Nike’s viral “You Can’t Stop Us” ad offers a dose of what everyone needs to see right now.
The moving short film is the third from Nike’s campaign of the same name and was released last week to coincide with the return of the NBA season.
Narrated by soccer star Megan Rapinoe, the central message is one of inclusivity, perseverance, change, and powering through the tough times to emerge stronger. A sign of these times, race is front and centre.
In an inspirational reminder of what an equal playing field should look like, the 90-second video features a split screen that combines over 70 sports clips placed side-by-side to create the illusion of a single shot. The split screen series details 36 pairings of athletes of a variety of backgrounds and levels of professionalism.
The end product was developed through research of more than 4,000 pieces of footage and designed to underscore the commonalities shared by athletes around the world.
Familiar faces include names like LeBron James, Naomi Osaka, Eliud Kipchoge, Caster Semenya, Cristiano Ronaldo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Serena Williams, Colin Kaepernick, and Kylian Mbappé.
At a time when the COVID-19 has put countless aspects of our everyday lives – including most organized sports – on hold, the video serves as an inspirational reminder of hope for a better future.
If you only watch one thing today, make sure it’s this video.
