To kick off the season, the NFL teamed with its leading creative agency, 72andSunny LA, for a 75 second-long spot titled “It Feels Good to Football.” Directed by The Malloys of production company Superprime and set in what appears to be a high school gym, the short kicks off with a single spotlight on a piano, where Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf sits. He plays the first few instantly recognizable notes of “Still D.R.E.” in a nod to one of Super Bowl LV’s Halftime performers, Dr. Dre. The rally then explodes into a wave of excited commotion with big celeb cameos, all of whom are ready to ring in the new season with amped-up entrances and—in Lil Wayne’s case—a fully loaded shirt cannon.
While your everyday high school pep rally may not be brimming with stars, it is a meeting ground for like-minded sports fans, similar to what the creative team hopes to emulate with this new work.
“In small towns across America, communities come together before the start of their local football seasons to rally behind their team,” said 72andSunny’s ecd Zach Hilder in a statement. “In this Kickoff campaign, we’re creating a pep rally fit for the NFL—featuring some of the biggest players, best fans and coolest football personalities, in one epic celebration of the upcoming season.”
The remaining cast involves a mix of athletes, musicians and influencers, including rappers Saweetie and Pusha T, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, TikTok star Josh Richards, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, New Orleans Saints’ Cam Jordan, LA Chargers’ Derwin James and Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Tucker. Other cameos include a few notable figures like Cleveland Browns mascot, Chomps; cheer squad the Carolina Panthers Top Cats; DJ Liva; Nickelodeon actor and host of NFL on Nickelodeon Young Dylan; Buffalo Bills Super Fan Pinto Ron; green screen guy and social media content creator Frankie Lapenna and professional boxer Ryan Garcia.
Such a mix speaks to the creative team’s years-long effort to liven the brand’s image and build stronger ties with younger audiences. This is no easy feat: trend reports from 2021 show that 44% of millennials says that they follow the sport— a significant jump from Gen Z, which only makes up 25% of younger fans. But the brand isn’t letting the numbers prevent it from trying to connect, whether that includes NFL players getting active on social or the league’s various partnerships with TikTok over the years.
With the spot’s mix of big-name stars and burgeoning creatives, “It Feels Good to Football” contains elements meant to appeal to younger fans—while hitting notes that will still resonate with older, longtime followers of the sport.
The 2022 NFL Kickoff game will be held at 8:20pm ET on Thursday Sept 8 at SoFi Stadium, with the Buffalo Bills facing off against the Los Angeles Rams. The film will air during said game with a variety of cut-down versions running on NFL channels.
