WATCH: Shapovalov, Serena, Rapinoe and Lebron star in new Nike ad

Nike launched a new ad a couple of days ago, and it’s already been viewed over 22 million times on YouTube alone. The campaign is called “You Can’t Stop Us” and shows a series of athletes in split screen, with both sides edited together seamlessly. Tennis player Denis Shapovalov is the only Canadian athlete in the ad, and is featured alongside a variety of greats such as Serena Williams, Megan Rapinoe (who also narrates the ad), Lebron James, Colin Kaepernick and Cristiano Ronaldo.

According to CNN, the ad took 4,000 hours of sports footage to create. “You Can’t Stop Us” refers to the variety of challenges that athletes have been facing, including being criticized for kneeling during anthems to protest police brutality, as well as for supporting Black Lives Matter. The ad also addresses the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic essentially stopped sports outright. The campaign focuses on inclusivity, featuring athletes of all races, LGBT and disabled athletes, as well as a woman in a burqa skateboarding.

“We are never alone and that is our strength. Because when we’re doubted, we’ll play as one. When we’re held back, we’ll go farther and harder. If we’re not taken seriously, we’ll prove that wrong. And if we don’t fit the sport, we’ll change the sport. We know things won’t always go our way. But whatever it is, we’ll find a way. And when things aren’t fair, we’ll come together for change. And no matter how bad it gets, we will always come back stronger. Because nothing can stop what we can do together.”

–Megan Rapinoe, “You Can’t Stop Us” by Nike

Check out the beautiful ad below.

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