Nike's Super Bowl Commercial Was All About Celebrating Women Athletes
Was anyone else absolutely fired up watching this year's Super Bowl? Not because the Philadelphia Eagles finally got their win over the Kansas City Chiefs after losing to them in the Super Bowl two years ago, but because of Nike's brand new "So Win" commercial.
The ad, which aired right before Kendrick Lamar's halftime show, featured a mesmerizing cast of some of the most iconic women in sports right now, including A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark, JuJu Watkins, Jordan Chiles, Sabrina Ionescu, Sha’Carri Richardson, Alexia Putellas, Aryna Sabalenka, and Sophia Smith Wilson.
In the commercial, clips of the women dominating in their respective sports were intermixed with gorgeous in-studio cameos, all while Grammy-award winner Doechii does the voiceover. In the "So Win" message, which Nike calls its new anthem, per a statement, Doechii acknowledges all of the limitations that are put on female athletes, from their behavior being policed to how they look. By the end of the video though, those tired tropes and double-standards are subverted. Watch below if you want full-body chills and a pump up like no other:
Given the enormous increase in viewership and investment across women's sports, the timing of this ad is no surprise. “Women’s sport isn’t the future, it’s right now," said Sabrina Ionescu, a Nike signature athlete, in the statement. "We’re seeing it in packed arenas, in TV ratings, in the way people are showing up for the game like never before. Commanding attention isn’t about being the loudest in the room. It’s about making sure that when you step up, everyone takes notice.”
But this isn't a trend for Nike. The 60-second ad was Nike's first Super Bowl commercial since 1998, so it's a really big deal that the iconic brand chose to end it's nearly 30-year Super Bowl hiatus highlighting women in sports, especially during an enormous cultural event that centers men.
So if you're like me and absolutely need to put the words from the "So Win" anthem on your wall, the full transcript is below:
"You can't be demanding. You can't be relentless. You can't put yourself first.
So, put yourself first. You can't be confident. So be confident. You can't challenge, so challenge. You can't dominate, so dominate. You can't flex, so flex. You can't fill a stadium, so fill that stadium. You can't be emotional, so be emotional. You can't take credit. You can't speak up. You can't be so ambitious. Break records. You can't have any fun. You can't make demands. You can't be proud. You can't keep score. You can't stand out. Whatever you do, you can't win. So win."
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