NFL Tries to Make Good With Anti-Domestic Violence Ad
Domestic violence has been a problem in the NFL for years but gained heighted noteriety in recent months. Now the issue will get airtime at the Super Bowl.
The league paid for a 30-second anti-domestic violence ad to air sometime during the first quarter of the Super Bowl on Sunday. The PSA was a partnership with No More, an organization formed in 2013 to combat domestic violence and sexual assault.
The ad shows a haunting scene of a house in disarray while a woman calls 911. She pretends to order pizza since she is unable to speak aloud about her abuser, which an NFL spokeswoman told Ad Age was inspired by a real call. The spot ends with the tagline: “When it’s hard to talk, it’s up to us to listen’’ and displays the website for No More. There is no NFL branding shown.
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According to Ad Age, Grey, the NFL’s ad agency, created the ad, covered production costs, and donated the prime-time spot, worth about $4.5 million. No More has been running PSAs during NFL games throughout the year and will post the spot on their own site soon.
It’s no secret that the NFL has been under intense scrutiny since mishandling the Ray Rice domestic assault incident, but does this ad make up for those shortcomings? Women’s rights advocacy group UltraViolet doesn’t think so. It released its own PSA calling out NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for 55 cases of abuse that have gone unanswered.
The UltraViolet video, which was uploaded January 15 and featured on the Sports Illustrated website, The Huffington Post, and other publications, was more straightforward in calling out the NFL for their lack of action. The video is a dramatic account of a football player in full uniform tackling a women standing still. The hashtag “#GOODELLMUSTGO’’ fills the screen. Football fans may recognize the hashtag from banners flown over NFL stadiums during the season.
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These two videos are in stark contrast to the usual Super Bowl beer-and-big-laughs commercials, and follow a season-long barrage against the league for how they disciplined players accused of domestic violence. It’s a clear success for No More to reach an audience greater than half of the U.S. population, but critics of the NFL and its handling of domestic violence still remain.
“Why does it have to be an either-or situation?’’ asked Toni Troop, a spokeswoman for Jane Doe Inc., a Massachusetts based coalition against sexual assault and domestic violence. “The reality is that the NFL recognizes that they poorly handled the Rice case initially. They have made a commitment to be at the table and to be real partners in raising awareness and in helping to prevent that violence.’’
Troop said that domestic violence is deeply entrenched in our society around the expectations of ‘manhood.’ These issues are not unique to the NFL but, Troop pointed out, the league’s status and stature create an added responsibility.
“Some people say that these are just athletes, it’s not fair for them to be held up as role models,’’ Troop said. “To that I say, ‘I’m not holding them up; you are.’’’
Goodell said in a press conference on Friday that domestic violence is a broader issue in society and the league has made strides to understand and manage the issue.
“As an organization and as an individual, it’s been a tough year, but a year of great progress,’’ Goodell said. “We are committed to bringing awareness and to better understand what victims and survivors are going through.’’
Troop believes it’s necessary to work alongside Goodell and other leaders in the NFL, saying as a domestic violence advocate, it is important to engage with the NFL directly to ensure that their policies will hold offenders accountable while working to prevent abuse.
Jessica Teperow, Director of Prevention Programs at Reach Beyond Domestic Violence, wrote a blog post following the Rice scandal calling for a conversation about abusers.
“It’s time we stop being silent and start being honest,’’ Teperow wrote. “Many of us are calling on the NFL to develop policies that make it clear that the League does not tolerate domestic violence. Can we come together and do the same in our own lives and communities?’’
To Troop, the No More Super Bowl ad creates an opportunity for engagement. The ad is undeniably compelling, and Troop believes it will make viewers stop in their tracks and really think about the dangers of domestic violence.
“For everyone who might be questioning [the NFL’s] motives, I would respond by saying that if they weren’t doing anything, we’d question that as well,’’ Troop said. “Is there some self-interest? Undoubtedly, but there is also sincerity in this work.’’
With this ad airing during the most watched sporting event in America, it will reach an estimated 184 million people that perhaps had never previously considered what they could do to stop domestic violence.
Despite the scandals, NFL ratings haven’t suffered throughout this season, but the league’s public perception has. Following September’s scandal, the NFL was performing at its worst in terms of negative associations in over two years, according to YouGov BrandIndex, a company that tracks brand awareness. The NFL’s score, based off of whether the public has heard more positive or negative coverage of the league, has rebounded since Septemeber but still falls short of their support last year.
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