With each commercial costing roughly $8 million for 30 seconds of screen time, it’s safe to say that the Super Bowl commercials are highly competitive and reach an insane amount of viewers. While many companies choose to make comedy-based commercials, some aim to get a message across, and that’s exactly what Nike did in its “So Win” commercial. It featured famous female athletes such as Caitlin Clark, Sophia Wilson, and Sabrina Ionescu sporting Nike gear while interchanging clips of each woman dominating in their respective sports. The commercial was entirely in black and white, forcing viewers to focus on the message that highlights the constant doubt these women face rather than fancy visuals. After each scene, a different stereotype was pointed out and then crushed because of these amazing women and their ability to succeed, regardless of what they have been told.
The commercial, narrated by Grammy-winning artist Doechii, aka the third woman to win rap album of the year, says statements many women have heard before like “You can’t be confident, So be confident” or “You can’t be emotional, So be emotional.” This commercial broke the mold that many women athletes are forced into, even while winning National Championships and World Cups. They are told to “not be too demanding,” and it is understood that you “can’t put yourself first” and Doechii’s answer to this throughout the commercial is, since you can’t be all the things, go be all these things! This commercial insinuates everything the feminist movement works towards, which is equality for all women, especially regardless of race. The commercial also does an exceptional job of representing women of color throughout the commercial to break the mold. Athletes like Jordan Chiles, who is Latina and Black, can be seen tumbling on a gymnastics mat, while Sha’Carri Richardson, who is of African American descent can be seen winning one of her many races.
https://www.thefader.com/2025/02/02/doechii-third-black-woman-win-best-rap-album-grammys
It is also extremely important to recognize that this is Nike’s first Super Bowl Commercial in 27 years and considering they wanted famous female athletes to be the star of the show sends a very strong message to the athletic community. Nike wanted to promote their new line of women’s gear, and what better way to do it than with some of the best athletes in women’s sport. With all this being said, this commercial ended up being viewed very negatively by some and caused outrage by many viewers. They stated that Nike sent the wrong message by emphasizing some of the things women have been told when competing. Many found it demoralizing for women and ultimately found that it did the opposite of what they aimed for. Regardless of what viewers thought of the commercial, it was still viewed and talked about, which can be seen as a very positive thing. It is important for women, especially young women, to see what they are capable of because of these women who have broken through the mold and challenges in the athletic world. They need to see that even though there will be resistance, it doesn’t mean you can’t go out and win, so win!
Watch the official commercial using the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukYfwwV5tjg
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