This weekend, the NFL is running its annual My Cause, My Cleats campaign. It’s an opportunity for players to wear specially painted cleats to support an organization, charity or cause that is meaningful to them. For the second straight season, Luke Masterson will be rocking some cool kicks to raise awareness for a local group.
Masterson was born and raised in Naples. His father and brothers were outdoorsmen, which led to Luke also finding his way out on the waters of Southwest Florida.
“I grew up fishing,” Masterson said. “That was really my main hobby. Me and my dad started super young.”
Luke spent most of his childhood on the water in Naples. However, when he wasn’t fishing, he was dominating his competition on the football field. Masterson played at Gulf Coast High School from 2012-2015. After that, he went on to play Division I football at Wake Forest. Masterson thrived at that level as well. Now, Luke is in the NFL in his second season with the Las Vegas Raiders.
“It’s kind of crazy we’re approaching the end of year two already,” Masterson said. “It’s been awesome so far.”
Every Sunday, Luke laces up normal cleats — usually black and white to match the Raiders’ color scheme. However, this weekend, Masterson will be wearing some specially painted kicks as part of the NFL’s My Cause, My Cleats campaign.
“They’re one of my favorite cleats to wear,” Masterson said.
This is the second year Masterson has participated in the movement. This weekend, he’ll be supporting the same cause as last season, too — Captains for Clean Water.
“Captains for Clean Water is an educational organization that raises awareness around water quality issues and specifically Everglades restoration,” the organization’s co-founder Chris Whittman said.
Since Luke grew up on the water in Southwest Florida, he thought it was only fitting that he supports a local charity focused on protecting that water. Masterson first connected with Captains for Clean Water in 2018. Since then, he’s built a relationship with the group and tries to advocate for them whenever possible.
“All of the great things they’ve done for the water quality, Captains for Clean Water and everything they’re doing need to be put in the spotlight sometimes,” Masterson said.
Masterson said he wanted to make it a priority that he supports a local organization. He said national charities receive a lot of needed recognition, but the local ones need that support as well.
Last year’s cleats are currently displayed in the Captain’s for Clean Water office in Fort Myers. The team is very thankful to have them and to receive help from Luke. Whittman says they saw an influx of people reaching out after last year’s My Cause, My Cleats game. Plus, they love seeing their organization on a national stage.
“To see them wearing our logo on their shoes on game day is pretty special,” Whittman said. “The message behind the cleat is what’s really important. Just really grateful for Luke and his effort and his support of our organization.”
If you’d like to see the special cleats in action, Masterson and the Raiders take on the Vikings on Sunday at 4 p.m.
If you’d like to learn more about Captains for Clean Water, click here to be brought to their website.