Biden campaign targets NFL fans in advertising blitz

Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s campaign is targeting NFL fans in an advertising blitz on Sunday – 16 days out from Election Day.

Biden’s campaign released four new ads to debut during NFL games this week. 

Two of the ads will air during the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Brown game. One ad is called “The Blind Pig,” which details how an Ann Arbor, Mich., bar co-owner’s small business is struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.

“For 50 years the Blind Pig has been open and crowded, but right now it’s an empty room,” co-owner Joe said in the ad. “This is the reality of Trump’s COVID response.”

“My only hope for my family and for this business and my community is that Joe Biden wins this election,” he adds. 

“The Blind Pig” ad will be the first advertisement that The Beastie Boys has licensed music for “because of the importance of the election,” the Biden campaign noted. The band’s song “Sabotage” plays in the background. 

The second ad during the Steelers-Browns game called “Flex Your Power” features former Steelers player Ryan Shazier, who says he won’t make the “mistake” again of not voting as he did in 2016.

“When you vote, you use your voice and you flex your power to make change,” he said “You want change? Go vote. Use your power.”

Another ad will air during the Sunday night game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. “Worth Fighting For” highlights a U.S. Army veteran named Matt who is from Lancaster, Pa., and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder upon returning home.

Matt calls out President Trump for reportedly calling Americans who died in World War I “losers” and “suckers,” according to a report last month in The Atlantic that cited multiple anonymous sources. Trump has denied he made the remarks.

“My friends – they are not suckers,” Matt said in the ad.

“I believe Joe Biden knows what makes this country worth fighting for,” Matt added. “He would do everything that he possibly could do for our country and for our families.”

During ESPN Monday Night Football, which will show the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys game, the Biden campaign will air “Tristen Vance,” an ad about a college football player from Flagstaff, Ariz.

“I’ve been working my whole life towards this dream to play professionally,” Vance said in the ad. “Missing this season puts those dreams in jeopardy.”

“Trump’s failure of leadership is why we can’t play right now,” he added. “I don’t blame President Trump for the virus, but I 100 percent blame him for the response to the virus.”

Biden’s campaign also plans to run ads during the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers game on Fox on Sunday and during Thursday night football later in the week. 

The new ads come after an analysis from the Wesleyan Media Project determined last week that the Biden campaign outspent Trump’s campaign on TV ads by almost $25 million during a two-week period from late September to early October.