Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph brought his football team to a 3-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday night by kicking the winning field goal in the fourth quarter—and his cleats have become the subject of much online interest.
Joseph, who is Jewish, had cleats in the blue and white colors of the Israeli flag embossed with "I stand with Israel" on them.
The Vikings beat the Raiders 3-0 today - the lowest scoring NFL game since 2007.Those three points?Courtesy of a lone field goal from kicker Greg Joseph rocking his blue & white custom cleats supporting @Israel.The field goal distance?36 yards. Two times Chai (חי). pic.twitter.com/0APCg6M8Jr
— Zack Raab (@ZackRaab) December 11, 2023
The kick was successfully converted from 36 yards, which some viewers noticed is double the numerical value of the Hebrew word "chai" meaning life.
Joseph has already made public declarations of support for the Jewish state, writing on X in shortly after the October 7 Hamas massacres that kicked off the Israel-Hamas War: "Join me in my "Kicks for Israel" campaign this season as I pledge to make a difference in Israel during these tragic and unprecedented times. Help us support @leketisrael with donations for food and clean water for the affected innocent civilians! @Vikings"
Join me in my Kicks for Israel campaign this season as I pledge to make a difference in Israel during these tragic and unprecedented times. Help us support @leketisrael with donations for food and clean water for the affected innocent civilians! @Vikings https://t.co/aSCcki9kYg
— Greg Joseph (@greg_joseph1) October 17, 2023