Sport Analysis Paper Sport advertisements strive to reach out to as many markets as possible but in some instances, are geared towards a particular audience. In a commercial advertising Nike’s line of football athletic wear Nike Pro Combat, the advertisement features NFL running back and superstar Adrian Peterson out-running and exerting his athletic prowess over incoming defenders down a football field. At the end of the advertisement, Peterson is seen sitting in a locker room with skin resembling that of a reptile. The commercial is depicting Peterson as an athlete who has physical abilities that are inhuman, skills that some believe only certain ethnicities possess. Nike Pro Combat is athletic gear designed for a sport whose players are predominantly black and is aimed toward a black audience. Customarily, people of African descent are associated much more with physical dexterity than they are with intellectual capability. Football is a fast paced and showy sport in which specific positions are intended to exude flair whether it be by out-juking opponents, breaking tackles or performing dazzling passes or catches. Many positions in the NFL are racially stacked, whereby players of color are placed in positions that are indicative of speed and agility like a running back or wide receiver and Caucasians are situated in positions that are representative of accuracy and precision like a quarterback. Adrian Peterson is a man of color and plays running back for the Minnesota Vikings. Due to the racial ideology in the United States, blacks are believed to possess particular traits that exceed those of European descent. Racial ideology ties in to why a vast majority of running backs are black at the college and professional levels. The advertisement is distinctly aimed toward African Americans because it highlights a black player who plays the position for a sport that is dominated by this ethnicity. Moreover, about halfway through the commercial, the opposing white coaches, cheerleaders and defenders watch in disbelief as Adrian Peterson runs into the end zone and scores the winning touchdown. This segment implies a sense of superiority and empowerment over the white individual. It generates the assumption that the athletic
