http://www.bandt.com.au/news/14/0c023114.asp Nike tennis ad pulled after child group anger Nichola Patterson NIKE Australia has pulled its new tennis TVC, launched during the Olympic coverage this weekend, because it has been labelled as “insensitive” by child protection groups. The ad, created by Wieden & Kennedy, shows young girls trying to impress their male tennis coach, with each one turning into Serena Williams. The ad has aired barely a week after high-profile Melbourne tennis coach Gavin Hopper was jailed for having a sexual relationship with one of his students in the 1980s. Added to that, recent allegations of child sex abuse by members of the clergy have made the issue highly sensitive. Nike’s managing director Tony Balfour says the commercial was part of an international campaign and the company now believes it is “inappropriate for the commercial to be aired in Australia”. Nike apologised to anyone who had been offended by the commercial. Australian Childhood Foundation CEO Joe Tucci says that although there’s no way Nike would have intended the ad to send out an inappropriate message, the execution left room for more than one interpretation of the relationship between the coach and the students. “Unfortunately, the ad has come out at a time when there is much confusion in the community about the acceptable standards of adult behaviour regarding children,” Tucci said. “The advertising industry needs to portray young people in a respectful way and not reflect some adult attitudes which are dismissive and unprotective towards children.” Tucci was also critical of Clemenger Melbourne’s new HBA ‘Couples Cover’ ad, where a couple woken by a crying baby yell out the window to get the parents to “shut the @#$*ing baby up”, as unnecessarily positioning children in a disrespectful way. He has called for the Nike ad to be pulled worldwide not just in Australia. for more info Gavin Hopper is a well known Tennis coach... coached Pat Cash here's a story about his case Tennis coach jailed for sex crimes Disgraced tennis coach Gavin Hopper has been jailed for three-and-a-half years for sex offences against a teenager. Hopper, 48, pleaded not guilty to 11 charges of indecent assault and gross indecency arising from a sexual relationship with one of his students at Melbourne's Wesley College in the mid-1980s. The victim told the County Court she was 14-years-old when their four-year affair began. Hopper's lawyer accused the now 33-year-old victim of imagining the events and trying to cash in on Hopper's success, which included coaching tennis stars Mark Philippoussis and Monica Seles. But the jury found Hopper guilty on all but two of the charges. Judge Graeme Crossley said Hopper was an educated man and should have foreseen the disasterous consequences the relationship would have on the girl. But he said Hopper had no prior or subsequent convictions and was unlikely to reoffend. Outside court, the victim's husband said his wife was still suffering. "There's not a day goes by in those 18 years that she hasn't been affected by it, hasn't been in pain, hasn't thought about it," he said. The court also heard she lodged a compensation claim after Hopper was convicted. Her husband said his wife pursued the case in the interests of justice, not to get Hopper's money. "She stated during the trial that it's not something you would go through for compensation," she said. Hopper is planning to appeal against his convictions. http://www.abc.net.au/sport/content/200408/s1170484.htm
It is a vague enough commercial that it makes you try to figure out what is going on. I'll agree with that. How many people tho', did not crush on a teacher in their lifetime. Except for Maybe Van Halen.
God I hate this kind of ****. Atleast it didn't happen in the US, though the same attitude being voiced here wouldn't surprise me. This is just such a silly issue, like PSJ said, girls get crushes on older males, big flippin' deal, nothing will ever change that, it's just human nature. But if I remember the commercial correctly, the instructor just looks on with a confused look on his face... it's not like he's thinkin' "Alright! I can score some underage trim!" or goes and runs off to his car with a group of them to have sex. I like that commercial, I think it's pretty damn clever and amusing, and this kind of fuss over nothing will one day kill all humor in the world!
Right on! There is a column in my local paper, The Jonesboro Sun , called "Letters to the Editor" where people can send in their thoughts on just about anything. Over the past couple weeks there have been people mailing in such things as: Homosexuality causes AIDS, various, ignorant things about the current administration, and a rant about how Popeye's has offended so many with their naked chicken advertising. Give me a break!
i think it was more a case of bad timing... normally i don't see people complaining but just days after a well known tennis coach gets found guilty of sex with a minor..
Thank you Smeg. The sentence above explained everything to me. I don't know why some of the guys in this thread are overreacting so much.
Exactly. Some people here might not know why its wrong becasue they don't know **** about what's going on the other side of the world. Hypersensitive people? Give me a freaking break. Know something before you accuses people. For an example, the Columbine School shooting. After the shooting the NRA show up and promote their guns in Columbine. Maybe some of us didnt know whats happen at Columbine wont find anything wrong with it but tell it to the people who live there.
You or your family must not have underaged children. It is sad that this could be called "Freedom of Speech" or "... the Press" in the U.S., but in Australia, it takes a group such as this to shut something like this commercial down and take it off the airwaves. I asked myself, well, why couldn't Nike pull the "You could be like Venus [or Serena]" without making the young girls have a crush on their tennis instructor? The Marion Jones commercial about the scared youngster works well, this one doesn't.
Overreacting? It may be a sensitive subject this month in Australia, but not everywhere. If someone is overreacting, I'd say it was Tucci.
Hey, man....people can say whatever they want about Popeyes, AIDS, or President Bush...its their right. However, I have the right to write back and call them out for being ignorant (or wise....because my million dollar lawsuit versus Popeyes is all about offensive naked chicken). But that Serena ad isn't any more offensive than the lies being spewed by politicians these days.....and for some reason I cannot cancel them.
