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Serena Williams calls out discrimination in powerful new ad

Yahoo Sport Australia

Sportswear giant Nike has released a new commercial for its “Just Do It” campaign, and this time the spotlight is on celebrating the accomplishments of female athletes.

The minute-and-a-half advertisement is narrated by tennis great Serena Williams, and it features a plethora of ladies who have excelled in their sport.

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From Olympic gold medalist gymnast Simone Biles to South African track and field star Caster Semenya, the ad also celebrates Katherine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, fending off marathon officials who attempted to drag her off the course.

The premise of the commercial is to spotlight the discrimination female athletes face for exhibiting emotion during some of their most contentious performances.

“When we stand for something, we’re unhinged. When we’re too good, there’s something wrong with us. And if we get angry, we’re hysterical, irrational, or just being crazy,” Willams narrates as a montage of female athletes adorn the screen.

Caster Semenya, Serena Williams and Simona Halep feature in the ad. Image: Nike
Caster Semenya, Serena Williams and Simona Halep feature in the ad. Image: Nike

According to ESPN, the commercial will air during Sunday evening’s Oscars broadcast, where Williams will be in attendance to introduce Best Picture-nominated film “A Star is Born.”

While Nike has released many of advertisements highlighting the success of athletes, none has ever featured an all-female cast of players.

Naturally, it’s garnering plenty of attention online.

With Yahoo Sports