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Nike debuted its first Super Bowl commercial in 27 years last month, and while a star-studded female lineup of athletes was involved, the ad received criticism for the company’s stance on supporting transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, JuJu Watkins, Sha’Carri Richardson, Jordan Chiles and other stars from various sports were in the one-minute ad that had different language with the same theme.
The slogans 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.”
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Jennifer Sey with brand ambassadors Paula Scanlan, left, and Riley Gaines, right (XX-XY Athletics)
XX-XY Athletics, the athletic brand whose goal is to support female athletes by defending safety and fairness in women’s sports and keeping biological males out of women’s and girls sports, released a video of several athletes reacting to Nike’s ad.
Powerlifter April Hutchinson, who was suspended from the Canadian Powerlifting Union for two years for speaking out against a trans athlete entering competitions in women’s categories, took exception to the part of Nike’s ad about flexing.
“I’ve never been told that I can’t flex or can’t do this or that,” Hutchinson said.
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University of Nevada women’s volleyball captain Sia Liilii, who, among many teammates, fought against her school’s decision to play against trans athlete Blaire Fleming and the San Jose State Spartans last season, felt Nike was missing the mark.
“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 video.
The “real problem” is the main point of what XX-XY Athletics was getting across in its video response to Nike.
Sia Liilii tells her story in IW Features’ “Hold the Line.” (IW Features)
“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.
When the Nike ad came out, Jennifer Sey, a former U.S. gymnast and founder/CEO of XX-XY Athletics, quickly called out Nike on X.
“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,” Sey wrote in response to the commercial on X.
Michele Tafoya, the veteran sports broadcaster and journalist, also took exception to it.
Riley Gaines has championed fairness in women’s sports. (XX-XY Athletics)
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“Nike is too late to this party. And they’re stuck in stereotypical language from about 25 years ago,” Tafoya wrote, later adding, “What a waste of ad dollars.”
President Donald Trump fulfilled his campaign promise of protecting women’s sports, signing the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order Feb. 5. While some states complied and the NCAA revised its own trans athlete policy, states like Minnesota have rejected changes to their policies.
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