Eagles’ Jalen Hurts champions female empowerment for ‘My cause, my cleats’ – Philadelphia Eagles Blog
PHILADELPHIA — Inspired by the women in his life, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is using the NFL’s “My Cause, My Cleats” initiative to advocate for women in sports and beyond.
“Women Empowerment” is written on one of the designer cleats for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets, while the other highlights the Women’s Sports Foundation, which was established by Billie Jean King in 1974″ to advance the lives of women and girls through sport and physical activity.
“I thought it was really important to show my support and play a role in equalizing opportunities for women in sport and women around the world, really, when you say they’re empowered to really have equality in any area they choose that we strive for,” said Hurts.
“My mother [Pamela], she raised me with a lot of character and to do things right. She is a home counselor [in Houston, Texas] and it’s a perfect platform to impact the people around you, to impact the kids around you. I have a sister [Kynnedy] It’s going to be a senior in high school next year and I know she has dreams and aspirations to do special things in her life, whatever they are. And I want her to know she can do anything she can think of, and to know that her brother has her back.”
Hurts also noted that he has an agent, Nicole Lynn, and a marketing agent, Rachel Everett, when he explained why this was a major area of interest for him. It was Lynn who first informed the Women’s Sports Foundation that Hurts planned to support their cause at ESPN’s Women + Sports Summit. ESPN is a sponsor of the Women’s Sports Foundation.
Honored to work with you, J! 🖤 #WomenInSport https://t.co/CXEwnPMF0z
— Nicole Lynn (@AgentNicoleLynn) December 2, 2021
“Having a male player put the WSF on the cleats as part of this incredible initiative is pretty cool,” said Olga Harvey, WSF’s Head of Strategy and Impact.
This isn’t the first time the Women’s Sports Foundation has been featured during “My Cause, My Cleats” week. Jennifer King, assistant running coach for the Washington football team, wore them last year. King was awarded the WSF’s Scott Pioli & Family Fund Fellowship in 2019 while a quality control coach at Dartmouth College, which helped supplement her income as she rose through the ranks of the coaching.
“She benefited directly from our advocacy for more women in the NFL,” Harvey said. “[Hurts wearing the cleats] in a way is an even bigger statement, and really shows that male athletes are there to support women who fight for equality and create opportunity.
“Just the fact that he has Nicole Lynn as his agent is also a statement. For us, it shows that the rules that society has created can be really redesigned if everyone changed them one person at a time. That’s as you push for progress and ultimately inspire others….And while it’s important to the Women’s Sports Foundation to champion girls and women, when male allies do it, fans take notice, brands notice it, the media notices it and it creates a conversation that ultimately leads to progress that is so overdue.”
