Changing the Game: NFL Players Support GiGi’s Playhouse for ‘My Cause My Cleats’

Sometimes, exposure makes all the difference.

This year, as NFL fans fought through their food comas to watch their favorite team during Thanksgiving weekend, many saw special cleats. These cleats didn’t have “Nike,” “Adidas,” or “Jordan” etched on the side; instead, they had a different organization scribbled across them: GiGi’s Playhouse.

As part of the NFL’s ‘My Cause My Cleats’ initiative, former NFL quarterback and current NFL analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick supported GiGi’s Playhouse during Friday’s broadcast of the Chiefs-Raiders game. Fitzpatrick was supporting our Las Vegas Playhouse, as his amazing nephew Revel attends GiGi’s Playhouse Las Vegas! But GiGi’s Playhouse NFL weekend did not end there. That Sunday, Buffalo Bills long snapper Reid Ferguson wore custom GiGi’s Playhouse and #GenerationG cleats. Feguson was supporting our Buffalo Playhouse, as he and his wife are family friends with a family who attends GiGi’s Playhouse Buffalo!

‘My Cause My Cleats’ gives NFL players (and analysts) the chance to wear customized cleats in honor of the causes and organizations they have chosen to support. After the game, they’re able to auction off these cleats to help the organization of their choice. But Fitzpatrick’s and Ferguson’s impact goes far beyond the dollars raised – it’s about exposure.

By representing GiGi’s on a worldwide platform as big as the NFL, Fitzpatrick and Ferguson are doing more than just bringing attention to GiGi’s Playhouse; they’re bringing attention to the entire Down syndrome community!

At GiGi’s Playhouse, we’re on a mission to change how the world views Down syndrome and create a more accepting and inclusive world for all! But acceptance doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Before society can accept individuals with Down syndrome, people need a baseline awareness and understanding of Down syndrome.

That’s where influential figures and athletes enter the picture. When athletes like Fitzpatrick and Ferguson advocate on behalf of the Down syndrome community, people listen.

Public advocacy helps individuals who have had no prior exposure to the Down syndrome community gain a baseline awareness. As awareness builds, the general public begins to realize how incredible this population truly is.

That’s why Fitzpatrick’s and Ferguson’s impact is so significant — they’re helping give ALL individuals with Down syndrome a voice.

GiGi’s Playhouse is so thankful to Fitzpatrick and Ferguson for selecting our organization for ‘My Cause My Cleats.’ In addition, we’re grateful for NFL players who have supported us in years past, like Dee Delaney, Deven Thompkins, Robert Tonyan, and all other athletes who have donated, visited our Playhouses, and supported GiGi’s!

All these athletes are coming together to help us change the world, and we couldn’t be more ecstatic!