Female athletes fired back at Nike’s Super Bowl commercial for ‘ignoring the real problem’ women deal with in sports.
During February’s big game, Nike aired its first Super Bowl ad in 27 years with a star-studded lineup of female athletes. However, the company has since been criticized for supporting transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, JuJu Watkins, Sha’Carri Richardson, Jordan Chiles, and other stars from various disciplines were in the minute-long ad that was meant to inspire girls in sports.
The slogans in the commercial included ‘You can’t flex, so flex,’ ‘You can’t fill a stadium, so fill that stadium,’ ‘You can’t be emotional, so be emotional’ and ‘You can’t win, so win.’
In response, XX-XY Athletics, a brand that strives to maintain fairness in female sports by keeping biological males out of girls’ and women’s compeтιтion, released a video to reʙuттal Nike’s ad.
Canadian powerlifter April Hutchinson was suspended from the Canadian Powerlifting Union for two years for speaking out against trans athletes.
XX-XY responded to Nike’s Super Bowl commercial for ‘missing the mark’ with their ad
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Speaking on the XX-XY video, she said ‘I’ve never been told that I can’t flex or can’t do this or that.’
University of Nevada women’s volleyball captain Sia Liilii, who fought against her school’s decision to play against trans athlete Blaire Fleming and the San Jose State Spartans, said Nike missed the mark with their ad.
‘That Nike ad kinda represented old feminism. I don’t think anyone is telling women in sports they can’t champion their sport,’ Liilii explained.
‘Fake feminism,’ ‘pretending to care about women’ and ‘Nike is ignoring the real problem’ were lines used by other athletes in the clip.
‘Women can flex, be confident, be emotional, fill stadiums. And win. But what can’t they do? Speak. On one subject in particular: protecting women’s sports,’ an XX-XY Athletics press release said.
”Just Do It’ – that’s your slogan, isn’t it Nike? Just do it. Stand up for women. It’s the easiest thing in the world to do,’ sports civil rights advocate Riley Gaines said, ending the video.
XX-XY gathered female athletes and spoke about how Nike did not address trans-athletes
University of Nevada women’s volleyball captain Sia Liilii was one of the athletes to speak up
Former US gymnast and XX-XY founder Jennifer Sey quickly cried foul on Nike when the ad first came out.
‘You’re so full of it. 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,’ she wrote on X.
Veteran sports broadcaster and journalist Michele Tafoya also took exception to the commercial.
‘Nike is too late to this party. And they’re stuck in stereotypical language from about 25 years ago,’ Tafoya wrote. ‘What a waste of ad dollars.’
US President Donald Trump fulfilled his campaign promise, signing the ‘No Men in Women’s Sports’ executive order on February 5. While some states complied and the NCAA revised its trans-athlete policy, the order has been rejected by states like Minnesota.