Commercial against domestic abuse to air during Super Bowl
SAN LEANDRO, Calif. (KGO) -- More than 100 million Americans will be watching the Super Bowl Sunday and a lot of those eyeballs will be glued to the ads just as much as the game and one will stand out above the rest.
The spot is put together by a group called NO MORE which has launched a movement to raise awareness about domestic violence, an issue the NFL has been forced to publicly deal with in recent months.
It's a commercial that shows a woman pretending to call for a pizza while she's actually calling 911 for help, which the operator suddenly seems to realize.
On Sunday, more than 70 TVs at Rickey's Sports Bar in San Leandro will be tuned to the Super Bowl and viewers will see the commercial.
The NFL has been tarnished by its handling of domestic violence cases, particularly the one involving former Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice and former 49er Ray MacDonald who was arrested for assaulting his fiance but not charged.
Now the league is donating a 30 second spot, which the Wall Street Journal says it's worth $4.5 million dollars. Ruby's Place in Hayward, which has helped domestic abuse survivors for four decades already has the ad posted on their website.
"It's being so clever in showing a victim, a woman there's more than one way to seek help," Ruby's Place Executive Director Vera Ciametti said. "This will give them courage and hope that a phone call can make a difference."
ABC7 News showed the ad to the owner of Rickey's Sports Bar. He said he thinks there will be a quiet reaction when his customer's see what he calls a powerful message.
Customer Elliot Tempkin says he's not sure how the commercial will be received by fans on Super Bowl Sunday, but he believes it's appropriate given what's gone on with the NFL.
"It seems to be a pressing issue so at their biggest moment having someone address that head on is probably an admirable goal," Tempkin said.
Ruby's Place expects their hotline will be exceptionally busy once that spot airs on Sunday.
