CNN
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As soon as Usher had delivered the final “Yeah!” of his Super Bowl LVIII halftime show, when the millions watching around the world were transported from the cacophony of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to the quiet of a child’s bedroom in Ghana’s capital, Accra.
With Title “Born to play‘, the two-and-a-half-minute commercial saw an ensemble of NFL superstars run and hurdle through the busy streets of Accra to celebrate the growth of the sport around the world and, most importantly, the opening of global routes to play in summit of .
The game played by Saquon Barkley, Justin Jefferson, Cameron Jordan and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah may have been staged in the imagination of a football-mad young boy, but it ended in a very real location – the inaugural NFL Africa Camp in Accra.
There, the inspiration for the ad – two-time Super Bowl champion Osi Umenyiora – was waiting to greet the youngster, played by Eldad Osime. The British Nigerian, former New York giants defender, Africa’s regional football program – called The Uprise – has helped set up the continent’s first camp in 2022.
The speech he then gave to a crowd of hopeful young people served as the basis for a commercial broadcast Sunday in a prime-time slot to the largest television audience since the 1969 moon landing.
“This is the most important Super Bowl ad they have as far as the NFL is concerned,” Umenyiora told CNN.
“So to put it in there and put it right after halftime shows how serious they are, shows their level of commitment to what we’re doing with the program and what we’re doing in Africa. It’s really exciting.”
In a poll of over 160,000 he conducted USA Today“Born to Play” ranked fifth out of 59 commercials aired during Super Bowl LVIII.
Directed by Lagos-born photographer and filmmaker Andrew Dosunmu and shot on location in Ghana with a cast of 400 local actors, the story of a boy who harbors sporting dreams dismissed as fantasy by family and others rang true for Umenyiora.
Having been born in London and moved to Anambra, Ogbunike village in south-eastern Nigeria as a child, the future All-Pro was forced to quit sports when his grades started to slip.
In Super Eagles football stars Jay-Jay Okocha and Rashidi Yekini, as well as Lagos-born NBA legend Hakeem “the Dream” Olajuwon, a young Umenyiora had no shortage of sporting idols, but his family didn’t always have the same belief that he could follow in their footsteps.
“I think most African parents, especially when they first arrive in America, don’t care about their kids playing sports — it’s all about academics,” the 42-year-old said.
“It’s about being a doctor, an engineer – the same story… Most parents will discourage you from pursuing your dreams, especially if you’re African, and I understand that, because the chances of you doing it are very slim.
“If you get an education, the chances of doing something with yourself are really, really high,” he added. “But I think that attitude is changing now.”
![INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 05: (LR) Osi Umenyiora #72 and Devin Thomas #15 of the New York Giants celebrate with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Giants' 21-17 win against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 5, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220707120220-01-osi-umenyiora-file.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)
![INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 05: (LR) Osi Umenyiora #72 and Devin Thomas #15 of the New York Giants celebrate with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Giants' 21-17 win against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 5, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/220707120220-01-osi-umenyiora-file.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)
Umenyora plays a direct role in these changes. Following The Uprise’s founding in 2020, three Nigerian talents from the program were signed to NFL rosters the following year.
Over 100 players of African descent were playing in the league in 2022, according in the NFL, but Umenyiora wants to see that percentage increase.
At the heart of those hopes is the league’s International Player Pathway Program (IPP), which gives “elite international athletes” from outside the US and Canada a chance to earn a spot on an NFL team.
However, the NFL has come under fire for allegations of racism in the past at the player level and has faced criticism for a lack of diversity in its coaching and executive ranks. At the start of the 2023 regular season with 32 teams, there were no Black majority owners and only eight Black general managers.
“I want to see a time where at least 15 to 20 percent of all players in the National Football League are from (Africa),” Umenyiora told CNN in 2022.
“(Also) people should watch American football because their brothers are very, very successful playing this game. I want more people to get into the sport and understand success and understand the game.”
Umenyiora has no doubts about the strength of the talent available outside of North America. The point is that “talent is universal, but opportunity is not” – hence the ad’s message.
“Opening doors for international athletes is not only a passion of mine, but it’s a way to give back to future generations of athletes,” he said. he said the NFL in a press release.
“This campaign shows young people worldwide that it doesn’t matter where you were born, you were born to play.”