It is not uncommon to observe Justin Jefferson make leaping receptions on the football field.
But last weekend, NFL viewers witnessed the Vikings receiver make a diving catch in Ghana, Africa, during a Super Bowl LVIII commercial.
The “Born to Play” advertisement commenced with Kwesi, a young Ghanaian boy, adorned in a Lamar Jackson jersey and engaged in the examination of NFL highlights on a tablet. Prior to that, his father admonished him to retire to bed. Kwesi said farewell to an image of Giants running back Saquon Barkley, one of several NFL posters adorning the wall, as he rested his head on the pillow.
The subsequent morning, the commercial provides viewers with a look into Kwesi’s daydreams.
Kwesi deftly avoids family members and the breakfast table while carrying a football through his residence, as if they were defenders on the field. As he dashes through an Accra, Ghana marketplace, he encounters NFL athletes donning their game-day attire.
Kwesi eludes linebacker Fred Warner of the 49ers prior to delivering a pass to Jefferson, who leaps to make the reception before landing on a vegetable cart.
“Hit the Griddy?” While Jefferson inquires, Kwesi and he are jointly celebrating.
Kwesi proceeds through the market, passing the ball to Barkley after evading Saints edge rusher Cam Jordan; however, he is “intercepted” by a dog.
“Brother, that is on you. Barkley further explains, “I’m not even real,” before dissipating in a puff of vapor.
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Kwesi expels the dog from the marketplace, where he observes an American football camp situated beyond a fence. There, he encounters Osi Umenyiora, an NFL legend and two-time Pro Bowler of Nigerian heritage.
“I am familiar with that expression. “I am familiar with that dream,” Umenyiora reveals to Kwesi. “The exact one was mine. See, Kwesi; it is no longer merely a pipe fantasy. It is irrelevant where a person was conceived. “For the duration of your inborn inclination towards play.”
With the realization that Umenyiora is not a construct of his imagination, Kwesi smiles.
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It is stated in the closing message of the advertisement:
As the NFL International Player Pathway Program expands internationally, it assists athletes in every country in achieving their footballing aspirations.
Despite the “imaginary” nature of the athletes in the advertisement’s plot, Jefferson and his NFL colleagues traveled to Ghana to film the commercial in the local marketplace.
“Everything about it—the culture, the energy, and the people—is love,” Jefferson stated in a clip from behind the scenes. We are deeply devoted to American football and wish to spread that devotion to a wider audience around the globe. “I cannot wait to share the story with the world.”