New York Yankees baseball player Aaron Judge has been mocked online by some after he was seen wearing his new bright pink Air Jordan cleats—his first since signing with the Jordan Brand.
The Yankees have a strict uniform policy, but Judge was seen wearing his new cleats during their 6-5 defeat by the Boston Red Sox on Sunday as well as during batting practice ahead of the game, when he wore matching gloves as well.
The athlete revealed them after Jordan's Player Edition (PE) designer, Ryan Smith, shared images of Judge's "Double Gum" Air Jordan 1 Low cleats on Instagram on August 18.
When a photo of the footwear was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, by MLB Life on Wednesday, it was inundated with comments from users, with a good proportion not brimming with positivity about its looks.
The exclusive cleats were inspired by the first meeting Judge had with the Jordan team, according to Smith, in which he told them about his famous in-game bubblegum chewing ritual.
The history-making home run hitter told them that he always pops two pieces of gum at the beginning of the first inning and then will only change it if he strikes out. He continues to do this throughout the game, with Judge hoping that he can get a strike before the gum loses its flavor.
The design of the shoes were met with derision by many on X, with one user reposting the reveal along with the quote: "They're almost as hideous as the Yankees' record."
Another compared the cleats to a medication used to combat the symptoms of heartburn, acid reflux and indigestion, which also has a distinct bright pink color.
They wrote: "Dude has the Pepto Bismol 11s."
This was followed by a number of others making a similar comparison to the medicine.
A third compared the new shoes to some petite dance footwear, commenting: "Cute ballerina shoes."
However, there were others who were loving the design, with one X user writing that it is a great tie-in to a current box office hit at the cinemas: "It is giving Barbie vibes and I am here for it!"
While another declared: "I would def rock these. Straight fire!"
A third thought these were a hot take, posting: "These are actually pretty 🔥"
Jordan Brand has not yet said whether the cleats will be made available in stores for fans to buy.
Newsweek has contacted Judge and Smith on social media and has emailed Jordan Brand for comment.
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