Nike’s latest short film “Equality” is tied to their Black History Month collection, which includes “Equality” T-shirts. The full 90-second spot features appearances by LeBron James, Serena Williams, Kevin Durant, Michael B. Jordan, Alicia Keys and other Nike athletes.
The film’s message is to try and bring the openness of sport, which rewards actions over how one looks, to the rest of life by bringing what happens “between the lines” to the rest of the world (through the metaphor of painting sports lines all over). The final line of the film is “if we can be equals here, we can be equals everywhere” with the second half punctuated by James.
It’s a strong message from Nike and one we’ve seen more and more companies come forward with in 2017. The Super Bowl was filled with ads that promoted a message of unity and embracing different cultures and ethnicities, and Nike’s spot is the latest to push that message forward. However, by having James, Williams, Durant, Jordan and others starring in it, Nike’s short brings a little added weight.
Nike also released a video of those sports stars discussing what they felt the message was and how sports can be a reflection of what we should strive to see in all aspects of life.
“We all have a purpose in life and for us to be as great as we can be as a nation and as a world, we all have to feel empowered,” said James.
