Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and his Wolverines are touring Italy this week to visit with refugees, leave their comfort zones, and get right by the Lord.
Visiting Pope Francis this morning, Harbaugh gifted his Holiness a pair of navy and yellow Air Jordan 5 Retro sneakers and a Michigan helmet. Apparently the meeting went well, and we should all place our bets on Michigan next season.
It’s common procedure to bring a gift for the pope. However, the famously frugal pope is known to refuse and auction off gifts in the past to raise money for the poor. So, if you want these shoes, get your bidding hand ready.
The overall irony of the situation was not lost on Twitter.
In true sneakerhead fashion, we can only assume Pope Francis isn’t actually supposed to wear the shoes. Popes have historically only worn red papal shoes, yet Francis ditched that tradition for black orthopedic shoes to help ease his chronic sciatica.
The Wolverines did get his Holiness the correct size, though. A tweet from Maurice Hurst Jr. shows that the shoes are size 10. This is the pope’s size, according to this 2013 interview with his personal cobbler. Judging by the box sticker, it also looks like Nike donated the sacred offering.
