Chicago Bears tight end and Gooding native Colston Loveland is teaming up with Special Olympics Idaho, giving athletes the chance to design cleats he’ll wear in an NFL game later this season.
The project is part of the NFL’s 'My Cause, My Cleats' campaign, which highlights causes close to players’ hearts. For Loveland, that means giving back to his home state and supporting the Special Olympics community.
“Colston and his family have been involved with Special Olympics for a while, and now that he’s on the platform he is, he reached out and wanted to be part of the Special Olympics Idaho family,” said Braden Arman, Sports Coordinator at Special Olympics Idaho.
Up to four Special Olympics Idaho athletes will be selected to design the cleats. Their artwork will be hand-painted onto Loveland’s shoes — giving their creativity the chance to be seen by fans across the country, and even globally.
“The opportunity for these athletes is something they won’t forget,” Arman said. “They’ll have the opportunity to have their design nationally and even globally seen.”
The process is simple: athletes can download a shoe template from the Special Olympics Idaho website, then submit their artwork by October 1. Designs can be created with markers, crayons, or digital tools. Loveland’s family will review submissions before the winning design is painted onto his cleats.
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Arman says the collaboration is about more than just football.
“I think it tells a lot about Colston himself,” Arman said. “Even though he’s out in Illinois, multiple states away, he really does care about the home state of Idaho.”
Loveland will wear the custom cleats during Week 13 of the NFL season, when the Chicago Bears face the Eagles.
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