Reclaiming “Crazy”

Photo courtesy of imdb.com

They say it’s a man’s world — but when it comes to the world of sports, Nike is trying to make it everyone’s world.

Last week, the company released their ad campaign “Dream Crazier,” which challenges stereotypes against women and sports. Narrated by professional tennis player Serena Williams, we get a dose of reality when it comes to double standards with women in sports.

The ad focuses on how society views it as “crazy” to express emotions on the court that are not ladylike. Serena Williams confided in her coach, and was unfairly penalized, making her furious and they called her a crybaby. Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run in a marathon, but was criticized for it — because the committee believed women were too weak to run in the Boston Marathon. “Dream Crazier” tells these stories, and then tears them down.

Although the video promotes positive, feel-good messages, many people were quick to react with sexist and overall negative comments. YouTube comments ranged from “Shouldn’t y’all be cleaning something???” to “Playing the victim card will never empower women,” expressing their disgust with the ad.  

The majority of hate comments came from men — which isn’t surprising, considering its a gender exclusive ad. Many feel the message is arbitrary because there are no “actual” threats to women in this day of age, but it’s refreshing to see an all female cast on a sports commercial. So what if there’s a commercial that isn’t about the Gillette razor blade or Old Spice body wash? It’s not like all of sudden your manliness is robbed of you.

Many people (including myself) do not like being told what to believe, but this ad isn’t forming the demented idea of feminism in their psyche. Rather, it is an uplifting ad about how women can overcome any adversity – not an elitist, leftist plot against men.

Multimedia by Catherine Esrey