PHILADELPHIA -- Inspired by the women in his life, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is using the NFL's "My Cause, My Shoes" initiative to advocate for women in sports and beyond. in Week 13.
"Women Empowerment" is written on one of her designer shoes for Sunday's game against the New York Jets, while the other shines a light at the Women's Sports Foundation ( WSF, for its acronym in English), which was created by Billie Jean King in 1974 "to advance the lives of women and girls through sports and physical activity".
"I thought it was very important to show my support and play a role in leveling the playing field for women in sports and women around the world, actually when you talk about them being empowered to have real equality in any field they choose to fight for," Hurts said.
"My mother [Pamela], she raised me with great character to do things the right way. She is a counselor in my town [in Houston, Texas] and that is a perfect platform to make an impact on people through around you, in the kids around you. I have a sister [Kynnedy] who is 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 that may be. And he wants her to know that she can do anything she puts her mind to, and to know that her brother has her back."
Hurts also noted that he has a female representative, Nicole Lynn, and a marketing agent, Rachel Everett, explaining why this was an important area of focus for him. It was Lynn who first informed the Women's Sports Foundation that Hurts had plans to support her cause while she was at an ESPN Women + Sports Summit. ESPN is a sponsor of the Women's Sports Foundation.
"Having a male player write WSF in his shoes as part of this incredible initiative is pretty cool," said WSF director of strategy and impact Olga Harvey.
This is not the first time the Women's Sports Foundation has been featured during "My Cause, My Shoes" week. Washington Football assistant running backs coach Jennifer King wore them last year. King was awarded the WSF Scholarship from the Scott Pioli and Family Fund in 2019 while she was a quality assurance coach at Dartmouth College, which helped supplement her income as she rose through the coaching ranks.
"She directly benefited from our support for more women in the NFL," Harvey said. "[Hurts wearing the shoes] in a way is an even bigger expression, and she really shows that male athletes are here for women in their fight for equality and to create opportunity.
“The simple fact that he has Nicole Lynn as his agent is a statement as well. To us, it shows us that the rules that society has created can really be reimagined if everyone changes them one person at a time. That's right. how you lead the way to progress and ultimately inspire others... And while it's important to the Women's Sports Foundation to advocate for girls and women, when male allies do, fans take notice, media take hold, and it creates a conversation that ultimately leads to the progress that has been pending for so long."
