(The Lion) — Two Super Bowl ads that attempted to promote female athletic participation are being blasted by critics as tone-deaf and divisive.
The multi-million-dollar ads were from the National Football League (NFL) and sports apparel company Nike.
The NFL ad featured a girl who throws a football at a boy’s genitals and outcompetes all the varsity lettermen in flag football with superhuman athleticism. The ad called for the creation of girls’ varsity flag football in all 50 states.
By demeaning men, the ad was counterproductive, said one women’s athletic participation advocacy group.
“I hate this ad with all my heart,” Women are Real posted on X. “We know we can’t compete against a team of men. It’s a lie. And it’s a slap in the face of every phenomenal female athlete. Women’s sports is about female excellence. Leave the men out of this.”
Talk radio host Clay Travis expressed a similar sentiment, calling the NFL’s marketing tactics “embarrassing.”
“If you want to argue flag football can be a fun sport for girls to play – which it can! – why do you decide to advertise it by ridiculing men and pretending girls are better at it than boys?” Travis posted on X. “How can the NFL be this tone-deaf? Just embarrassing marketing.”
And Marshi Smith, co-founder of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, said there’s no reason to depict men and women competing in sports.
“Why is the world obsessed with showing women playing sports against men?!?” Smith posted on X. “Give us our own g d sports and stop comparing us.”
In its first Super Bowl commercial in 27 years, Nike also took a stab at promoting female sports. It featured female athletes such as Caitlin Clark, Sha’Carri Richardson, Jordan Chiles and JuJu Watkins.
“More than an anthem, ‘So Win’ is a celebration of the power of sport – harnessing Nike’s iconic roster to encourage all athletes to block out the noise, dig in and let their hard work speak for itself,” Nike’s description of the commercial said.
However, the ad drew ire because the famous shoe-maker supports transgender athlete participation in women’s sports, a position held by just 18% of the country.
Former gymnast and XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey blasted the Nike ad, saying the company doesn’t support women in sports.
“You’re so full of it,” she posted on X. “The only thing female athletes are told they can’t do is stand up for the integrity of their sports, for keeping men out of women’s sports. Literally, that’s the only thing,” Sey wrote in response to the commercial on X.
Former NFL sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya also ripped the ad, agreeing with Sey that the more pressing women’s sports issue is transgender-identifying athletes.
“Nike is too late to this party. And they’re stuck in stereotypical language from about 25 years ago,” Tafoya posted on X.
And former college swimmer Riley Gaines responded to the commercial by urging consumers to stop supporting Nike.
“Ditch Nike Support XX-XY Athletics,” Gaines posted on X, referencing Sey’s apparel company.
The shoe giant came out in favor of transgender-identifying athletes competing in women’s sports in 2023.
“Nike is on a mission to make sport available to everyone, everywhere,” the brand’s website says. “We’re continuing our commitment to helping shape a strong culture of LGBTQIA+ belonging and visibility in sport. We’re working to expand sport for the next generation through community grants, athlete partnerships, impactful storytelling, and products that celebrate the full spectrum of LGBTQIA+ expression. Because sport is better when all athletes are free to play as themselves.”
But Gaines, President Trump and many other women’s sports advocates disagree.
Shortly after taking office in January, Trump signed executive orders recognizing just two genders and banning men from women’s sports. The NCAA and some state high school athletic associations are following suit.
