Adidas has recently released a new line of print and television advertisements promoting basketball as a brotherhood. These spots feature players like Tracy McGrady, Gilbert Arenas, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett. What do all of these guys have in common? Besides the fact that they are all prominent stars in the NBA, they are also all African Americans.
Watch a sample advertisement courtesy of You-Tube: Basketball is a Brotherhood.
Let's play a game of "What If." What if Callaway released a commercial starring only white golfers with the tagline of "Golf is for Country Clubbers." Or even better, "Golf is for the Private School Crowd." The NAACP would be up in arms faster than you could scream, "FORE!"
I am certainly not proposing that Callaway begin production on a lilly white commercial targeted at the upper crust of our population, but I would like Adidas to consider the message they are sending with their advertisements. On one hand, I can see where they may want to reach out to African American teenagers and youth who should view basketball as a refuge or a sport in which they can feel a sense of community. But on the other hand, this completely elimates those white kids who may be looking for the same sense of belonging.
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