Dove Men+Care’s newest sportcare range has some pretty big names involved, but they don’t have the most familiar faces. They’re new group of spokesmen carry the last names Paul, Williams, and Suarez– not the pro athletes, but still inspirational athletes in their own communities. The new campaign is being announced by ESPN reporter Kevin Negandhi, who was enthusiastic to work alongside everyday athletes versus the pros he works with on the daily.
“At the end of every month, we do [highlights of] local athletes, right? And we get the most responses when we do that top 10. It’s because I think the audience completely relates to everybody that’s a local athlete,” Negandhi said.
“Dove Men+Care hit a home run with this. The concept that you can relate to somebody and, you go down the aisle, you’re not selling this product to a professional athlete, you’re selling it to somebody who has an active lifestyle on an everyday basis.”
“Everyone has such an incredible story,” said Shawn Williams, a volunteer firefighter from New York and an athlete apart of the campaign. “It might not be the path that led to us being an Olympian or an NBA star but we are everyday athletes. Every woman, every man, everyone has a story which can be celebrated and put on a major platform.”
For Chris Paul, a Marine Corps veteran who shares his name with the world-famous NBA player, it was an honor to potentially inspire a wide audience like his namesake does.
“Chris Paul, there’s only one of him. There’s only one CP3. And that guy deserves the acclaim that he gets. He’s a hero to many boys, to fans nationwide, worldwide,” he noted.
“If I can be a hero to maybe just a small little group of people, that’s good, but, 7 out of 10 people, recent study it showed, relate more to somebody who’s an everyman than somebody who’s a superhero or a super athlete. And so, I have this very humbling opportunity here to be relatable to a bigger audience than Chris Paul”
Alvin Suarez, a visually impaired athlete from New York, says that he hopes young people can draw influence from his story.
“Growing up as a visually-impaired athlete and musician, I was always told I’m some sort of liability. Schools wouldn’t let me play sports when I was in regular mainstream schools,” he said.
“So now, here I am all these years later, I’ve done sports, I’ve had some success in music as well, winning awards, representing my community and just contributing. I now hope that young people know there is no such thing as nobody.”
To learn more about the new SPORTCARE range, visit dovemen.com
