Super Bowl Sunday is only days away, and companies are already rolling out their game-time ads—including Budweiser.
The one-minute ad, "Born the Hard Way," was released today and features a young Adolphus Busch, co-founder of Anheuser-Busch, recounting his tumultuous journey from Germany to St. Louis. "Why leave Germany?" someone asks him. His response: "I want to brew beer."
He's greeted in America with shouts of "You're not wanted here" and "Go back home." After flashes of a riverboat and a shot with a Clydesdale in the background, he lands in St. Louis, where someone tells him, "Welcome to St. Louis, son."
See also: How Adolphus Busch changed brewing—and architecture
Adolphus Busch left Germany for St. Louis in 1857. He created Anheuser-Busch, now one of the largest brewing companies in the United States, with his brother-in-law Eberhard Anheuser.
The ad, which features a German immigrant coming to the United States, was filmed in Louisiana in mid-January. But it acquired some unintended timeliness after President Donald Trump issued an executive order last week banning Syrian refugees from entering the United States and suspending all refugee admission for 120 days. Citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries are also banned from entering the country for 90 days.
The order has sparked several protests throughout the country, including one at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
The Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots face off in the 51st Super Bowl on Sunday, February 5 at 5:30 p.m.
See also: A graphic of the Busch family tree
