Racism is a major issue in Germany. One attack still stands out. On February 19, 2020, nine men and women were murdered in the German city of Hanau, near Frankfurt. The sole motive: the victims’ immigration background. It remains the deadliest racially motivated attack in the post-war history of Germany and has left deep scars on the psyche of the city’s population..
For International Week Against Racism 2022, Hanau’s basketball team made a clear statement to people not to forget, to stand up to racist hate and embrace diversity and tolerance.
For one match, home team, White Wings Hanau and its opponents, Depant Giessen 46ers exchanged their jerseys. The special edition jerseys stated in large letters Colour makes no difference. Not in sports and certainly not when it comes to skin colour. For the first time in their history, both teams broke their club statutes to set an unprecedented sign against racism. The campaign was created by Serviceplan Campaign with jersey sponsor, PEAK Sport.
The match day on which the jersey swap took place was deliberately chosen to give the campaign maximum attention and underline the symbolic character of the gesture. The match against Giessen has special significance in Hanau. It was the first game after the attacks. This year’s match coincided exactly with the International Week against Racism, which was once again an impulse for both teams to clearly declare their opposition to hatred and racism and before the match, both team captains took the opportunity to give a short speech in memory of the victims.
The reactions to the swap of jersey colours were instantaneous. On social media the action ignited debate far beyond basketball circles. Some people asked, “A sports team wearing the colours of the opponent? Is that even allowed?” The game became the most-watched match of the season, and discussions and debates on the subject of racism increased measurably.
Alexander Nagel, creative managing director at Serviceplan Campaign, commented, “Unfortunately, racism is still a topic that affects society as a whole. People are insulted, discriminated against, attacked and in the worst cases even killed, solely because racists have taken offence about their origin or skin colour. We wanted to hold up a mirror to society in the most striking way possible and offer a new approach to dealing with the sensitive issue of racism based on skin colour. In memory of the victims of the Hanau attack, both teams unanimously emphasise: Colour doesn’t matter. In sports, club colours may mean everything – skin colour makes no difference at all, on or off the field.”
Credits:
Creative Agency: Serviceplan
Global Chief Creative Officer: Alexander Schill
Chief Creative Officer Germany: Matthias Harbeck
Executive Creative Directors Alexander Nagel & Christoph Everke
Idea & Concept: Martin Jüstel
Creative Director: Moritz Dornig
Copywriter: Nedim Aktas
Junior Art Director: Elvira Breit
Junior Motion Designer: Philipp Elsner
Graphic Design: Lukas Plapst
Senior Account Manager: Julia Leibetseder
Junior Account Manager: Julian Hupfeld
Head of Digital: Benjamin Majeron
Head of Corporate Communications Serviceplan Agencies: Birgit Koch
PR & Content Consultant: Kathrin Neumayer
International Communications Officer: Lee Sharrock
Partner: DDB (German Basketball Federation)
Managing Director White Wings Basketball: Sebastian Lübeck
Marketing Gießen 46ers & Co. KG: Christopher Dickert
Production: IT’S US Media
Chief Production Officer & Managing Director: Yana Isabelle Maier
Executive Creative Director: Max Penk
Production Assistants: Gregor Nehring & Mayke Pels
DOP: Marius Fischer
Photographer: Regie Sebastian Berger
Social Media: Johannes Petersen @ peal
