To be able to create the Why Not You Academy here in Seattle has been such a blessing. What's so cool is that you get to see so many kids along the way, and the experience that they are getting to talk to some awesome people that have gone through ups and downs in life, people who have built businesses, just creating that opportunity for kids that they may not have otherwise. . . My grandfather was the president of Norfolk State for a long time, for 22 years, and my grandmother was a doctor and taught at ODU, my uncle went to Dartmouth. There is a lot of education in my family."

Over 100 students attended Why Not You Academy since its opening in September. And the Academy itself is casting grand visions of what education can look like for the students in Des Moines in the years to come.

But for now, the opportunity to merge the worlds of fashion and community have once again shown themselves to be entirely and resplendently compatible. After all, there are few things more beautiful than doing the right thing—which is no small feat when the eyes of the world are upon you.