YouTube, 72andSunny Celebrate Equality for All Athletes

By Erik Oster 

72andSunny has a new campaign for longtime gay rights supporter YouTube, entitled “ProudToPlay.” The star-studded campaign celebrating diversity in sports is set to run through the end of June, which is LGBT Pride Month, reports AdWeek.

In addition to gay athletes such as Jason Collins, Michael Sam and Robbie Rogers, the spot also features clips of Nelson Mandela, President Obama and Kobe Bryant talking about the unifying power of sports and the importance of gay rights. Set to Katy Perry’s “Roar,” the “#ProudToPlay” video clocks in at two minutes, ending with a rainbow soccer ball YouTube logo tying the spot to the impending World Cup in Brazil (as does some of the footage used). “#ProudToPlay” is already getting a lot of attention. Since its launch yesterday, the video has racked up almost 3 million views (and an unfortunate but completely expected rash of homophobic comments).

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“We applaud the courage and openness of athletes at all levels who have come out and admire their teammates, friends, families, and supporters who are all proving that it doesn’t matter who you are or who you love—what matters is that you put forward your best effort,” YouTube wrote in a blog post. “We stand with our community in the belief that youth everywhere should all have the same opportunities to grow up and pursue their dreams and passions, on or off the field.”

For the remainder of the month, YouTube will be sharing a collection of videos about the LGBT community and sports on the YouTube Spotlight Channel, and invites users to upload their own videos “talking about what being #ProudToPlay means to you.”

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