Adidas Unveils ‘Nations Pack’ Cleat For All-Star Game

As a way to celebrate the global nature of baseball, Adidas unveiled the Nations Pack cleat design for the 2018 MLB All-Star Game in Washington, D.C.

The Afterburner and Icon cleat design was meant to convey the international nature of baseball with a single tapestry that weaves together influence from the 18 flags of each Adidas Baseball athlete’s home country.

With All-Stars Aaron Judge, Luis Severino, Aroldis Chapman, J.D. Martinez, Chris Sale, Edwin Diaz, Joe Jimenez and Sean Doolittle all sporting the cleats during the All-Star Game, expect to see inspiration from Aruba, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Taiwan, United States of America, Venezuela and the Virgin Islands.

A jacquard-quilted texture is meant to mimic the woven nature of country flags and each cleat gets covered in a distinct section of the multinational tapestry that makes it different from every other. While each cleat has a distinct look, they were designed to create a common look.

The Afterburner cleat, the lightest from Adidas, includes additional detailing of red and blue branding on sockliners and heels for patriotic touches. The Icon cleat’s calling card comes in the Boost cushioning. To round out the Nations Pack collection, the Icon Trainer mimics the cleat, but includes a texture, monument-like sole representative of the marble landmarks central to Washington, D.C.

Tim Newcomb covers gear and business for Baseball America. Follow him on Twitter at @tdnewcomb.