Bill Maher Blasts Viral Nike Super Bowl Ad Featuring Caitlin Clark, JuJu Watkins
On the morning of Super Bowl LIX between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, news broke that Nike would be airing its first Super Bowl commercial in 27 years during the game in an ad that would showcase the growth of women's sports.
The commercial, which featured WNBA superstars such as Caitlin Clark, A'ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, and JuJu Watkins among icons of other women's sports, was about shedding light on the cultural and societal barriers that female athletes are subject to during their pursuit of greatness.
The commercial's tagline read, “Whatever you do, you can’t win — so win."
There’s one guarantee in sport. You’ll be told you can’t do it. So do it anyway.
— Nike (@Nike) February 10, 2025
You can’t win. So Win.
🎤@officialdoechii pic.twitter.com/Fcu9VXQbnA
This commercial has been praised by fans and members of the women's basketball community ever since it aired a few minutes before Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show.
However, television talk show host television host Bill Maher blasted the commercial during a February 14 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher.
"This is a phrase I use a lot here: zombie lie," Maher said after showing clips of Nike's commercial on air, per an X post from Eric Abbenante. "It means like something used to be true, and it stopped being true. And then people kept saying it. I feel like this [commercial] is a giant zombie lie.
"[The American people are] not that savvy about politics, but they know when you're lying. I mean, when was the last time a woman was told 'You can't do this? You can't be confident?' Who are these imaginary, mean old men of the patriarchy?"
Show guest Pamela Paul added, "Most of the messages you hear out there are 'Girl power, you go girl, girl's code.' There are messages encouraging young women are so ubiquitous, it begins to sound not only dishonest, but just weird and defensive.
"It's like, who's saying this to them? Who are they fighting against? And why does it help girls and women to think of themselves as uniquely embattled and vulnerable?"
Bill Maher uses Nike's Superbowl ad to advise Democrats against lying to the American public about women:
— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) February 15, 2025
Bill Maher: "Did you see the Nike commercial?
A zombie lie. It means like something used to be true, and it stopped being true. And then people kept saying it.
If the… pic.twitter.com/c9oVwIBtKa
We imagine this will stir up a strong response from those who resonated with Nike's commercial.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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