Super Bowl Sunday & Domestic Violence...?

Every year people enjoy the game and commercials that take place on Super Bowl Sunday. Some people even enjoy the commercials more than the game. These commercials can range from advertising car insurance to Skittles. However, there is one in particular this year that has caught the attention of many people. The NFL, and the No More campaign, has decided to air their first Anti-domestic violence Super Bowl commercial this year during the first quarter of the Super Bowl.

The ad uses a voice over of a woman and a 911 dispatcher in the background of images of a disoriented home. In the call, the woman pretends to order a pizza which at first confuses the dispatcher. However, the woman persists on ordering a pizza which then leads the dispatcher to realize that she is trying to cover up her call so her abuser in the room does not realize her cry for help. The closing line of the ad is, "When it's hard to talk, it is up to us to listen."

The PSA is inspired by a post from Reddit that was originally posted by a former 911 dispatcher. The ad will raise domestic violence awareness and also boost NFL's image on taking domestic violence seriously. Another controversy subject surrounding the Super Bowl and domestic violence is the idea that the Super Bowl causes increase in domestic violence, but is this really true?

In the 1990's reporters began circulating a chill statistic that Super Bowl Sunday was the most dangerous day of the year for women in abusive relationships. It is thought that because of the tendency of alcohol influence and the violence or rush of the Super Bowl, men were more likely to unleash their aggression on their partners on Super Bowl Sunday; the aggression also leading to calls to crisis hotlines and visits to the ER. Although this statistic is many times labeled as a misconception, it always draws on researchers' attention and resurfaces every year. Even though this misconception may be true, the reality of all of it is that domestic violence happens every day, and that is what we should draw our attention the most. "Abuse thrives only in silence." There are simple things you can do to help stop domestic violence - raising awareness is one of them.

Link to PSA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z_zWIVRIWk NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE: 1-800-799-7233 | 1-800-787-3224 (TTY)