Do you remember Under Armour’s Protect This House battle chant that took sports culture by storm 20 years ago? Well, Protect This House is back, and spoiler alert (!)–it’s not going anywhere.
Twenty years after UA cemented the phrase into the global sports vernacular, the brand is resurrecting the iconic battle chant to connect with today’s athlete mentality and breathe new life into what it means to be part of a team.
When today’s athletes hit their breaking point, it’s their team that pushes them to keep going. That’s what Protect This House is all about. With the help of current and future basketball legends Stephen Curry, Kelsey Plum, Aliyah Boston, and Bryson Tucker, Under Armour is bringing back Protect This House. These game-changing athletes will represent a bold team mentality and show the world what it means to fight for your team.
“It was never a matter of if we would bring back ‘Protect this House,’ it was when and how. Its significance to Under Armour’s heritage and brand legacy, and in sports in general, makes it the perfect brand platform to take UA into this new chapter. But its revival isn’t about repeating the past. Today’s athletes and their motivations differ greatly from those who occupied locker rooms 20 years ago and we want to celebrate that,” shares Under Under Armour Founder, Executive Chairman & Brand Chief, Kevin Plank.
The training, sweat, and camaraderie that enables athletes to Protect This House is even more crucial today than it was in the early 2000s because athletes, as a collective, have shifted their mindset from “me” to “we.” Under Armour has always understood not only what athletes endure during the game, but how competitors are born and bred behind the scenes, and away from the cameras and crowds. Everything a player goes through helps them commit to their team and their team’s success.
Many basketball legends today grew up chanting Protect This House in their own locker rooms, practice facilities and homes. Under Armour is partnering with athletes who embody what it means to Protect This House to reignite the battle cry for today’s athlete—bring them into the DNA, the heritage, and future of the brand.
“In the early 2000s, athletes didn’t have an anthem they could all relate to. Protect This House changed that,” said Brian Boring, VP, Global Brand Creative. “It became a phenomenon, and for the first time, athletes saw their deeply intimate, pregame moments reflected on screen. That athlete knowledge cemented us into global sports culture, and twenty years later, it still stands.”
Directed by Tool’s Wes Walker, Under Armour’s anthemic Protect This House film will detail the true grit it takes to fight for your team and breathe new life into what it means to be part of one. Through this film, rich athlete storytelling, and digital content, the brand shows how an athlete can use their experiences—positive or negative—to build up their armor and fight on together. With this next evolution, Under Armour will once again reshape the sports landscape by helping today’s young athletes protect everything they are and everything they’re working to become.
Each of the star athletes representing this campaign relates to this battle cry in a different way. When Stephen Curry hears Protect This House, a fire and purpose is ignited within, pushing him to stop at nothing to achieve his team’s goals. Kelsey Plum uses resiliency as her armor. This innate fight makes her stronger and pushes her to Protect This House.
Aliyah’s armor has helped her achieve incredible feats on the court, but she’s even prouder of what it’s allowed her to do off the court. By giving her all for her team, her family, and her hometown, she shows us how to Protect This House. Watch below:
REELated:
“Everyone has to come back to their roots at some point. And Under Armour is going back to its roots with the revival of Protect This House, but evolving it to apply to today. Twenty years later, Protect This House is still a rallying cry that ignites a fire within athletes–it’s about believing in yourself, having a sense of pride, and pushing yourself to your limit to accomplish greatness for yourself and your team, both on and off the court,” notes Steph Curry, 4x NBA champion.
“To young athletes with big dreams: anyone can become a dawg. You just have to be consistent with how you show up. No one will hand anything to you, and you’re not entitled to anything in this life. If you want something, you’ve got to go get it–for yourself and for your team. That’s what it means to Protect This House,” adds WNBA Champion, Kelsey Plum.
“It’s an absolute honor to be working with Under Armour on the revival of Protect This House. When I hear those three simple words, I feel motivated to just keep pushing–for my family, my teammates on the court, and the women’s basketball community all over the world,” concludes Aliyah Boston, college champion.
