Philadelphia Eagles address the city’s devastating gun violence in poetic new ad

Philadelphia is riding high this week, with the city’s second NFL championship in five years a very real possibility on Sunday. But the Eagles are using the spotlight of Super Bowl week to draw attention to the darker side of Philly—its escalating gun violence, which to many has become a true crisis. Some 516 people were murdered in the city in 2022, most of them killed by guns. The violence has steadily risen since 2016, when 277 people were killed. There have been 41 homicides already in 2023, and the problem is widely considered to be reaching a boiling point. Now, the Eagles have rolled out a 90-second film addressing the crisis. It stars—and is narrated by—Ja’Nell Hall-Ragin, a local artist, actress, poet and gun violence survivor whose brother was killed in the epidemic. Hall-Ragin begins by talking about the city’s great qualities, including pride in its sports teams, before moving on to the wellspring of pain just beneath the surface. The spot is part of the Eagles’ ongoing efforts to combat the violence. Last year the team launched a campaign called “Enough Keeping Score.” The goal of this year’s campaign was to bring people who have been impacted by violence into the creation of the campaign. All the messaging leads to the website endphillygunviolence.com. The Eagles Social Justice Fund recently announced more than $400,000 in grants to nine local nonprofits that provide financial education and support for violence prevention. Many Eagles players are also personally involved in the cause. The work was made by agency The Perception and produced by Neighborhood Films Co. The film will run in digital/social, supported by OOH elements. “It’s always humbling to work with one of your favorite teams. It becomes an even more incredible experience when you can work with them on such a mission-critical cause,” Brian Anderson, founder and creative principal of The Perception, told Ad Age. “‘A Fan of Change’ is based on the idea of fandom to address the systematic problem that plagues Black and brown communities. As an organization, we are devoted to bringing humanity and understanding to creativity. Our work in helping end gun violence in Philadelphia is no exception.” Watch all the Super Bowl commercials From Bud Light to Rakuten and Amazon, see all of the ads Watch them here

Philadelphia Eagles address the city’s devastating gun violence in poetic new ad

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