• by Tanya Gazdik , February 6, 2017

The NFL announced the addition of a second ad to its roster of Super Bowl spots on Sunday morning. 

The 60-second spot “Inside These Lines” was created by Translation and aired between the third- and fourth-quarter break. It joined a 30-second spot -- “Legends,” created by Grey New York -- which was announced February 3. 

Translation -- which has handled creative for the NBA since 2014 -- has worked with the NFL since mid-2016 with the launch of “Let’s Play Football,” the first integrated campaign for youth football. The youth campaign kicked off with the short film, “Surprise Yourself,” along with social content featuring a collection of NFL players.

The new spot aims to demonstrate the power of football to bring people together. A preview of the commercial premiered Saturday night on the "NFL Honors" prime-time awards special on FOX.

“Because the Super Bowl brings families and friends together like nothing else, we wanted to make a meaningful statement on our biggest stage,” said Dawn Hudson, NFL chief marketing officer, in a release. “Inside these lines, our best shines through and this commercial demonstrates the core values of uniting around a common goal.”

Narrated by actor Forest Whitaker, the commercial opens with the words, “Inside these lines, we don’t have to come from the same place, to help each other reach the same destination. Inside these lines, we may have our differences, but recognize there is more that unites us.” 

The visuals depict a crew preparing the field for a game, followed by images of players and fans overcoming differences and banding together -- all “Inside These Lines.” The spot is accompanied by an original interpretation of Lonnie Liston Smith’s “Garden of Peace” by Jon Batiste.

Whitaker, a high school and college football player, was chosen because his "gentle yet powerful voice was perfect for the story," according to the agency. 

“Legends” had a more humorous tone, starring Super Bowl Babies saluting legends of the game. Set to "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago, a cavalcade of star baby look-alikes appear on screen in quick succession. It aired prior to the start of the third quarter.