Nike will wade into familiar “woke” waters on Sunday night, with a new ad narrated by Serena Williams that will air during the Oscars awards.
Williams will be featured in the sportswear giant’s ad entitled, “Dream Crazier.” The spot will also feature the U.S. women’s soccer team, Simone Biles, Chloe Kim, Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, and many other female athletes, according to ESPN W.
The tennis champ narrates the ad that earnestly reminds viewers that women have been called “crazy” for striving for equal rights in sports. “if they want to call you crazy, fine. Show them what crazy can do,” Williams says in the spot.
Along with Williams and some of the stars mentioned above, the ad will also feature a snippet paying tribute to Katherine Switzer, the first woman to compete in the Boston Marathon. Other “crazy” athletes featured is Lisa Leslie, the first woman to dunk a ball in a WNBA game, Becky Hammon, the first female full-time NBA coach, and teenager Sam Gordon who raised eyebrows by playing with the boys in youth tackle football in Utah.
The “crazy” ad will not be the only opportunity that Oscars viewers will have to see Williams. The tennis star will also be a presenter during the broadcast and has been tapped to present “A Star is Born” during the evening’s ceremony.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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