One Size Does Not Fit All

I still vividly remember my second pair of cleats. Sorry, the first pair is just a black and white blur. So I am talking about the ones I got for third grade soccer at a non-memorable (and definitely out of business) shoe store at the Dayton mall and that had four stripes (immediately signally Adidas knock off). And although I bought them for fall soccer, they got a second use for softball six months later and then re-used a third time for football the following August. But to top it off, they had the red, white and blue, slam dunk NBA logo on the tongue -- suggesting they could also be used for court sports if desired and further calling attention to the fact they were cheaply made (and mismarked) in a third world country.

Quality, cost and brand name aside, with this as my only point of reference regarding kid’s athletics shoes, I was extremely taken back on my trip to Dick Sporting Goods today to learn the universal cleat is a thing of the past.

Our sport de jour for Alex is football, but it is only flag football and the season is comprised of just 10 practices and six games total. So I figured whatever I bought should carry over to the next sports season. But no. That is not the case anymore. Now you have to choose your type of cleat – soccer, football, baseball and even lacrosse – and all the styles come with a different type of studding, design, support system and marketing. To ensure there is no cross-pollination of sports or recycling throughout the calendar year, Nike goes so far as stitching the word “football” in the faux leather.

Thirty minutes of internal debate (that involved cursing the athletic shoe giants who must have masterminded this plan) and thirty dollars later, Alex is the proud owner of football cleats. But believe me, if the pair still fits in the spring and he is playing either soccer or baseball, then I am not going to think twice about bringing out the sharpie, crossing out anything suggesting a single-sport and making it a one shoe that fits all.

PS. All references to anyone playing football will be covered in a later blog.