Football, friends, junk food and funny commerials are all things that come to mind when you think about NFL’s Super Bowl Sunday. Right?

However, in recent years the NFL has tried to bring a deeper meaning to America’s biggest sporting event. Between all the funny ads and product endorsements was one ad that stood out in a completely different way. This ad had the ability to not only leave the audience speechless but also get them talking. That was the goal of the NFL’s emotional ad to raise awareness about domestic violence.

Last year, during super bowl forty-nine, the NFL partnered with the national organization, No More to create a moving PSA. The NFL not only donated the airtime for the ad but also paid for the production costs for creating the ad as well. This was a definite step in the right direction for the NFL; after this ad aired No More as well as other domestic violence agencies across the country saw an increase in the number of calls they received. The super bowl is the most watched television event in America, so airing ads like this during it is an incredible way to begin honest discussions about domestic violence and bring awareness to millions of Americans.

In 2014, on the heels of the Ray Rice scandal, the NFL has changed the way it handles domestic violence incidents. One of the biggest changes they incorporated was the addition of mandatory, ongoing education classes for all league personnel. Classes focus on educating players and their families about domestic violence and sexual assault as well as providing community resources. Another policy change is that the league will no longer allow players with domestic violence or sexual assault convictions to be eligible to participate in any league related activities, including the draft.

The NFL has partnered with No More, the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center to provide more services for individuals in need across the country. They are also working to raise overall awareness of domestic violence through their PSA campaign which features current and former NFL players and are aired during nearly every game. Whether or not these steps work to reduce the number domestic violence incidents within the sport remains to be seen, but overall the NFL is taking steps in the right direction.

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