Gatorade Quick To Honor Serena Williams With Congratulatory Ad After 21st Slam Title

After Serena Williams clinched the Wimbledon ladies singles title on Saturday, Gatorade quickly followed up with a congratulatory ad. The spot, in which she describes the burden of being the world's top-ranked player, opens with Williams walking onto the court as her voiceover says, "People are going to expect you to win every time you step out on a court. It's going to be bigger news for you to lose than for you to win, but that's a privilege. That's what we play for." The spot then switches to a screen showing the message, "Congrats on 21, Serena," referring to her 21st Grand Slam victory, before closing by showing the Gatorade logo (THE DAILY).

WHERE IS THE LOVE? In Oakland, Marcus Thompson II wrote our nation's appreciation of Williams "doesn't match her greatness." Williams' status "should be at young Tiger Woods' level." She is "LeBron James with a racket," or "Messi on a tennis court." But from a "beloved perspective, in her own sport she trails Maria Sharapova by a mile, just as she did Anna Kournikova." Williams' legacy, in the mind of many, is "cat suits and celebratory dances and debates about whether she's too bootylicious." Unfortunately, her status "speaks to how the nation at large views women athletes." No matter the "feats accomplished, no matter the quality of the play, the female professionals can't get half the love men receive" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 7/12). ESPN’s LZ Granderson said, “Her very presence at the top of this sport at this time is a political statement because she touches on race, she touches on gender, she touches on what it means to be a strong woman, what it means to be a beautiful woman. ... So many different conversations come from the simple fact that this dark-skinned, impactful, successful black woman is at the top of what has been known as a privileged, white sport” (“Breakfast at Wimbledon,” ESPN, 7/12).