Sportswear behemoth Nike teamed up with The GenderCool Project in March to roll out a joint campaign celebrating trans student athletes which highlights the delight, joy and benefits that young people get from sports.
Working with a team at Swissa Creative coordinated by Kobi Swissa, the campaign is spearheaded by a 30-second mission spot which highlights the experiences and perspectives of 11 transsexual and nonbinary kids aged between 13-and-17 who all share their feelings for school sports – particularly team sports.
The ad opens by asking the question “Have you ever met a transgender kid?” before moving on to a video montage of kids competing in a wide variety of sports – including soccer, fencing and basketball – accompanied by young athlete testimonials.
“When you’re playing a sport, it’s not just about you,” says 17-year-old Amir in the spot. “It’s about what you can do as a team or the group. I want to even be a coach someday just to help other kids get to where they want to be.”
“Most of what I coach are team sport and it’s not about being perfect,”adds Chicago teacher and student athlete coach Jon Mall. “It’s about growing as an individual and growing as a team member. Where in that does gender identity come in?”
The commercial, which closes with the message that “transgender kids are part of your team”, rolled out from 8 March and as well as spanning national television broadcast it also ran across Nike and GenderCool social channels led by Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
People need to see the truth about transgender kids and sports. That’s why we launched our first ever television ad with the generous support of #GenderCool partner Nike. #WhoWeAreNotWhatWeAre #PlayItOut pic.twitter.com/gB6kxd0Ayj
— The GenderCool Project (@GenderCool) March 8, 2022
The spot aired nationally across the USA and is part of the The GenderCool Project’s umbrella ‘Play It Out’ platform which first launched back in November 2021 with an introductory film and is an education campaign designed to help people understand transgender kids and their connection to athletics and sports – particularly addressing misinformation around the rightful, legal place of transgender and non-binary kids in
‘Play It Out’ is hosted on a dedicated campaign website and it amplifies the facts about trans kids and their connection to sports as well as supports trans kids by contacting lawmakers to voice opposition of legislation targeting transgender student athletes.
The GenderCool Project is a youth-led movement helping to replace misinformed opinions with positive experiences meeting remarkable transgender and non-binary young people.
“Communities everywhere deserve the facts around a conversation that is in need of clarity,” said GenderCool Co-Founder Jen Grosshandler. “When folks have a chance to spend time with our kids, they often come to the same conclusion. Our kids play sports to be part of a community and have fun with their friends. All kids belong in sports. It’s that simple.”
Comment
This campaign rolls out as several states across the USA debate restricting how transgender athletes compete – including in school sports – and some states (such as Iowa, Texas, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho and West Virginia) have either passed anti-trans legislation or have temporary injunctions blocking their enforcement.
According to the company, the partnership reinforces Nike’s ‘commitment to fostering an inclusive culture and breaking down barriers for athletes* around the world’ as well as its belief in ‘celebrating diversity and striving to create equal playing fields for all’.
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.