Derrick Coleman is a deaf NFL superstar. The NFL created a commercial to celebrate his life and show people with hearing loss that they can still achieve their dreams. The ad shows Coleman as a child while other children made fun of him for wearing hearing aids. At the end of the commercial, viewers see Coleman in his number 40 Seattle Seahawks jersey, letting hearing-impaired children know that they can do anything "normal" kids can do. This commercial connects hearing impaired people and NFL fanatics by making viewers feel sympathy, man's man, and sharing a success story. The first way the Derrick Coleman commercial connects with the audience is by making them feel sympathy for Coleman. At the beginning, you see a young African American boy with hearing aids in both ears. Then you hear the other kids start teasing him and picking him last for all the games. It helps connect with the audience because every person can relate to the sadness. People with hearing loss know all too well what it means to be looked at differently and feel excluded, all because they are just a little different from everyone else. Viewers with disabilities can also connect with him while being left out. Hearing-impaired fans and NFL fans remember a time when they were kids, either being picked last or being told they weren't allowed to play. Coleman used this to motivate himself to work even harder, because he knew he was a great athlete and he wanted others to know it too. Finally, most people just enjoy a good sad story. The sad music played throughout the commercial helps let people know how Coleman felt and sets the mood for the entire commercial. The second way the Derrick Coleman commercial connects...... middle of paper ...... ing of the kid was picked last by an NFL player with a lot of money and living his dream. Derrick Coleman began the commercial with a young deaf African-American boy who was constantly made fun of and picked last for everything. By the end, he was wearing his Seattle Seahawks jersey and making a lot of money. The commercial takes viewers on an emotional rollercoaster starting sadly and ends leaving the audience with great joy. Advertising connects with the audience by using emotion, man's man, and sharing a success story. Works Cited Craig, Steve. “Men men and women women” Signs of life in the United States. Sonia Maasik and Jack Salomon. Seventh edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2012. 187-98. Print. “Derrick Coleman, deaf NFL player. » Youtube. January 15, 2014. The web. January 16. 2014.