Domestic violence is a social issue that is now being moved to the forefront of media coverage not only in television shows but in commercials and the news as well. The cases that would typically make the headlines were those of celebrities but more specifically athletes. The most recent case that set the media into a frenzy involved a player in the National Football League (NFL), Ray Rice. This did not only cause uproar because of what Ray Rice did to his then fiance, but because of the NFL's failure to act on the charges that Ray Rice was presented with. In order to show that the NFL as an organization did not condone the act of domestic violence they allowed a domestic violence commercial to air during the first half of Super Bowl XLIX. The commercial was made for an organization called No More, which stands against domestic violence and abuse. The commercial uses a 911 call, images of a house in disarray, and the Super Bowl to help spread the word that domestic violence is unacceptable. There is never a valid reason to hit your spouse until they are knocked unconscious or seriously injured without suffering the consequences of your actions.

The commercial begins with a cell phone ringing then the next thing the listener hears is the voice of a 911 operator asking if everything is ok. At first, the 911 operator could not tell why the woman was calling because she first asked to order a pizza. There is a woman on the other end of the phone with a little bit of a panic in her voice, but she has to hide it because her abuser is in the room with her. It takes a while for the operator to catch on because the woman could not come right out and say what is occurring. This is one of the problems associated with domestic abuse cases and shows why they take so long to be addressed. The person being abused is often too afraid of what might happen to them if they were to come out and say that they are being abused by someone in their life. At the very end the viewer is left with the quote, "when it's hard to talk, it is up to us to listen (Listen 60)". If it were not for that 911 operator who knows if anything would have been done to help this woman out of her situation. The 911 operator did his job and helped the woman through this situation assuring her that it will be ok and that a police officer will be there shortly. Sadly, not everybody speaks up until it is too late, putting themselves into a position where they are fighting for their lives. This commercial advocates for speaking up against domestic abuse because it could save your life or a loved one's life. In the commercial there is no mention or image of the abuser, all the audience knows is that a woman is being abused. This makes the commercial more universal because it is not only men who abuse people. Anybody can be a victim of abuse, and it is never okay.  

Behind the voiceover of the 911 call the commercial shows pictures of a messy house. The pictures are not vibrant they have very muted colors a lot of blue, grey, and white is used throughout the house to set the tone of the commercial. It opens with what appears to be just a peaceful living room but then it starts to show images of a sink full of dirty dishes, a bed that is not made, a shattered picture by the trash can, and a dented wall. The images tell the story of what the woman is going through viewers can see that there was an argument between two people all throughout the house. One can assume that just the littlest thing set the abuser off and made them go on a rampage, striking fear in all of those present. The house is not a complete mess though it is the little things like the pile of dirty dishes or the one smashed picture next to the trash can that help convey the message that domestic violence and abuse is not okay. The camera is focused on one image at a time in this commercial. The pictures are also clear and crisp rather than blurry and hectic, which one might be used to seeing during a fight or a violent dispute. This fact helps get the point across that domestic abuse does not always look like how they portray it in the movies. In real life the person getting abused gets hurt but there is not always this big explosion of everything in every circumstance. Abuse can present itself differently in every case there is no uniformity when it comes to abuse.

The commercial was broadcasted during the first half of the 2015 Super Bowl. The organization No More could not have picked a better time to show this commercial not only because domestic abuse is a huge problem throughout America but also because of the number of viewers this commercial got. The Super Bowl is the most watched television event every year meaning millions of Americans saw this commercial. Not only was it played during the Super Bowl, but it is also one of the first commercials that the viewers see. The Super Bowl was played well after the news broke that Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice knocked his fiance unconscious and drug her out of an elevator in Atlantic City. People everywhere were mad that the NFL did not give Ray Rice a harsher punishment than only missing a couple games. The NFL claimed that they had not seen the video, of Ray Rice abusing his fiance, until after they gave Ray Rice his punishment. However, due to the media firestorm the NFL retracted their punishment and removed Rice from the league. This commercial was the NFL's answer to the media firestorm to let it be known that the NFL and its players do not allow domestic violence or domestic abuse to happen at any time. While the NFL did not make this commercial they did come out with several others that go along with the "no more" message that the viewer is left with after the commercial ends.

After what the NFL went through in the last year it was reassuring to see them show that they do not stand for domestic violence and that they are not going to let what happened in the previous months happen again without serious consequences. The commercial was necessary to address the growing problem of domestic violence. Through the use of the 911 call, the messy house, and the Super Bowl, The NFL and No More were able to spread the message that domestic violence is never acceptable. 

