• by Fern Siegel , August 20, 2024

The NFL kicks off a new season with “This Is Football Country,” detailing the passion behind the play. The 60-second spot shows the love of the game worldwide.

Created by 72andSunny, filming took place in Brazil, Hawaii, Japan, Florida, New York and Mexico. The campaign rolls out shorter vignettes throughout the year showcasing stories from various locales — Tokyo to Brooklyn. 

The ad opens in a locker room huddle with the Lahainaluna high school football team. Despite the devastating Hawaiian fires, they persevered. Their chant: “Remember who we are and who we represent.”

Various scenes follow, from Makena Cook, rising flag football star for Team USA and the Los Angeles Rams, to an evening practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ USA Wheelchair Football League team. The latter is funded, in part, through the NFL’s Salute to Service initiative.

En route, some of the NFL's key players are featured, such as Jason Kelce (former Philadelphia Eagles) and wife Kylie, DeMarcus Lawrence (Dallas Cowboys), Stefon Diggs (Houston Texans) and Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns).

College player Haley Van Voorhis, the first woman who wasn’t a kicker to play in an NCAA football game, is also included.

Tim Ellis, NFL chief marketing officer, said: “We wanted to capture the universal joy of this game, while conveying the palpable hype that comes with the return of football.”

This year's campaign also features flag football, one of the world's fastest-growing sports. It is played in more than 100 countries across six continents.

The 2024 NFL Kickoff presented by YouTube TV is a four-day football weekend, slated for Sept. 5. The Super Bowl LVIII champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, host the Baltimore Ravens on NBC and Peacock, followed the next day by the Green Bay Packers vs. the Philadelphia Eagles, playing in South America.