New Nike Campaign Adds To Davies’ Mystique
Controversial Nike ad, and Davies’ part in it, ‘super-cool’ to Caps, says J.J. Adams.
Only a few hours had passed after Nike had released its powerful, polarizing ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick and Alphonso Davies, before social media became littered with videos of burning shoes and hateful memes.
The ad has sent shock waves through North American society, with the bloviating talking heads on both sides fanning the flames of a controversy that has plunged the United States into an ever deeper divide.
The video resonated with viewers, both negatively and positively, including capturing the attention of an entire team bus in midwest Florida.
Well, almost the entire bus. “We found out about (the ad) on the bus with all the guys from the Canadian national team, and everyone’s like ‘whoa, that’s incredible,’” said Whitecaps midfielder Russell Teibert, who just returned from an international game with Canada along with teammates Marcel de Jong, Doneil Henry and Davies.
“And (Alphonso) is just sitting there listening to his music, dancing on the bus. It’s like, normal. It’s almost you want to congratulate him for how normal it is. It’s never too much, and he never gets big-headed about it.
“But that’s Alphonso. He’s just a young, innocent, humble kid.”
The 17-year-old is one of 16 inspirational athletes featured in the two-minute spot, including one-handed Seattle Seahawks linebacker Shaquem Griffin, tennis superstar Serena Williams, hijab-wearing champion female boxer Zeina Nassar, queer skateboarder Lacey Baker and global hoops icon LeBron James, with the overarching message seeming to be self-belief and triumphing against the odds.
Davies knew Nike was making a commercial, but none of the details. He never even saw it until it was released.
“I’m part of being among those amazing athletes,” he said. “Looking at the commercial … they really put it together really well. It’s a strong message. Anything you believe, you should be able to achieve. Me being part of that is an amazing opportunity.”
The attention around the ad continues to build upon its incandescent debut Thursday night, as does Nike’s stock, which is up 31 per cent since it first aired, despite some universities, cities and states banning sales of their products.
It will take its place among some of the most iconic ads of all time, the latest in a surreal series of events for a player few, outside of some diehard Whitecaps fans, had heard of even two years ago.
“It’s super-cool. Just from a fan’s perspective — not even as a teammate or a friend, but just a fan — I was actually thinking this when I saw that commercial,” Teibert said.
“I remember congratulating him when he scored his first goal at Thunderbird Stadium for the USL team. That’s less than three years ago, and now he’s in one of the biggest, most controversial Nike commercials, and he’s being talked about. He’s known by the world, which is awesome.”
Davies’ name started to be recognized in MLS cities across the continent when he made his debut at 15. More still after he stole the spotlight from D.C. United’s debut of Wayne Rooney with a wonder goal in July. And when Bayern Munich signed him on a record-setting deal later that
month, Davies was introduced to the rest of the world. Well, maybe with the exception of the soccersnubbing U.S., but the Nike ad took care of that.
“It’s made me sit and watch it in silence. It puts goosebumps on the back of my neck,” Caps coach Carl Robinson said. “I think it’s a real meaningful advert, and it hits home a lot. It puts a smile on my face, and when you see little Phonzie running about, it’s even better, isn’t it?
“There’s probably lots that Phonzie doesn’t understand the magnitude of. Even, we talk about the move he’s going to make ahead of him, and I don’t think he does. But he will one day, and when he does understand the magnitude of it, he’ll be appreciative of what it means, because he’s had a different story to a lot of people.”
After the seven remaining regular-season games — and perhaps a playoff run, should Vancouver make it — Davies will be off to Germany to play for an elite club, one whose profile is so huge, its number of twitter followers is nearly twice the population of the entire Lower Mainland.
“It’s unbelievable. I think the thing we all need to understand and know, especially myself
… No one can take credit for what he’s done. This is all him,” said Teibert, who’s seen Davies develop since he first joined the residency squad in 2015.
“He’s done it himself. No matter who’s helped him, or had conversations with him, or given him an opportunity, it’s him. He’s done it.
“He’s taken everything in stride and done it for himself. And he needs to know that it’s only him who’s going to keep getting himself (to the top).”
Sounds like a Nike ad.