“Stop attacking others,” Pam Shriver’s ‘Upset’ comment on Serena Williams’ SuperBowl commercial triggers fans
Shriver expresses disapproval of the double alcohol advertisements which starred Serena Williams.
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Pam Shriver and Serena Williams
The Super Bowl Sunday match between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles bore witness to many star-studded commercials. One of them was 23-time Grand Slam champion, Serena Williams. The tennis star appeared in not one, but two commercials. Both advertisements aired during the first half of the match.
The adverts were inspired by 80s and 90s popular culture. The legendary doubles Grand Slam champion, Pam Shriver, expressed her disapproval of the commercials. Shriver was upset because Williams starred in alcohol commercials. Serena Williams is one of the very few tennis players to have appeared in the infamous Super Bowl commercials.
The commercials took inspiration from older movies such as Al Pacino’s 1999 movie, Any Given Sunday. Serena acted out a famous speech by Pacino in the Remy Martin Cognac commercial. In the ad for Michelob Beer, Williams picked up golf clubs, to pay tribute to the 1980 comedy film, Caddyshack.
Pam Shriver showed her disappointment through her social media platform. The Americans termed Serena’s appearances as the ‘Upset of the day’. Fans reacted in support of Williams to Shriver’s objection and expressed their love for Williams’ commercials. Some of the Twitter reactions are mentioned below:
However, some fans were in support of Shriver’s statement and tried ‘defending’ her:
Billie Jean King, along with Serena Williams, also stars in Super Bowl commercial
Billie Jean King, one of the first advocates for women’s progress in tennis, also appeared in the halftime Super Bowl commercial. King made a cameo to promote flag football. The commercial aired immediately following Rihanna’s halftime performance. It featured an interview with Diana Flores, the quarterback of Mexico’s women’s national flag football team, by commentator Erin Andrews.
It also concluded with a sign-off honoring female athletes who have changed the game. King also praised the all-female crew of pilots who carried out the ceremonial flyover that kicked off the festivities. This was monumental in the 50-year history of the Super Bowl as it was a first for the prestigious tournament.
Other than Billie Jean King and Serena Williams, there are John McEnroe, Maria Sharapova, John Newcombe, Jim Courier, and Gabriela Sabatini. Joe Pytka, one of the more experienced Super Bowl ad directors, recently shared his experience, working with Serena. He also explained the lack of tennis players in the commercials.
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Tanisha Mohanty
(172 Articles Published)