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Creative Creative Works Ad of the Day

Ad of the Day: Marcus Rashford boots toxic masculinity out of frame in Nike ad

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By Imogen Watson, Senior reporter

June 2, 2021 | 2 min read

"Oi you, sit down. Shut up... and listen 'ere! You need to get a few things in your head if you're going to make it in this game... alright?" barks a mangy old football from the sideline of Nike's latest ad for its 'Play New' campaign, designed to combat toxic masculinity in football.

toxic football

"First of all, you've got to be greedy! I'm looking for that nasty streak. You don't ask, you take. You're either the star of the show or a loser," the tough Cockney football growls his outdated advice, exemplifying the nasty side of the sport.

With a kick, the toxic football is booted out of frame before he can voice any more of old-school spiel. Heralding in a new era of sport, the nasty football has been punted out by Marcus Rashford MBE, who has made a name as a formidable voice for social justice.

Created by Wieden+Kennedy, the ad is part of Nike's 'Play New' campaign that invites people to discover sport in new ways. It launched early last month with a film that featured elite athletes like Sabrina Ionescu, Dina Asher-Smith and Blake Leeper, as well as award-winning artist RosalĂ­a.

"You know what, here's to going for it and being terrible. Here's for giving it a shot, even though your shot is garbage," suggests the child narrator, encouraging those who think they suck at sport to give it a go by discovering it in new ways.

You can view the campaign in full by clicking on the box below. To get in touch about Ad of the Day, please email imogen.watson@thedrum.com.

Nike: Toxic Football by Wieden+Kennedy

By Nike

Overall Rating 3/5

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