The NFL will use its biggest platform of the year to shine a spotlight on youth coaches, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The league will use its annual Super Bowl brand commercial to highlight kids and youth coaches, and, in a departure from its brand campaigns in recent years, forgo featuring any stars or celebrities in the spot. Instead, the 60 second film, called “Champion” sees a young boy in his room giving a pep talk to his toys.
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The NFL reserves a couple of minutes of commercial time during the Super Bowl each year for its own spot (working with its network partners of course), usually highlighting something important to the league. Last year’s ad, for example, was focused on girls flag football, while the 2024 spot highlighted the leagues international ambitions.
But while those spots were laden with stars like Pat McAfee, Saquon Barkley and Justin Jefferson (the league has tried to strategically feature many of its players), this year’s spot will not feature any boldface names, just kids, their coaches, and maybe a few familiar action figures.
“It’s been an ongoing strategy for us to put our players first and get behind the things they care about. We’re fortunate to have so many amazing players who are the face of our league. However, we always think about what’s best for the creative idea,” says Tim Ellis, executive VP and CMO of the NFL. “This idea was based on the power of youth coaches as mentors and leaders to kids. Coaches shape confidence, character and self-belief long before athletes reach the spotlight, so the creative didn’t authentically lend itself to featuring our players. Many marketers might consider it a big risk to not use celebrities for a Super Bowl ad, but we felt strongly that it’s critical to stand behind the power of the idea and its authenticity. We fully committed to it.”
Youth coaching, like the league’s international push and promotion for flag football, fits the bill of meeting the league’s goals.
“We always use our Super Bowl brand campaign to spotlight a strategic league priority,” says Ellis. “We know that when you play the game, you’re much more likely to become a fan, so encouraging kids to play football and opening up our game to everyone is a strategic priority. We wanted to highlight how the game creates strong leaders because we know that’s true. We’ve seen it and heard it from our players and our communities.”
And while there wont be any stars, the league carefully and deliberately included pop cultural references from the child’s room at the center of the video, including action figures of Spider Man, Black Panther, and Optimum Prime, not to mention some genuine NFL apparel, courtesy of Fanatics.
“We wanted this to look and feel like a real-life scenario. A little boy talking to his action figures and toys in his room is very real depiction,” Ellis says, noting that the league worked with Disney, Hasbro, Mattel and other partners. “As parents, we know our kids love to pretend and make believe. And that’s exactly what we wanted to show. Yes, maybe it’s ‘make believe’ when this little boy delivers a speech to his toy audience, but this is exactly the point – spotlighting that moment of belief that comes from a coach and how that ripples far beyond field.”
“With the trust and respect of these partners, we knew it was important to present their products in an inspiring way that would make them proud,” Ellis added. “As the quote from Spider Man goes, ‘With great power comes great responsibility,’ and we take that to heart at the league. We recognize the platform we have, and we want to use that platform to honor the coaches who play critical roles in our local communities.”
Ultimately, of course, the league is using the Super Bowl platform to make sure that it remains relevant and fresh to that next generation of fans, and players.
“While this is a tribute to coaches, we also want to reaffirm that the NFL is committed to young people and their development. We’re invested in building the next generation of leaders,” Ellis says. “We know football can play a big role here, and we have tremendous programs and non-profit partnerships to support youth development. This is incredibly important to us, and that’s why we’re using our biggest platform to inspire and support young people.”
